The Pittsburgh Pirates have reportedly expressed an interest in spending some money on free agents this offseason. It’s a nice change of pace for the organization. 

That said, who could the front target be on the open market?

It might be difficult to convince one of the top free agents to come play for the Pirates, who are still a few years away from being a playoff contender. However, Pittsburgh could be an intriguing destination for one of the mid-tier free agent bats looking to cash in on payday. 

ESPN’s David Schoenfield recently named free agent slugger Ryan O’Hearn as the “player most likely to end up on the Pittsburgh Pirates.”Honestly, it’s a move that could work for both sides. 

The Pirates need more offense, and O’Hearn would certainly help with that, coming off the 2025 season in which he hit .281/.366/.437, including 21 doubles and 17 home runs.

Schoenfield noted, The Pirates were reportedly very in on Josh Naylor, so the logical transition won't be Alonso or Bellinger, but the next tier down, which is O'Hearn.”

In terms of O’Hearn’s fit in Pittsburgh, this also makes sense, as the analyst mentioned, “The Orioles viewed O'Hearn as a platoon hitter, but he played more regularly against lefties last season and hit .278/.358/.474 against them in 109 plate appearances. It's a small sample size, but he showed enough that he deserves the opportunity to play every day. And the Pirates are the team to give him that opportunity.”

From O’Hearn’s perspective, if the Pirates are truly ready to spend some money, he could ask for a little over asking price and cash in on his All-Star season.

O’Hearn could quickly become one of the most sought-after free agents for teams that miss out on the top bats on the market, so if the Pirates are serious about adding someone of his value, they shouldn’t wait for the price to go up.

Even though there are reports that the Pirates are interested in Kyle Schwarber, Pittsburgh ending up with a player of O’Hearn’s status definitely feels more likely for the organization.