The Pittsburgh Pirates are actively working the phones and weighing options to upgrade a lineup that, frankly, needs a lot of help. According to reports, the front office is exploring a range of possibilities - from trade targets like Brandon Lowe and Luis Robert Jr. to free agents such as Ryan O’Hearn and Kazuma Okamoto. But one name that’s recently popped up in the rumor mill has raised more eyebrows than optimism: Marcell Ozuna.
On paper, sure, Ozuna brings power. He’s coming off a strong offensive season and still has the kind of bat that can change a game with one swing. But when you look past the stat line, the fit in Pittsburgh gets murky - fast.
Let’s start with the obvious: the Pirates need offense. This team finished near the bottom of the league in runs scored, home runs, and OPS.
They’re not going to hit their way out of that hole by simply hoping for internal development. Reinforcements are necessary.
But there’s a big difference between adding offense and adding the right kind of offense. And for a team like Pittsburgh - one that has to be smart, efficient, and flexible with every roster decision - Ozuna presents more problems than solutions.
At this stage in his career, Ozuna is a full-time designated hitter. He doesn’t bring any defensive value, and he’s not a threat on the bases.
That’s a tough sell for a club that has to squeeze every ounce of versatility out of its 26-man roster. Locking up the DH spot with a one-dimensional slugger limits the team’s ability to mix and match, to rotate players through the lineup, and to adapt over a 162-game grind.
Flexibility isn’t a luxury for the Pirates - it’s a necessity.
This is where the conversation turns from “can he hit?” to “does this make sense?”
Because while Ozuna’s bat still plays, everything else around it doesn’t quite fit the Pirates’ puzzle. If you’re going to dip into the veteran market, it makes far more sense to target a player who can do more than just swing for the fences.
Someone who can play the field, run the bases, and slot into different roles as the season unfolds. That’s the kind of addition that helps build something sustainable - not just something that looks good in a press release.
There’s also the matter of roster construction. The Pirates are still building.
They’re not one bat away from contention; they’re trying to lay a foundation. And bringing in a player like Ozuna - whose value is tied almost exclusively to his power numbers - feels more like chasing last year’s production than building toward next year’s goals.
It’s the kind of move that might check a box in the short term but doesn’t move the needle where it matters most: long-term growth and roster cohesion.
And then there’s the bigger picture. The Pirates have been here before - signing short-term veterans to plug offensive gaps, only to see those moves fizzle out or turn into sunk costs.
Fans know the pattern. A big name arrives with hopes of a spark, but the fit never quite clicks, and by midseason, the conversation shifts from “can he help?”
to “can we move him?” That’s not progress.
That’s spinning in place.
If the Pirates are serious about turning a corner, they need to think bigger than just raw power. They need hitters who get on base, who can handle situational at-bats, who bring balance and adaptability to a lineup that’s been far too one-dimensional for far too long. Ozuna doesn’t solve those problems - he might even mask them.
This winter is an important one for Pittsburgh. The team has young talent, a promising pitching staff, and a fan base hungry for real momentum.
But that next step forward won’t come from a name that only makes sense in isolation. It has to be a move that fits the roster, the budget, the timeline, and the culture the Pirates are trying to build.
Ozuna can still hit. No one’s denying that. But for the Pirates, this rumor feels like a swing in the wrong direction.