Pirates should avoid Marcell Ozuna due to obvious negative press reasons

The Pittsburgh Pirates are once again at a familiar crossroads — and it’s one they should finally choose to walk away from.

After missing out on Eugenio Suárez, the Pirates are reportedly exploring free-agent bat Marcell Ozuna as a potential solution for their lineup. On paper, Ozuna checks a box: right-handed power, middle-of-the-order production, a bat that could help a roster still desperate for offense.

Off the field, though, it’s a mess the Pirates simply cannot justify walking into. Ozuna was arrested in May 2021 on felony aggravated assault by strangulation and misdemeanor battery charges following a domestic violence incident. While the legal outcome didn’t end in a conviction, Major League Baseball investigated under its Joint Domestic Violence Policy and suspended Ozuna for 20 games.

That suspension matters. It wasn’t speculative. It wasn’t rumor-driven. MLB determined the conduct violated its standards. And that’s where this stops being a “baseball fit” conversation and becomes an organizational credibility problem.

Signing Marcell Ozuna would fit a pattern the Pirates can't afford to ignore

This wouldn’t be an isolated decision for Pittsburgh. The Pirates have already drawn criticism for recently signing or employing players with domestic violence allegations or disciplinary histories, including Aroldis Chapman, Domingo Germán and Ji Hwan Bae.

Individually, teams often attempt to compartmentalize these decisions — focusing on “second chances,” “due process,” or “on-field need.” Collectively, however, it creates a pattern. And patterns shape perception.

For a franchise already fighting uphill battles — attendance, trust, relevance, and credibility — voluntarily adding another lightning rod is organizational malpractice.

The Pirates don’t operate in a vacuum. They are a small-market team with limited national goodwill and a fan base that has endured decades of rebuilding, false starts, and penny-pinching narratives. Every decision is magnified.

Signing Ozuna wouldn’t just be evaluated by his OPS or home run totals. It would dominate headlines. It would be the first paragraph of every story. It would overshadow any “aggressive offseason” messaging the front office wants to sell. And it would invite a simple, uncomfortable question: Why does this keep happening here?

Even if Ozuna performs, the negative press doesn’t vanish. If he struggles, it becomes indefensible. There is no upside scenario where the optics improve.

Pittsburgh can’t simultaneously preach culture, accountability, and player development — while repeatedly rolling the dice on players with documented off-field issues because their markets have collapsed.

If the Pirates want to change how they’re perceived, this is exactly the kind of moment where restraint matters more than desperation. There are other bats. There are trades. There are short-term stopgaps. There are creative solutions that don’t involve reopening wounds, inviting backlash, or telling fans, implicitly, that winning a few extra games is worth the baggage.

The Pirates missed on Suárez. That’s frustrating. It creates pressure. It exposes roster holes. But doubling down by pivoting to Ozuna isn’t bold. It’s lazy – and worse, it’s predictable.

For once, the Pirates should read the room, recognize the pattern, and walk away — not because Ozuna can’t hit, but because some risks aren’t worth taking, no matter how badly you need a bat. This should be one of them.