Pittsburgh Pirates Secure Marcell Ozuna for One Year
The Pittsburgh Pirates have reached an agreement for one year and 12 million dollars with the prominent hitter Marcell Ozuna, according to sources close to the team.
The agreement, which is subject to a physical examination, also includes a mutual option for 2027. The contract will pay Ozuna 10.5 million dollars in 2026, with a 16 million dollar option for 2027, which has a 1.5 million dollar termination clause.
The Pirates hope that Ozuna, 35, will strengthen an offense that recorded 117 home runs last season, the fewest in the Major Leagues.
Previously, Pittsburgh acquired All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe and signed All-Star first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn during an unusually active offseason for the club, looking to support a young pitching staff led by the current National League Cy Young Award winner, Paul Skenes.
The Pirates had been linked to Kyle Schwarber and Eugenio Suárez before finally securing Ozuna, who reached free agency after a less-than-stellar year with the Braves.
The arrival of Ozuna could mean that Pittsburgh will no longer have Andrew McCutchen, a long-time franchise pillar. The 39-year-old player, a five-time All-Star and National League MVP in 2013, who has spent 12 of his 17 seasons in the majors with the Pirates, has yet to sign after batting .239 with 13 home runs, mainly as the club’s designated hitter.
Playing exclusively as a designated hitter last season, Ozuna hit only 21 home runs and finished with an OPS of .756, down from .925 in 2024. He was very productive overall with the Braves since joining them in 2020, hitting a total of 148 home runs, the 18th most in baseball during that time and only behind Shohei Ohtani and Schwarber among designated hitters.
One of the few places where Ozuna has struggled is at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, his new home. Ozuna has a batting average of .225 with only one home run in 36 games at the stadium, which has historically been difficult for right-handed hitters.
The Pirates are counting on Ozuna to adjust to give them some balance to a predominantly left-handed lineup. Lowe, O’Hearn, and outfielder Oneil Cruz are left-handed, while outfielder Bryan Reynolds is a switch-hitter.
Ozuna signed with the Braves as a free agent in 2020 for a one-year contract, recorded an OPS of 1.067, the highest of his career, and then re-signed with Atlanta in 2021 for four years and $65 million and a club option for 2025. He has had a decorated career, with three All-Star appearances, two Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove, and received votes four times for the National League MVP, reaching fourth place in 2024.
Ozuna originally signed with the Marlins in 2008, debuting in the Major Leagues in 2013, and was traded to the Cardinals before the 2018 season for a package that included prospects Sandy Alcantara (who won the National League Cy Young award in 2022) and Zac Gallen (who has three top-10 Cy Young finishes).
The Pirates will begin spring training when pitchers and catchers report to their complex in Bradenton, Florida, later this week.
