The Pittsburgh Pirates made it official Monday: Marcell Ozuna is their guy. The three-time All-Star passed his physical and signed a one-year, $12 million deal with a mutual option worth $16 million for 2027, capping what has been the most aggressive offseason in Pittsburgh in over a decade.
Ozuna wasted no time getting comfortable. The 35-year-old slugger was launching bombs during batting practice at Pirate City on the first full-team workout day, reportedly pelting rental cars in the parking lot with his power display.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Pirates designated Jack Suwinski for assignment. The 27-year-old outfielder, who hit 26 home runs as recently as 2023, slashed .147/.281/.253 with just three home runs in 59 games last season. He’s out of minor league options and has a week to find a new home.
Pittsburgh’s Defensive Gamble for Offensive Firepower
The Ozuna signing forces manager Don Kelly into some uncomfortable roster gymnastics. With Ozuna locked in as the everyday DH, Ryan O’Hearn, one of the club’s most significant free agent signings in years, gets pushed into the outfield.
O’Hearn has limited experience in the outfield corners during his career and grades as a subpar defender there. He graded out well at first base last year with plus-five outs above average, but the Pirates don’t need him there with Spencer Horwitz manning the position.
The likely alignment puts O’Hearn in right field with Bryan Reynolds shifting back to left, where he posted minus-9 outs above average in 2024. Add Oneil Cruz, who committed 11 errors in his first full season patrolling center last year, and you’ve got an outfield that could give opposing baserunners early Christmas presents.
GM Ben Cherington isn’t hiding from the tradeoff. The Pirates finished dead last in MLB with 117 home runs in 2025. They ranked 30th in slugging percentage (.350), 30th in OPS (.655), and scored the fewest runs in baseball (583). Ozuna, Brandon Lowe, and O’Hearn combined for 69 home runs last season. The offense needed a defibrillator, and Pittsburgh hit it with three separate shocks.
Kelly has a personal connection to Ozuna that runs deeper than the stat sheet. The two were teammates with the Miami Marlins in 2015 and 2016, and Kelly couldn’t contain his enthusiasm last week. “When you talk about a fierce competitor that enjoys the game of baseball, has fun playing the game of baseball, and knows that he’s a really good hitter and very confident,” Kelly said. “He’s going to be a big presence to bring in.”
Paul Skenes Needs the Run Support
The real question is whether Pittsburgh’s pitching can mask the defensive deficiencies. Paul Skenes, the reigning NL Cy Young winner, posted a 1.97 ERA with 216 strikeouts last season. He went 10-10 because the Pirates couldn’t score, but that shouldn’t be mistaken for anything other than a run support problem.
This is where the Ozuna gamble makes sense. The Pirates have baseball’s No. 1 overall prospect in Konnor Griffin waiting in the wings at shortstop. They have a rotation anchored by Skenes with Mitch Keller and emerging talent like Bubba Chandler behind him. What they didn’t have was any semblance of middle-of-the-order thump.
The McCutchen era in Pittsburgh, meanwhile, appears to be over. Andrew McCutchen remains unsigned at 39, and while Cherington diplomatically said the Pirates “will never shut the door” on their former MVP, there’s simply no roster spot for two right-handed DH-only bats in their mid-to-late thirties. McCutchen hit .239 with 13 home runs and posted minimal value last season. Ozuna, even in a down year, produced 21 home runs and was still an above-average offensive performer.
The Pirates pushed their payroll past $100 million with this signing, setting a franchise record and representing a genuine commitment from an ownership group that has historically pinched pennies. They offered Kyle Schwarber a four-year deal worth approximately $120-125 million earlier this winter before he re-signed with Philadelphia. They’re trying.
Whether trying translates to winning depends on a few things breaking right: Ozuna bouncing back to something closer to his 2024 form, when he slugged over .540 with 39 home runs; Reynolds rediscovering his All-Star swing after a down year; and Cruz continuing to develop defensively under the tutelage of Kevin Kiermaier, who worked with him this offseason.
And Skenes continuing to be Skenes, which is the one thing Pittsburgh can count on. The ace will have more run support in 2026. The defense behind him might require some patience.