Hey, everybody. It's the day before the World Series, which in Pittsburgh means it's just some other day in October.

But we're going to talk ball anyway. Good morning to you. Good. Thursday morning. I'm Dan Kovach of D.K. Pittsburgh Sports. This is Daily Shot of Pirates. It comes your way bright and early every weekday. If you're into football and or hockey, I also offer daily shots of Steelers and Penguins. The same place that you found this. There won't be a more prominent baseball related question

that's posed anywhere related to the pirates all winter long. Then this, how are they going

to address the hitting satisfactorily? Now, I can't even really guess as to what it would

mean to improve the offense to the degree that the Pirates could make the playoffs in 2026. I will

pause for laughter. Okay, we done. That's not me.

That was Travis Williams.

Travis Williams was the one who brought up at the really awkward Don Kelly's extension.

We're keeping Ben Charrington press conference that couldn't have fallen flatter onto its figurative face than it did.

Travis was the one who said,

the goal is to make the playoffs.

Mentioned the word playoffs several times.

Enough to almost convince you that there could be repercussions for not making the playoffs.

Well, if you're going to make the playoffs, you've got to be able to hit a heck of a lot better than this,

meaning what the 2025 Pirates did.

Because the 2025 Pirates had a 655 OPS, which would be bad if you were only comparing them to the next worst team in all of Major League Baseball.

That would be the Guardians who were 6.69, a full 14 points better than your dead last buckos.

Even that pales to the difference between the pirates hitting 117 home runs, also dead last,

compared to the next to last Cardinals at 148, 31 more home runs.

Look, if the pirates next year hit 31 more home runs. Look, if the pirates next year hit 31 more home runs, they'd move up to

29th. Your daily reminder that they kept this GM. They still employ him. Wait, what's more,

they're entrusting him to improve this offense. And apparently, not

...