Pittsburgh spent their season battling through a mix of rivarly with other organizations and were that much closer to a pennant appearance when they lost a one-game playoff against the Cardinals to decide 3rd Place and the final playoff position - the second time in as many seasons a playoff decided the final standings.
2009 Season Record: 41-35, 4th
The Pirates may have some surprises in store for the rest of the league this year, however they will not recieve any help from their minor league roster. It will be up to shrewd on-field decisions and perhaps one or two deals during the year that will help this ballclub in what looks to be a solid mix in the middle of the standings for 2010.