The Pittsburgh Pirates would have made the playoffs had their 82-80 record been in the AL West. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. The NL Central one of the MLB’s toughest divisions. Don Kelly and Company did what they could to remain relevant throughout the year, but finished several games out of the Wild Card. Things seem to be trending in the right direction; however, that doesn’t get the decision-makers off of the hook.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘s Colin Beazley reported on Monday about the Pirates’ end-of-season report card. The beat writer covered the team, and it was clear where Pittsburgh deserved an ‘F’ grade. Overall, the decision to sign Marcell Ozuna in the offseason really hurt the offense.
“Perhaps it’s wrong to issue an F on a position based upon a player who was released in August. Then again, it’d be wrong to try to separate what players such as [Brandon] Lowe, [Bryan] Reynolds and [Ryan] O’Hearn did as designated hitters instead of at their primary positions,” Beazley wrote.
Pittsburgh signed Ozuna to give the offense a reliable veteran presence. The goal was always for him to be the designated hitter. Sadly, it was a pretty terrible experiment.
Pirates Get Scolded For Ozuna’s Presence
The reporter continued to express his displeasure about the decision. The numbers don’t lie, and they weren’t pretty.
“The Pirates had better production when they started rotating the DH spot between those three, [Oneil] Cruz and [Nick] Gonzales, but they got virtually nothing from Ozuna while he was active,” Beazley noted. “In 70 games, Ozuna batted .203 with eight homers, a .612 OPS and a 68 wRC+. He also struggled against lefties, a weakness that his signing was meant to address.”
There was an added disadvantage that came with Ozuna playing for the Pirates. It took away a roster spot for months from someone who could help more than just at the plate, per Beazley.
“Not only did Ozuna not hit, but rostering him hurt the Pirates defense, too. He was a model veteran, but that wasn’t enough to make his signing worthwhile,” Beazley wrote.
It was originally viewed as a good idea by the front office, but now the reality is that general manager Ben Cherington made a mistake. Kelly did what he could to give Ozuna opportunities; however, it was a failure all around.
Pittsburgh Has Offensive Questions Moving Forward
Brandon Lowe was fantastic for the Pirates during his first season with the organization. He is entering free agency, so he might be a one-and-done player. The main goal of the offseason should be to re-sign the second baseman.
This would go a long way in proving to the fan base that ownership wants to win. Another key piece will be bringing in more reliable bats. The Ozuna mistake will leave a bad taste in a lot of mouths, so the Pirates need to redeem themselves in that area.
The Pirates will have to make some difficult decisions with the 2027 season in jeopardy. But a key part will be bringing in legitimate contributors who can stick around for the entire season.
Pirates Face Criticism For Terrible Offensive Decision