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PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – APRIL 8: Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting stands in the dugout before the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on April 8, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been desperate for hitting this offseason. The day after the Super Bowl, just days before the start of spring training, they have added just that.
The Pirates have signed designated hitter Marcell Ozuna to a one-year, $12 million deal, with a mutual option for 2027, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Ozuna, the three-time All-Star, will now be on his fourth team in 14 seasons. After spending the last six seasons with the Atlanta Braves, Ozuna will join a young Pirates team.
What Does Ozuna Bring to the Pittsburgh Pirates?
Ozuna, entering his age-35 season, is a one-trick pony at this point in his career.
He is no longer a Gold-Glove caliber player like he was early in his career with the Miami Marlins. In fact, he can no longer play in the field at all.
With 296 career home runs, including 21 last year, he is an elite power hitter. However, his bat-to-ball skills diminished last year. After making an All-Star appearance in 2024 with a .302 average, 39 home runs and a .925 OPS, Ozuna took a step back in 2025.
While the power numbers weren’t horrible, his average fell to .232 and his OPS to .756 in 145 games.
He has elite plate discipline at this stage of his career, with a 98th-percentile walk rate and an 85th-percentile chase rate, according to Baseball Savant.
While practically every offensive stat was elite or above-average on his Baseball Savant page in 2024, his performance decline was reflected in his statcast numbers in 2025.
How Does Ozuna Fit on the Pirates?
While Ozuna is an upgrade to Pittsburgh’s lineup, the fit is slightly questionable.
Beyond shelling out $12 million to a veteran player on the decline, and giving a $16 million mutual option, per Jeff Passan of ESPN, there are issues with this deal.
PNC is not considered a hitter-friendly park for right-handed power-hitters, so Ozuna could face some struggles in that department.
In addition, Ozuna will be blocking a few players who profile as part-time designated hitters. Ryan O’Hearn and Spencer Horwitz were slated to share time at first base and designated hitter. Now, one of them will have to play a different position.
With Ozuna penciled in at DH due to his fielding deficiencies, O’Hearn will have to play a corner outfield spot, where he played 21 games in 2025. Bryan Reynolds will likely fill the other corner outfield spot. It is also likely that Horwitz will play first base because of this defensive alignment.
Ozuna’s arrival also means the departure of franchise legend Andrew McCutchen, who had spent the last three seasons as the Pirates’ primary DH. While Ozuna is an obvious upgrade over a 39-year-old McCutchen, it will hurt to see a fan-favorite leave the organization.
While adding Ozuna pushes the Pirates’ payroll to a franchise-record $105 million, it’s still a modest total. However, this signing continues an encouraging trend of spending by the franchise ($50 million this free agency).
For Pirates fans, this is just the latest step in what they hope will be a path back to competing.
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Matthew Singer Matthew Singer is a sports reporter covering MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2025, and has two years of experience covering local professional, collegiate and high school sports, including writing for Cronkite News and Arizona PBS. More about Matthew Singer
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