The Pittsburgh Pirates are trying to win during Paul Skenes’ prime. The team continued its offseason spending spree Monday, reportedly agreeing to a one-year, $12 million deal with designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman.
The deal also reportedly contains a $16 million mutual option for 2027, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Ozuna, 35, is coming off a season in which he slashed .232/.355/.400 with 21 home runs over 592 plate appearances. While that slash line was 14% better than league-average, it was a steep decline for Ozuna, who hit 48% better than league-average over his previous two seasons. Between 2023 and 2024, he had a .289/.364/.552 slash line and combined for 79 home runs.
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The move marks yet another offseason addition for the Pirates. Prior to the reported Ozuna signing, the team traded for power-hitting second baseman Brandon Lowe and signed free-agent Ryan O’Hearn to one of the biggest deals in the franchise’s recent history.
Power was clearly a focus this offseason for the Pirates, who finished dead last in the majors last season with 117 home runs. That figure was 31 home runs fewer than the tally of the St. Louis Cardinals, who finished 29th in the majors with 148 home runs.
Whether Ozuna has anything left in his bat, however, remains to be seen. At 35, he is a threat to experience major age-related decline and appeared to show signs of that decline last season. After averaging a roughly 92-mph exit velocity across 2023 and 2024, Ozuna’s exit velocity dropped to 89.9 last season. His max exit velocity also fell to 112.1 mph, his lowest figure since the stat started being tracked in 2015.
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That, combined with Ozuna’s bat speed dropping, is cause for concern moving forward. While Ozuna has recovered from down seasons in the past, getting back to his peak numbers could be tough, especially if last year’s struggles were due to his age and not injury.
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The Pirates are going to need Ozuna’s bat to show some life because he’s extremely unlikely to play the field. Ozuna has not appeared as a defensive player since 2023, when he played two games in the outfield.
If Ozuna can hit like he did in 2025, even that would represent an upgrade for the Pirates. The team was desperate for offensive help heading into the offseason and has now addressed that need in multiple ways.
The Pirates’ strength is certainly in the starting rotation. At 23, Paul Skenes already has an argument for the title of best pitcher in the majors. He posted an ERA under 2.00 in each of his first two seasons and already has a Cy Young award.
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But despite his excellence, the Pirates haven’t won. In his debut season, the team went 76-86. With Skenes putting up Cy Young numbers in his second season, the Pirates declined to 71-91.
Those struggles have led to speculation that the Pirates could trade the young pitcher in hopes of receiving a massive package to help them get back to contention. But the Pirates have publicly shut down that speculation, and the team’s offseason strategy suggests it wants to build around Skenes moving forward.
While that’s an admirable goal, the Pirates haven’t landed major names this winter. Instead, the team has shopped in a lower tier, focusing on under-the-radar upgrades. Even so, the Pirates, on paper, look like a much better team heading into the 2026 MLB season.
In a competitive National League, the Pirates have done enough this winter to be in the conversation for a wild-card spot in 2026. Whether they reach that goal could depend on how much the team continues to add or how quickly it’s willing to pivot if players such as Ozuna fail to live up to expectations.
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