Pittsburgh Pirates Have Released OF Marcell Ozuna: Report

The Pittsburgh Pirates put together a solid all-around MLB trade deadline. While they didn't make any big splash moves, they were active and were able to add some pieces to the bullpen.

However, the roster moves did not stop with the deadline passing.

On Wednesday morning, the Pirates made another move that grabbed some headlines. Marcell Ozuna, the veteran outfielder, has been released by the team.

MLB reporter Mike Rodriguez was the first to report the news of Ozuna's release.

"Breaking News: According to my sources, the Pittsburgh Pirates have released Dominican slugger Marcell Ozuna," Rodriguez wrote on X. "Ozuna hit .203 this season with 8 home runs and 29 RBIs."

Ozuna was originally signed by Pittsburgh in free agency back in February. He was given a one-year deal for the 2026 season and had a mutual option with the team for 2027.

Needless to say, Ozuna will not be back for the 2027 season.

As noted by Rodriguez, the 35-year-old outfielder has struggled this season with the Pirates. In 70 games played, Ozuna hit just eight home runs to go along with 29 RBI and a slash line of .203/.286/.327.

Now, Ozuna will look to latch on with another team for the final stretch of the 2026 regular season. Throughout his career, he has been a solid role player. Whether or not age has caught up to him or not remains to be seen.

Throughout his entire Major League Baseball career, Ozuna has played in a total of 1,685 games. He has hit 304 home runs, driven in 977 runs, and holds a career slash line of .267/.334/.464.

Just two years ago in 2024 with the Atlanta Braves, Ozuna was a monster. He played in 162 games, hitting 39 home runs to go along with 104 RBI. In that season, Ozuna hit .302/.378/.546 with a .925 OPS.

His past track record could end up landing him a new deal with a contender elsewhere. Things simply did not work out for him with the Pirates.

Pittsburgh will return to the diamond on Wednesday night on ESPN with a matchup on the road against the NL Central rival Milwaukee Brewers. The Pirates are fresh off of a tough 4-2 loss to the Brewers on Tuesday after winning the first game of the series.