The Pittsburgh Pirates are still in desperate need of offense and have been striking out every which way when it comes to making additions this offseason.
They were in on Josh Naylor, but he re-signed with the Seattle Mariners. They made a four-year offer to Kyle Schwarber, who chose to re-up with the Philadelphia Phillies. The were rumored to be involved with Jorge Polanco, but he just inked a deal with the New York Mets.
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The Pirates’ options are drying up, and it seems more and more likely that they will have to turn to trades in order to bolster their lineup.
But there is one free agent who could fit the bill for Pittsburgh: Marcell Ozuna.
Ozuna has had a very odd career trajectory, which has featured some brilliant campaigns amid some head-scratching seasons.
Overall, though, the 35-year-old has been a good slugger for most of his big-league tenure, and in 2023 and 2024, he registered OPSes of over .900. He also smashed 40 and 39 home runs, respectively, in those two campaigns.
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Marcell Ozuna. Credit:Â Brad Mills-Imagn Images.
This past year, Ozuna slashed .232/.355/.400 with 21 homers and 68 RBI over 592 plate appearances with the Atlanta Braves. Yes, he showed serious signs of decline, but it’s important to remember that he logged sub-.700 OPSes in 2021 and 2022 before his two massive seasons.
Ozuna can probably be had on an affordable one-year deal, which, at this point, should be exactly what Pittsburgh is looking for.
And you want to hear something funny? Ozuna’s 21 long balls would have led the Pirates in 2025.
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The Dominican native owns a lifetime .806 OPS and led the National League in dingers back in 2020. Yes, it was a pandemic-shortened campaign, but he still hit at a .338/.431/.636 clip over 267 plate appearances. Not too shabby.
Quite simply, the Buccos just need bats. They haven’t been able to land any thus far, and Ozuna is sitting right there for the taking.
It should be noted that Ozuna is exclusively a designated hitter at this point of his career, which should make his value even lower on the open market.
The Pirates can absolutely afford to add Ozuna. It’s just a matter of whether or not they want to.