The Pittsburgh Pirates have been an aggressive team this offseason, reportedly targeting some of the top names on the market. The most notable player they were connected to was Kyle Schwarber, as they reportedly offered him a four-year contract worth $125 million. Schwarber eventually returned to the Phillies and the Pirates were forced to pivot to other options.
Since then, Pittsburgh has yet to add a major league bat to the roster and multiple targets have signed elsewhere. Fortunately for them, there are still plenty of free agents and trade candidates available that are very affordable.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic just connected the Pirates to a new free agent slugger on the market. He wrote that the Pirates have explored bringing in two-time Silver Slugger award winner Marcell Ozuna. Rosenthal also added Ryan O’Hearn, Kazuma Okamoto, Luis Robert Jr., and Brandon Lowe in this segment. Those four have been connected to Pittsburgh multiple times this offseason and this is the first we’ve seen Ozuna’s name.
Ozuna is a unique candidate for the Pirates to have interest in. At this stage of his career, he would strictly be the DH. Despite that defensive limitation, his bat would provide meaningful value to this team. Last season was a slight down year, belting 21 home runs and 68 RBI, while also posting a 114 wRC+ with a .756 OPS. In 2024, he was an All-Star and generated an incredible 154 wRC+ with a .925 OPS and slugged 39 home runs.
As a right-handed bat, there might be some concern about his power playing at PNC Park. His home run total would have dropped by just two if he only played in Pittsburgh in 2025. Fortunately, playing in the NL Central will make up for it. In 2024, if he played only at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Statcast estimates he could have slugged 58 home runs there. That is 19 more than he had that season.
Financially, the Pirates have a ton of room for him. Ozuna might land a contract of two years around $25 million.
All of this sounds great for the lineup, but there is a frustrating catch. Adding Ozuna would likely end Andrew McCutchen’s time in Pittsburgh. A team cannot roster two designated hitters since they are limited to just that spot, so it would be very difficult to hold both. Having a DH off the bench would hurt the active roster defensively, not having very much wiggle room in the event of injuries or platoons. It would be a disappointing way to see McCutchen leave, especially if he fails to land a deal with another team.
There is a lot to like about what Ozuna could bring to Pittsburgh. While there are limitations to what he can bring defensively, his bat would be a significant boost to the lineup. Pittsburgh needs a legitimate offensive splash this winter and Ozuna would bring the impact this team requires.
