The Pittsburgh Pirates signed a proven power hitter with a past. Hear how they say character, not just production, drove their thorough vetting process of Marcell Ozuna.
Marcell Ozuna comes to the Pittsburgh Pirates with a resume that includes three All-Star Game selections, two Silver Sluggers, and one Gold Glove.
Signed to a one-year, $10.5-million contract last week, Ozuna also has a past that includes a 20-game suspension levied by Major League Baseball in 2021 for domestic violence. A year later, he was arrested for DUI but was not punished.
So, why would the Pirates sign a player with a checkered past? The obvious reason is that they want the 35-year-old designated hitter to provide power in the middle of their lineup.
However, general manager Ben Cherington says Pittsburgh places greater emphasis on character than production when it is pursuing a player in free agency or via trade.
“First of all, behavior that would lead to any sort of consequence — suspension, etc. — is unacceptable, the behavior itself that leads to those things is unacceptable and not tolerated, not part of our culture, just period,” Cherington said. “When those things have happened in an individual’s past, we’re doing as much work as we possibly can to assess the situation as a whole — what the details of that case are, then also what’s happened since then, what’s the behavior been since then, not just from the individual but from the perspective of people who have been around that individual.
“And ultimately, we make an assessment on, ‘Is this person someone who will come into our environment and contribute positively?’
The Pirates determined that Ozuna has changed since those incidents. He was a very popular player in the Atlanta Braves’ clubhouse during a six-year stint that concluded at the end of last season.
Furthermore, Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly vouched for Ozuna, having been teammates with the Miami Marlins from 2015-16.
“When you talk about a fierce competitor that enjoys the game of baseball, has fun playing the game of baseball, and knows that he's a really good hitter and very confident,” Kelly said. “He's going to be a big presence to bring in. I enjoyed the time that I got to spend with him and in Miami as a teammate, and I'm really pumped that he's a Pirate this year.
“The thing that's fascinating about Marcell is that he transcends race or anything. He's a teammate. And the firsthand experience that I had with him in Miami and the feedback that we've gotten from everybody in Atlanta is that he helps everybody be better.”
Cherington gave three reasons why the Pirates are confident that Ozuna will be a good citizen.
“First, you start with what happened, learning as much as you can about that,” Cherington said. “Obviously, there was a consequence he suffered for that -- 100% support for the league’s program around that. Then you go to, ‘How did he respond to that?’ Accountability from public reports, and also what we could glean from our due diligence. He was accountable, responsible, and remorseful.
“Then you get to the behavior since. Who has this person been? In this case, in the Braves environment, since then. All the information we got around there — from teammates, staff, others — led us to the conclusion that this is someone we want to bring into our environment and believe can make a positive contribution.”
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