Man, what a wild turn of events for the Pittsburgh Pirates: they’ve reportedly cut ties with veteran Marcell Ozuna, and it’s all going down before he even finished one full season with the club. MLB insider Mike Rodriguez broke the news Wednesday, and ESPN’s Jorge Castillo quickly confirmed it. This guy inked a one-year, $12 million deal just last offseason, and now he’s out. Ouch, that’s gotta sting the wallet.
$12 Million for a Quick Exit
Think about that for a second: $12 million for less than a full year of play. The Pirates committed big money to Ozuna, banking on his past power numbers, and now they’re moving on. It’s safe to say that didn’t work out. This move came right after Pittsburgh went all-in ahead of Monday’s trade deadline, trying to shake things up. They brought in Luke Weaver, Kirby Yates, Lake Bachar, and Camilo Doval, clearly pushing hard to make a run at a National League wild-card spot. They’re sitting 3.5 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks, and they’ve still got to leapfrog the San Diego Padres and Miami Marlins to get there.
The Numbers Don’t Lie: What Went Wrong?
Ozuna definitely wasn’t helping their playoff push. His slash line this season was an abysmal .203/.286/.327, with only eight home runs and 29 RBI in 70 games. And get this: Baseball Reference has him pegged at -1.0 wins above replacement. Minus one WAR! You just can’t have a veteran making that kind of money putting up those kinds of numbers, especially when you’re scrapping for a postseason berth. This guy is 35 years old, and while he used to mash, launching 40 homers in 2023 and 39 in 2024 for the Braves, and even leading the league with 18 long balls in the shortened 2020 campaign, his bat just disappeared in Pittsburgh. He’s had nine seasons with over 20 dingers, but that power was nowhere to be found this year.
The Pirates needed to make roster moves, and with that kind of production, Ozuna was the odd man out. They’re banking on those deadline acquisitions to step up big time now. They need those new arms to pitch lights out if they want to reel in the Diamondbacks, Padres, and Marlins and stay in this wild-card hunt. Every game from here on out is gonna matter for Pittsburgh.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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