1996 Pittsburgh Pirates season

The 1996 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 115th season of the franchise; the 110th in the National League. This was their 27th season at Three Rivers Stadium. The Pirates finished fifth and last in the National League Central with a record of 73–89.

Offseason

 * December 28, 1995: Charlie Hayes was signed as a free agent by the Pirates.
 * February 2, 1996: John DeSalvo was released by the Pirates (Injury).
 * February 4, 1996: Danny Darwin was signed as a free agent by the Pirates.
 * February 17, 1996: Zane Smith was signed as a free agent by the Pirates.

Game log

 * Legend:      = Win       = Loss Bold = Pirates team member
 * Legend:      = Win       = Loss Bold = Pirates team member

Player stats
''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''
 * Batting

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
 * Pitching

Awards and honors
1996 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
 * Jason Kendall, C, reserve

Transactions

 * April 27, 1996: Joe Boever was selected off waivers by the Pirates from the Detroit Tigers.
 * May 15, 1996: Jacob Brumfield was traded by the Pirates to the Toronto Blue Jays for D. J. Boston (minors).
 * June 4, 1996: Kris Benson was drafted by the Pirates in the 1st round (1st pick). Player signed August 11, 1996.
 * July 6, 1996: Zane Smith was released by the Pirates.
 * July 23, 1996: Danny Darwin was traded by the Pirates to the Houston Astros for Rich Loiselle.
 * August 28, 1996: Denny Neagle was traded by the Pirates to the Atlanta Braves for Ron Wright, Corey Pointer (minors) and a player to be named later. The Braves completed the deal by sending Jason Schmidt to the Pirates on August 30.
 * August 30, 1996: Charlie Hayes was traded by the Pirates to the New York Yankees for a player to be named later. The Yankees completed the deal by sending Chris Corn (minors) to the Pirates on August 31.