The Pittsburgh Pirates might not be done adding free-agent bats.
The Pittsburgh Pirates, out of all teams in MLB, have been one of the most active teams this offseason in terms of targeting free agents and making deals on the free agent market.
The biggest move the front office pulled off was acquiring Brandon Lowe from the Tampa Bay Rays to add a true power threat to the lineup. However, the Pirates might not be done making moves this winter.
MLB insider Robert Murray was recently talking about Pittsburgh’s offseason moves, and noted that he believes the Pirates may still have one or two more signings up their sleeve.
“Now you can look at it from a couple of different ways here through free agency. Do you spend on Okamoto? Do you go after Ryan O'Hearn? Or do you spend and try to get a guy like Marcell Ozuna? To me, all three of those guys are on the table in Pittsburgh,” said Murray.
Out of the trio of free agent sluggers who are still on the market, Murray said that O’Hearn might make the most sense for the Pirates, considering they’re still a very young team, and the veteran has a great reputation as a solid clubhouse presence.
Murray continued, “He is, I think he'd be a really strong fit in that locker room. You talk to people around Baltimore, and you talk to people around the Padres, and they all say the same thing. He's a he's a great clubhouse guy. He can he's obviously an emerging player offensively.”
Sep 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A hat and glove belonging to Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jared Triolo (not pictured) on the field against the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn ImagesIf the Pirates are trying to get the most bang for their buck in a player that will produce on the field and mentor off it, signing O’Hearn really could make a ton of sense.
The Pirates had arguably the worst offense in baseball in 2025, but are clearly trying to make moves to improve the lineup, and they already have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball.
If Pittsburgh continues on this path of adding more bats, as Murray believes they will, it really wouldn’t be far-fetched to say the Pirates are on track to be a playoff contender heading into the 2026 season.