Pirates bet big on Marcell Ozuna’s incentive-fueled comeback as contract details surface

Of all the moves the Pittsburgh Pirates made this offseason to rebuild their offense, the one with the potential for the highest payoff is also the riskiest.

In 2024, only four hitters in baseball managed to post a batting average of .300 or better, at least 35 homers, and a walk rate greater than 10%. Two won the AL and NL MVP Awards in Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, respectively. One was Marcell Ozuna.

The 2025 campaign was obviously a stark drop-off for the 35-year-old, but given the rarified air he occupied just one year prior, it's not unreasonable to roll the dice on him rebounding. Yes, that means a convoluted lineup situation. Pittsburgh is taking the sacrifice of defensive aptitude in the service of offensive firepower to another level by forcing Ryan O'Hearn to right field in order to cater to a full-time DH like Ozuna.

But if he rebounds to something remotely close to that elite 2024 production, it will all be worth it. As we've seen from the full contract details, the Pirates are banking on just that.

Marcell Ozuna's incentive-laden contract details show us exactly what the Pirates think he's capable of in 2026

MLB Insider Jon Heyman broke down the Ozuna contract, highlighting all the incentives the Pirates threw his way, hoping to coax a turn-back-the-clock year out of the aging slugger.

Ozuna will leave Pittsburgh with at least $12 million between his $10.5 million salary for 2026 and the $1.5 million buyout he'd receive should the team decline their portion of the mutual option for 2026. Depending on how he performs, he could receive an additional $500K on top of that via a variety of incentives.

While the idea of the lumbering nominal outfielder winning a Gold Glove is hilarious, there is a tell in what the Pirates chose to incentivize and how likely it is that Ozuna achieves these bonuses.

For example, a Silver Slugger award pays out at $75,000 while the Gold Glove fantasy only pays $25,000. We can also see how much the Pirates believe he might contribute to their success, with them offering $25,000 payouts if he can take home NLDS and NLCS MVP honors, and a $50,000 award for World Series MVP honors.

Ozuna can also earn another $50,000 for an All-Star selection, and then a grand prize of $250K if he wins the NL MVP, with smaller payouts of $150K and 100K for second and third place finishes, respectively. For reference, he finished fourth in the voting in 2024.

From all of this, it's pretty clear that Pittsburgh believes he could be the offensive nucleus that drives the team to contention, and the club is willing to put its money where its mouth is.

There are things in Ozuna's past that might make it hard to root for him, but it should be pretty clear that, in a purely baseball sense, the Pirates are banking on him. The closer he gets to that elite 2024 form, the better their chances of truly contending in 2026 will be.