Pirates manager highlights Marcell Ozuna's clubhouse presence and leadership, believing he'll elevate multiple players beyond just his potent hitting.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the process of adding Marcell Ozuna to their roster because he can boost an offense that was feeble last season.
The designated hitter has hit 296 home runs in his 13-year career. Even though Ozuna’s homer total dropped to 21 last season after he hit 40 in 2023 and 29 in 2024, the figure still would have led the Pirates, who were last in the major leagues in home runs and runs scored. Center fielder Oneil Cruz topped Pittsburgh with 20 longballs in 2025.
Technically, the Pirates cannot comment about Ozuna, who spent the last six seasons with the Atlanta Braves. until he officially signs his contract. That is expected to happen by the end of the week once the 35-year-old completes a successful physical examination.
However, Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly couldn’t help but express his happiness at Ozuna being the third established hitter acquired by general manager Ben Cherington since the end of last season. The Pirates have also traded for Brandon Lowe and signed Ryan O’Hearn after both were picked for last year’s All-Star Game. Ozuna has been to three Midsummer Classics.
Last season, Ozuna hit .232/.355/.400. His career slash line is .269/.336/.469 in 1,614 games, and he has had at least 100 RBIs in a season three times.
“If everything goes well, excited to add Ozuna's bat to the lineup,” Kelly said Tuesday during a video conference with reporters on the eve of spring training opening in Bradenton, Fla. “When you talk about the seasons that he's had, last year being quote unquote 'down year,' still 21 home runs and bunch of RBIs and a big power bat that we can put in the middle of our order.”
It is generally assumed that part of Ozuna’s appeal to Pittsburgh is that he could mentor the mercurial Cruz. The talented Cruz might benefit from being around a fellow Dominican Republic native with plenty of big-league experience and an engaging personality.
Kelly, though, says Ozuna can influence more people in the Pirates’ clubhouse than Cruz. And Kelly knows Ozuna well, as they were teammates with the Miami Marlins from 2015-16.
“The thing that's fascinating about Marcell is that he transcends race or anything,” Kelly said. “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. Excited what that is going to mean in regard to Oneil, too, to have Marcell be in the clubhouse, to be able to help him. I think Marcell is going to help a lot of guys.”
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