The Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a one-year, $12 million deal with veteran slugger Marcell Ozuna, sources confirmed to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The deal, which was first reported Monday by the New York Post, is pending a physical and also includes a mutual option for 2027, sources told Passan.
The deal will pay Ozuna $10.5 million in 2026, with a $16 million option for 2027 that has a $1.5 million buyout, according to sources.
The Pirates hope that Ozuna, 35, will beef up an offense that finished with 117 home runs last season, by far the lowest in the majors.
Pittsburgh previously acquired All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe and signed All-Star first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn during an unusually busy offseason for the club as it tries to give a young pitching staff anchored by reigning National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes some help.
The Pirates had been linked to Kyle Schwarber, who re-signed with the Phillies, and Eugenio Suarez, who signed with the Diamondbacks, earlier this offseason before ultimately landing on Ozuna, who hit free agency after a down year with the Braves.
Ozuna’s arrival could mean Pittsburgh is moving on from longtime franchise cornerstone Andrew McCutchen. The 39-year-old, five-time All-Star and 2013 NL MVP, who has spent 12 of his 17 seasons in the majors with the Pirates, remains unsigned after hitting .239 with 13 homers while serving primarily as the club’s designated hitter.
Playing exclusively as a DH last season, Ozuna hit just 21 homers and finished with a .756 OPS, down from .925 in 2024. He was very productive overall with the Braves since joining them in 2020, hitting a total of 148 homers, the 18th most in baseball during that time and behind only Shohei Ohtani and Schwarber among DHs.
One of the few places where Ozuna has struggled is Pittsburgh’s PNC Park, his new home. Ozuna is a career .225 hitter with just one homer in 36 games at the ballpark that has been historically difficult for right-handed hitters.
The Pirates are banking on Ozuna figuring it out to give a left-handed-dominant lineup a little balance. Lowe, O’Hearn and outfielder Oneil Cruz are lefties while outfielder Bryan Reynolds is a switch-hitter.
Ozuna signed with the Braves as a free agent in 2020 on a one-year deal, posted a career-high 1.067 OPS, 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 one Gold Glove, and he received votes four times for National League MVP, peaking with a fourth-place finish in 2024.
Ozuna originally signed with the Marlins in 2008, eventually making his big league debut in 2013, and was traded to the Cardinals before the 2018 season for a package that included prospects Sandy Alcantara (who won the 2022 NL Cy Young Award) and Zac Gallen (who has three top-10 Cy Young finishes).
The Pirates begin spring training when pitchers and catchers report to their complex in Bradenton, Florida, later this week.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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