What Does the Marcell Ozuna Deal Mean for the Pirates?

The baseball world has seen many surprising moves this offseason. From Pete Alonso leaving the Mets to Munetaka Murakami joining the White Sox (just to name a few), it’s been a surprising winter to say the least.

One of the biggest surprises of the offseason has been the Pittsburgh Pirates being active spenders for one of the first times in recent memory. With a young core as talented as any other in the sport, the Pirates building around their young stars has generated a ton of excitement.

On the morning of Monday, February 9, the excitement continued, as the Pirates inked Marcell Ozuna to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2027, per Jon Heyman. According to Jeff Passan, Ozuna will earn $10.5 million in 2026 with a $1.5 million buyout on a $16 million option for the 2027 season.

Now that this deal has come together, a big question remains: Where do the Pirates go from here?

Are they done spending? Is this the end of Andrew McCutchen’s second tenure with the club? Let’s take a closer look at the ramifications of this deal and explore these questions, as well as the impact Ozuna will have on this offense.

Ozuna’s Offensive Impact

Marcell Ozuna enters the 2025 season coming off another very solid offensive campaign. The right-handed power threat blasted 21 homers and slashed .232/.355/.400 with a 114 wRC+ and 1.2 fWAR. He hasn’t fallen short of the 20-homer mark since 2021, even hitting 40 once during that span.

It’s been well established that the Pirates’ lineup struggled last season. The front office has worked to address that problem during the offseason, most notably adding Ryan O’Hearn and Brandon Lowe, and now Ozuna.

A lack of power was one of the biggest issues for the Pirates in 2025. They only had one hitter reach the 20-homer threshold, finishing dead last in homers as a team with 117. However, they have done a very good job at addressing this specific issue through their moves this winter.

Ozuna, O’Hearn, and Lowe combined for 69 home runs during the 2025 season. If you add that to the Pirates’ total of 117, the club would instantly tie the Boston Red Sox for the 15th most in baseball. Adding this level of pop to the lineup is going to be huge for this team, as they finally have some hitters who can do damage in close games.

Focusing on Ozuna’s offensive tools alone, he’s going to be a huge boost for this team at the designated hitter spot. His 114 wRC+ would’ve finished second behind Spencer Horwitz’s 119 mark last season, and he would have been one of only two hitters in the lineup to post a mark over 110.

Despite now being 34 years old, Ozuna’s underlying metrics are still pretty solid altogether. He posted a walk rate of nearly 16% last season, one of the best marks in the league. In addition to this, he registered an elite chase rate of 22.3%, showing just how well he knows his strike zone.

Despite having a tougher time with breaking balls and offspeed pitches, Ozuna eats heaters for breakfast. He slugged .474 in addition to an xwOBA just shy of .400 against them in 2025, seemingly doing damage whenever he saw them.

Although there were many positive takeaways from his 2025 season, it is important to acknowledge that he did take a step back offensively from his 2024 production. Both his max exit velocity and average exit velocity decreased, which could be a sign of his age beginning to show. His hard-hit rate and barrel rate followed a similar trend, but both marks still inspire hope for his 2026 season.

Taking everything into consideration, this is an undeniable upgrade for the Bucs’ offense. Ozuna will be another much-needed offensive upgrade.

What Does this Mean for Another McCutchen Reunion?

Now that we’ve explored the positive impact Ozuna will have offensively, we have to talk about the elephant in the room: Andrew McCutchen.

McCutchen’s reunion with the Pirates was one of the few positive things during some of the hardest years in recent memory for the club. His presence was a ray of sunshine and hope when all else seemed dark, and he constantly stood as a reminder that winning was possible in Pittsburgh.

However, the signing of Marcell Ozuna almost certainly concludes McCutchen’s second stint with the Pirates. Since returning to Pittsburgh, McCutchen has been almost exclusively the team’s DH, and with Ozuna not appearing in the field since 2023, it seems unlikely that a starting job will be available for McCutchen.

Now, this isn’t to say there isn’t room for McCutchen on the bench. According to RosterResource, the Pirates’ bench is projected to feature Jake Mangum, Henry Davis, Jhostynxon Garcia, and Nick Yorke, and it isn’t guaranteed that this group will make for enough quality depth.

The question isn’t whether McCutchen is still a big league hitter, as he posted a 95 wRC+ last season. Rather, the question is whether McCutchen is still deserving of a regular role on a Pirates team that desperately needed an offensive answer after 2025. Unfortunately, the answer to that question is at best a “probably not.”

McCutchen still does some things quite well. Like Ozuna, he posted elite walk and chase rates in 2025, and he can still drive the ball with authority on occasion. However, at 39 years old, there isn’t a ton else for him to fall back on, especially considering McCutchen is a DH without significant thump in his bat.

It hasn’t been a secret that the relationship between the Pirates and McCutchen soured this winter. The veteran has voiced his frustration on social media and to the Pirates front office.

McCutchen certainly deserves one last ride, but the Pirates weren’t in the wrong for understanding that they needed to upgrade offensively. The best-case scenario for both sides is still that McCutchen takes a bench role and gets to enjoy one last season in the black and gold before hanging up the spikes.

Are the Bucs Done Adding?

In addition to the questions surrounding McCutchen’s future with the club, the other question is whether or not the Pirates are done adding. Original reports suggested that they were hoping to raise their payroll to $110 million this offseason, and after the Ozuna move, they currently sit at roughly $101 million.

This leaves the club with about nine million more to spend, and according to multiple sources, the front office isn’t done. They’ve kept close tabs on the third base market all winter, and there could be enough room to make a splash in this area.

Isaac Paredes of the Astros is a trade candidate the club has been closely tied to for a few weeks now, and he would make a lot of sense if they’re looking to enter Opening Day with a payroll of $110 million. Paredes is set to make $9.35 million in 2026, which could make him a realistic option.

There is speculation around how well Paredes’ pull-heavy approach would translate to PNC Park, but there are encouraging things about his profile. For example, Paredes boasted a contact rate of 83.5% last season, a number that put him among the league’s best hitters.

Mark Vientos is another name the Pirates have been closely tied to in recent weeks, and he makes a ton of sense as well. Although he’s coming off a down year, Vientos comes with team control through the 2029 season, and he’s just one year removed from a 27-homer campaign.

He’s likely set to be the odd man out in Queens, given the Mets’ new offensive additions, which might make him an even more attainable trade target for the club. He certainly fits the payroll constraints as well, which makes this fit potentially even stronger.

With the Pirates’ remaining financial flexibility and some options available on the trade market, it’s clear that their front office has opportunities to further bolster the roster before Opening Day. Whether it’s securing a proven bat like Paredes or adding a high-upside option in Vientos, the club has positioned itself well to make a final push if the right opportunity arises.