Building a rotation around Paul Skenes will be very important going forward because the Pirates are showing very few signs of life on offense. After finishing 22nd in runs scored in 2023, they finished 24th in 2024. They were one of six teams with a wOBA under .300 and finished 28th in that department. They struck out too much, didn’t walk enough, and didn’t hit for nearly enough power.
There were a few positive baseball betting odds developments. Oneil Cruz stayed healthy enough to have 599 plate appearances and posted a 110 wRC+ with 21 homers and 22 steals.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds MLB Betting Information
| Date and Time: | Friday, April 11, 2025, 6:40 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Great America Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH |
| TV Coverage: | Apple TV |
| Betting Online Odds at SBG: | Click Here |
Pittsburgh Pirates SBG Team Overview
Namely, Joey Bart, acquired just a few days after the sportsbook season started, looked like a legitimate Major League bat with a 121 wRC+ and a .347 wOBA in 282 PA. He led the team in wRC+ and wOBA and could be a long-term solution at the catcher spot. Barts was a former first-round pick who just never materialized in San Francisco.
In addition to that, the only other hitters above league average by wRC+ with at least 20 plate appearances were Bryan Reynolds and Andrew McCutchen. Cutch only batted .232, but drew a lot of walks and popped 20 homers. While those things were positives, there were negatives, too. To illuminate, Ke’Bryan Hayes was awful over 96 games, and Jack Suwinski bottomed out. Suwinski had a 112 wRC+ with 26 homers in 2023. He had nine homers with a 62 wRC+ in 277 PA last season.
Additionally, the Pirates will hope for Spencer Horwitz, who was acquired in a quasi-three-team deal. In turn, it wound up with Andres Gimenez in Toronto and Luis Ortiz in Cleveland, to keep growing as a hitter. Previously, he’s hit at every level and had a 127 wRC+ last season. He was playing more than half the time for the Blue Jays. His season will be off to a delayed start due to injury. The other addition is Tommy Pham, who has been a decent big leaguer. Otherwise, this is a lot of the same personnel that was part of a bottom-five offense in 2024.
Termarr Johnson might make his debut at some point this season. But help is not coming from below for the offense. It wouldn’t take a lot for this group to be better than last season. Guys like Horwitz and Hayes can elevate the ceiling of the lineup, but this will be a bottom-10 group again in all likelihood.
Cincinnati Reds SBG Team Overview
Previously, the Reds had one of the game’s most exciting young cores. With Elly de la Cruz, Matt McLain, Noelvi Marte, Spencer Steer, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Correlate that they were all early in their careers. In addition to the pitching of Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo, the arrow appeared to be pointing upward. Thus, that’s what made 2024 so disappointing. Many of the issues can be attributed to injuries. Still, the Reds finished 77-85 after an 82-win season in 2023.
Now, Terry Francona enters as manager to help turn the ship around. But while de la Cruz and Greene appear to be real stars, the rest of the Reds’ young group needs to improve. Cincinnati has a case as a potential post-hype sleeper team after taking a step back last season.
Pirates at Reds SBG Free Pick
Cincinnati will have a reasonable price with the MLB odds. In comparison, the Pirates have too many questions.
Pirates at Reds SBG Best Bet: Cincinnati Reds.