Pirates just gave fans 2 more reasons to question Marcell Ozuna's roster spot

The Pittsburgh Pirates decided Ron Marinaccio and Billy Cook were expendable. Somehow, Marcell Ozuna remains untouchable.

That is the unavoidable conclusion after the Pirates’ trade deadline bullpen overhaul and Spencer Horwitz’s return from the injured list forced two more players off the active roster. Neither Marinaccio nor Cook had established himself as a difference-maker, but both offered Pittsburgh something Ozuna has not for months: a plausible reason to believe they could still help.

Marinaccio was designated for assignment after four appearances with the Pirates. Pittsburgh had acquired him from the San Diego Padres less than two weeks earlier, surrendering $500,000 in international bonus pool money for the privilege of evaluating him briefly before pushing him off the roster.

His performance certainly justified an upgrade. Marinaccio owns a 4.99 ERA in 37 appearances between San Diego and Pittsburgh, while his strikeout rate has fallen to a career-low 18.4%. His diminished fastball shape and ineffective changeup suggest something is mechanically wrong.

But Marinaccio is also a 31-year-old reliever with a track record of major league success. Another organization may believe it can restore the fastball ride that made him effective with the New York Yankees. At minimum, he represented a potentially useful depth arm for a team whose bullpen has spent most of the season coughing up winnable games.

Cook, meanwhile, was optioned when Horwitz returned. He has not taken advantage of his limited opportunities in the big leagues this season, batting .200/.200/.267 with 18 strikeouts in 45 plate appearances. Sending him to Triple-A is hardly indefensible.

Keeping Ozuna instead is.

Pirates wasting roster spot on Marcell Ozuna is indefensible, especially after trade deadline moves

This can't continue to be excused by pointing to Ozuna’s $12 million salary. That money is already gone. Whether Ozuna receives another plate appearance or spends the rest of the season somewhere other than Pittsburgh’s active roster, the Pirates still owe him the same amount.

It's a sunk cost. Treating his contract as a reason to keep him only compounds the original mistake by allowing money that has already been spent to dictate future roster decisions.

The question is no longer whether the Pirates can recover value from their $12 million investment. They clearly cannot. The question is whether they are willing to admit it and use the roster spot on someone who might actually help them win.

The Pirates have lost seven of the last eight games Ozuna has started at designated hitter. They are 26-40 when he serves as their DH and an astonishing 31-17 when he does not. That split isn't entirely Ozuna’s responsibility, but it's also far too dramatic to dismiss when his individual production offers no counterargument.

Ozuna is batting .207/.291/.370 against left-handed pitching. He has been even worse against right-handers, producing a .201/.282/.302 slash line. With runners in scoring position, he's hitting .197/.321/.268.

He doesn't play defense. He doesn't run well. He hasn't punished left-handed pitching. He hasn't delivered in run-producing situations. He is not even playing regularly anymore, instead occupying what appears to be a permanent seat on Don Kelly’s bench.

A rebuilding team could justify carrying Ozuna temporarily in the hope that he rediscovered his swing and became a trade candidate. A contender could justify carrying a struggling veteran if his track record suggested a turnaround was imminent.

The Pirates are trying to win now, and the trade deadline has passed. There is no longer a developmental, competitive or transactional reason to keep pretending this arrangement makes sense.

Marinaccio could have provided bullpen depth. Cook could have offered athleticism, defensive versatility and a right-handed bat off the bench. Ozuna provides none of those things.

The Pirates just made several aggressive moves designed to strengthen the roster for a playoff push. Yet they continue to protect its most indefensible roster spot.

Every day Ozuna remains while more useful players are removed gives fans another reason to question who is making these decisions — and what, exactly, they are watching.

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