North Shore Nine: A Pittsburgh Pirates Podcast

Pirates catching prospect Easton Carmichael joins North Shore Nine for a Get To Know You conversation from the Arizona Fall League.

Carmichael looks back on his first full professional season, hitting 20 home runs, catching a no-hitter in Greensboro and the chaotic story behind his promotion to Altoona. He also explains why catching feels like a chess match, how he remembers opposing hitters by their cleats and what he hopes to learn from his time in Arizona.

Plus, Easton talks growing up in an Oklahoma baseball family, catching his brother at OU, his sneaker collection, cooking, woodworking, Legos and puts a few Pirates teammates on blast during rapid fire.

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The Pirates bullpen was one of their biggest problems for much of 2026, but things changed dramatically down the stretch. Alex Stumpf looks at why Mason Montgomery, Luke Weaver and Lake Bachar give Pittsburgh the foundation of a potentially excellent bullpen in 2027.

But there are still plenty of questions. Where does Carmen Mlodzinski fit? Can Yohan Ramirez repeat his breakout season? Who is the second left-hander? And with limited help waiting in Triple-A, how aggressive do the Pirates need to be this offseason?

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The Pirates entered 2026 expecting their starting rotation to be one of the strengths of the team. Instead, even with Braxton Ashcraft emerging as an All-Star, the group ended up much closer to average than elite.

Alex Stumpf looks at Paul Skenes’ step back and whether this version of him could be closer to what the Pirates get moving forward. He also breaks down the progress from Bubba Chandler and Jared Jones, Mitch Keller’s uncertain future and whether Pittsburgh should use its pitching depth to help address the offense this offseason.

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The Pirates are watching October baseball from home, but how far away are they really? Tonight on NS9LIVE!, we build Pittsburgh’s hypothetical playoff rotation and lineup, decide which late-season breakouts are actually real, and look at what the teams still playing have that the Pirates don’t.

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The Pirates set a franchise record for home runs by their catchers in 2026, Rafael Flores Jr. made an immediate offensive impact and Henry Davis developed into a good defensive catcher. So why does the position still feel like such a major question entering 2027?

Alex Stumpf breaks down Flores’ issues behind the plate and against high velocity, whether Davis can finally take an offensive step forward, Endy Rodriguez’s uncertain future after another injury and whether Pittsburgh has any realistic alternatives outside the organization.

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The Pirates have some pieces to build around in the infield, starting with Konnor Griffin, but there are still some major questions heading into 2027.

Alex Stumpf breaks down where Nick Gonzales, Spencer Horwitz, Jared Triolo and the rest of the current group fit, what prospects like Murf Gray could eventually provide, and why the Pirates may have to go outside the organization for another impact infielder.

And above everything else: can they really afford to let Brandon Lowe walk?

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The Pirates’ 2027 offseason is already starting to take shape. DiNardo and the crew break down the latest arbitration projections, what Pittsburgh’s payroll could look like next season, and the bigger question: how much does this team actually need to spend to take another step forward?

Plus, Wyatt Sanford is already making noise in the Arizona Fall League, we check in on the Pirates prospects playing in Glendale, and look at where Pittsburgh should prioritize its money this winter. If you had $25 million to improve this roster, where are you spending it?

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The Pirates have started looking toward 2027, and Alex Stumpf is going position by position to figure out where this roster needs to improve.

First up: the outfield. Bryan Reynolds remains one of the safest bets in the lineup, Oneil Cruz took another step forward and Esmerlyn Valdez showed real impact potential as a rookie. But is that enough? Alex looks at the Pirates' internal depth, Jake Mangum's role, the possibility of adding another bat and whether someone like Taylor Ward could make an already promising group even better.

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The 2026 season is over, so it’s time for our FINAL Pittsburgh Pirates tier list.

Nate & Neil went back through the entire roster and ranked everyone from S to F based on their performance, impact and what we expected from them coming into the year. Brandon Lowe and Oneil Cruz headline the S tier, but things get weird fast when Rafael Flores Jr., Mason Montgomery and Yohan Ramirez all end up ranked ahead of Paul Skenes.

We also get into Konnor Griffin, Bryan Reynolds, Jared Jones, Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft, Esmerlyn Valdez and plenty more while looking back at how much our first-half rankings changed.

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The Wild Card round is over, so Alex Stumpf is back with another round of MLB playoff predictions.

Can the Yankees survive without Aaron Judge against Tampa Bay? Does the White Sox offense have enough to get past Cleveland? Alex breaks down Brewers-Padres before explaining why the Dodgers’ bullpen could open the door for Atlanta to pull off the upset.

OffBeat is presented by FanDuel.

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