Pirates Might Have No Choice But to Move on From Offseason Addition
· Yahoo Sports
The Pittsburgh Pirates made the moves they had to make in the offseason, and as a result, they've been a much better baseball team than they typically are.
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Unfortunately for the Pirates, they're currently dealing with adversity, not playing as well as they hoped or as well as they were at the beginning of the campaign.
The Pirates are also dealing with some other misfortune, with the NL Central arguably the best division in Major League Baseball at the moment. The Central is typically one of the worst divisions in baseball, but it's actually the best in the game right now in terms of record.
Pittsburgh's signings of some of their veteran guys were also to show the fan base that it had a chance to compete as early as this year. Right now, that seems to be the case, though some players haven't lived up to their end of the bargain. That includes Marcell Ozuna, who some believe just can't be defended any longer.
“When the Pirates struck out in the Kyle Schwarber sweepstakes, few saw the next slugger on the wishlist. Ozuna had many critics when he joined Pittsburgh. He was coming off his worst full season (from a slugging perspective) since 2015, and the Pirates needed him to produce. Unfortunately, 2026 has been more of the same from Ozuna. Entering play on May 20, he has a mere five homers and a career-worst .579 OPS…
“It’s still early, but the signing of Ozuna and the trade for Mangum are no longer worth defending. If their miserable performances continue, the players themselves may no longer be worth defending, either,” Abigail Miskowiec wrote.
If any fan believes Ozuna is going to figure things out in Pittsburgh at this point, I think it's a bit insane to say so.
Unfortunately, because of his play over the past year and a half, it's literally impossible to say that he's going to be the guy the Pirates were hoping for. Ozuna had been a really good player prior to the 2025 season, at least in the power department, but it's evident that his power isn't what it once was since leaving the Atlanta Braves.