Pirates' offseason could've been different if Jurickson Profar was suspended earlier

Timing is everything. The Pirates scooped up Marcell Ozuna just weeks before spring training, and although he hasn’t quite demonstrated the pop that Pittsburgh needs yet in spring training, he has been a positive contributor and mentor to young players. Had the Pirates waited to seal the deal with Ozuna, he may have fallen through the team’s grasp.

The Braves are in a sticky situation now that Jurickson Profar has been handed a second PED suspension, this one 162 games. Ozuna, who spent six years in Atlanta, would have been the ideal target to replace Profar. Now, the Braves are hamstrung and looking at a depleted free-agent market. The Pirates, meanwhile, are laughing all the way to the bank.

Pirates' perfectly timed signing of Marcell Ozuna prevented his return to Atlanta

Due to injuries, the Braves were roughly league average in offense last season, a low mark for one of the most feared lineups in baseball. Profar missed half the season due to his first suspension, and by the time he returned on July 2, the Braves were 39-46 and 11 games out of first place in the division. Ozuna, obviously, didn’t prevent that from happening, but such a blow is much worse with the Big Bear gone.

The Pirates, meanwhile, have vastly improved their lineup. In 2025, the team scored an MLB-worst 3.6 runs per game. That mark is projected to increase to 4.44 in 2026. Ozuna will be a big part of that, as projections see him clubbing approximately 20 homers in his first year in Pittsburgh. Ozuna has every reason to aim to hit and exceed these projections as his contract is filled with incentive bonuses.

Some questions linger about Ozuna. He claims that the hip injury that slowed him in 2025 is fully healed, but he has yet to demonstrate his power in game action this spring. Still, having Ozuna, with his fearsome bat and keen eye, in your lineup makes you a better squad, even if he’s not at full strength. At the very least, it’s better than… ahem… losing a once-prized signing for a season and a half while the entire roster catches the injury bug.