The Pittsburgh Pirates appear to be revealing their plans for Oneil Cruz without saying much.
During the 2025 MLB campaign, there had been rampant speculation that Oneil Cruz was playing out his final days with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Some even felt he could be moved by the trade deadline.
Ultimately, Cruz finished out the season in Pittsburgh, and with the MLB offseason now in full swing, it's looking more and more like the former top prospect will begin 2026 in a Pirates uniform, as well.
There has been almost no chatter about a potential Cruz trade this winter outside of some light speculation from pundits. Otherwise, things have been mostly quiet on the Cruz front, even after the GM meetings just passed.
General manager Ben Cherington also states that Pittsburgh will be looking to add bats in the coming weeks, so perhaps the Bucs are looking to give Cruz one more chance next season?
Cruz wasn't good this past year. There really is no way around it. He slashed .200/.298/.378 with 20 home runs and 61 RBI over 544 plate appearances. For a guy who stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 240 pounds and who owns the hardest hit ball of the Statcast era, a .378 slugging percentage is inexcusable.
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz. Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.Yes, the 27-year-old lacked protection in the lineup, which is perhaps why the Pirates seem to be planning on bringing him back for another year with some more help around him. But Cruz owns a lifetime .734 OPS since breaking into the big leagues in 2021. Is it possible he just isn't that good?
It's also important to note that Cruz is a terrible defender. He came up as a shortstop, but the Pirates moved him to center field because he couldn't seem to handle the position. You would think that given the athlete Cruz is that he would thrive out in center, but he hasn't.
Cruz is still under team control through 2028, and all of the tools appear to be there for him to eventually break out, so Pittsburgh could actually probably get something decent for him in a trade. But the Buccos don't appear to be interested in that for the time being.
It's looking more and more like the Pirates will give Cruz one more chance next spring and then possibly re-evaluate things at the trade deadline.
Perhaps Cruz will finally break through in Steel City, but there is no question that Pittsburgh's patience with him should be running thin.
For now, though, it seems like Cruz is off limits.