MLB insider makes worrisome connection between Pirates and controversial slugger

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported this week that the Pittsburgh Pirates "continue to explore any number of ways to improve their offense. He threw out a few names we've already seen connected to the Pirates –– trade candidates like Brandon Lowe and Luis Robert Jr., and free agents like Ryan O'Hearn and Kazuma Okamoto.

But he also mentioned a new name –– Marcell Ozuna –– that should immediately set off alarms in Pittsburgh.

Yes, the Pirates need bats. Desperately. They finished near the bottom of baseball in runs, home runs and OPS, and this lineup cannot just “develop” its way out of that reality. But there’s a massive difference between adding offense and adding the wrong kind of offense — and Ozuna checks almost every wrong box imaginable (including off-field malfeasance).

Pirates linked to Marcell Ozuna in free agency rumors, but he wouldn't be a fit in Pittsburgh

This is the kind of move that looks good on a spreadsheet and awful everywhere else. Ozuna can still hit; no one’s disputing that. But the problem is everything surrounding his bat. He’s a full-time DH at this point, offering zero defensive value.

The Pirates already struggle to build flexible rosters because of budget constraints, and locking the DH spot into one aging, immobile hitter instantly limits lineup creativity. If you’re going to wade into the veteran market, why not target players who can play defense, run the bases, and fit into multiple lineup configurations? This team doesn’t have the luxury of adding one-dimensional players.

This would feel like the Pirates chasing last year’s stats instead of building something sustainable. Ozuna is the kind of name you float when you want to signal effort without committing to a real solution. It’s the baseball equivalent of buying a flashy appliance for a kitchen that still doesn’t have running water.

Worse, it raises the question Pirates fans have been dreading all winter: is this front office prioritizing the appearance of spending over the impact of spending?

Ozuna also doesn’t solve the Pirates’ biggest offensive issue: balance. This lineup doesn’t just need power — it needs on-base ability, situational hitting and versatility. A DH-only slugger who lives and dies by the long ball isn’t fixing that. He’s masking it.

And let’s be honest: Pirates fans have seen this movie before. Short-term veterans brought in to “help the offense,” only to become sunk costs, trade chips or buyout candidates when the fit inevitably collapses. That’s not progress. That’s treadmill baseball.

If the Pirates are serious about taking a step forward, the solution can’t be a name that makes sense only in isolation. It has to make sense in context — roster, timeline, flexibility, and culture.

Ozuna may still hit –– but for the Pirates, this connection hits all the wrong nerves.