ESPN Magazine published their Ultimate Standings today, ranking the 122 franchises in the four major sports leagues. The Pirates finished eighth overall in the rankings, and first among MLB teams, in a ranking that was determined by what fans told ESPN about how each team was doing.
This probably should just be chalked up to "interesting reading", rather than a concrete ranking, since it's not exactly trying to measure the best franchise on the field. Instead, they took into account various fan-related factors, plus a few factors that the Pirates probably excel in, most notably converting money that fans spend into on-field wins.