January 9th, 2026: O’Hearn will make $14MM this year and $15MM next year, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post. There are also some other incentives based on awards voting and All-Star appearances.
January 8th, 2026: The Bucs officially announced the O’Hearn signing today but still haven’t announced a corresponding move.
December 23rd, 2025: The Pirates and first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn have reportedly agreed to a two-year deal with a $29MM guarantee. The ACES client can also earn an extra $500K each year via incentives: $100K for 450 plate appearances, another $100K for 475, then $150K for 500 and 525 plate appearances. Pittsburgh has a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move for this to become official.
O’Hearn, now 32, has been enjoying a late-career breakout over the past three seasons. He played parts of five seasons with the Royals from 2018 to 2022 with just a .219/.293/.390 line to show for it.
The Royals designated O’Hearn for assignment in December of 2022. The Orioles saw enough potential in him to acquire him by sending cash considerations to Kansas City. Baltimore designated him for assignment shortly thereafter and passed him through waivers.
If you’ve ever wondered why a team would acquire a player and put him on waivers a week or two later, O’Hearn provides the explanation. The O’s opened a roster spot for other moves while keeping O’Hearn in a non-roster capacity. He had a strong spring in 2023 but Baltimore still sent him to the minors to begin the season, maintaining depth.
By the middle of April 2023, O’Hearn was back in the big leagues and has been on an upward trajectory since then. He hit 14 homers for Baltimore that year and slashed .289/.322/.480 for a 118 wRC+. His 4.1% walk rate was quite poor and he benefited from a .340 batting average on balls in play but it was a fantastic upgrade over his previous work.
More improvements came in 2024. His .264/.334/.427 batting line again led to a 118 wRC+, an exact match for the year prior, but it felt more earned this time. His BABIP dropped to a below-average .282 while his walk rate more than doubled to 9.3%.
In 2025, a year he split between the O’s and Padres after a deadline trade, he increased his walk rate yet again to 10.7%. His 17 home runs were a career high. His batted-ball luck turned again, as he posted a .330 BABIP. That all led to a .281/.366/.437 line and 127 wRC+.
He also seemed to have less of a platoon split. Like many lefty hitters, he has often struggled against southpaws. But in 2025, he had a .278/.358/.474 line and 135 wRC+ against lefties. That was in just 109 plate appearances and he had a .358 BABIP in the split but it was an encouraging development nonetheless.
In addition to his work at the plate, O’Hearn provided some defensive versatility. He mostly played first base but also logged around 150 outfield innings in each of the past three seasons.
The entire package lined O’Hearn up for a nice payday, though he wasn’t quite at the level of guys like Kyle Schwarber, Pete Alonso or Josh Naylor. At the start of the offseason, MLBTR predicted O’Hearn to secure a two-year deal worth $26MM. He’s gone just a shade beyond that.
Few would have predicted the Pirates to be the club to pay O’Hearn. They have been one of the least active clubs in free agency in the past decade. They haven’t given any free agent a multi-year deal since Ivan Nova’s three-year pact back in 2016. Their last multi-year deal for a free agent hitter was two years and $8MM for John Jaso in 2015. The largest free agent guarantee in franchise history is still the three-year, $39MM deal for Francisco Liriano from 2014.
But they have clearly come into this offseason determined to overhaul their lineup. The past few seasons have seen them develop a big stockpile of pitching talent but they have had far less success with developing their position player prospects.
The Bucs flirted with contention in 2023 and 2024 but without making the postseason. The 2025 club sputtered and never really felt in it. The offense was a big part of the disappointment this year. The club had a collective .231/.305/.350 line and 82 wRC+, with the Rockies the only club with less offensive production. Spencer Horwitz was the only individual on the team with a wRC+ greater than 101.
Before the 2025 campaign was even over, it seemed likely that they would focus on adding offense this winter. The general expectation was that they would do that by trading from their deep supply of starting pitchers, which they have done, but they have been surprisingly active in free agency as well.
They reportedly offered Naylor a contract somewhere in the range of $80MM, before he returned to the Mariners on a deal paying him $92.5MM. They offered Schwarber around $120-125MM before the Phils brought him back with a $150MM deal.
Being a runner-up for a free agent is only worth so much but it has been clear that the Pirates are now more willing to spend than in other offseasons. They have also been connected to Jorge Polanco, before he signed with the Mets, Kazuma Okamoto, who is still a free agent, and some other hitters.
O’Hearn isn’t quite as exciting as Schwarber would have been. It’s also true that the club still has the embarrassing record of having never given a free agent $40MM. Still, O’Hearn is their biggest free agent splash in years and becomes one of their best hitters.
As mentioned, the Bucs have also used their pitching surplus to add more offense. They acquired Jhostynxon García in the trade sending Johan Oviedo to Boston. They sent Mike Burrows to Houston in a three-team trade that brought back Brandon Lowe and Jake Mangum from the Rays, alongside lefty reliever Mason Montgomery.
Time will tell if there’s more to come before Opening Day. For now, O’Hearn jumps into a position player that group which could develop in a few different ways.
The Pirates don’t really have a full-time designated hitter, with Andrew McCutchen currently unsigned. He has repeatedly re-signed with Pittsburgh in recent years but there have been some hints that the two sides are a bit less likely to reunite for 2026.
As of now, Lowe and Horwitz could be the regulars at second and first, respectively. Horwitz has a bit of second base experience but that was with the Blue Jays when the presence of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made it hard for him to get playing time at first. The Bucs kept him at first base in 2025.
Lowe isn’t a great defender, so perhaps he could see regular time in the DH spot, or Horwitz and O’Hearn could share first base and DH.
There’s also room for O’Hearn in the outfield. Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds should have two spots spoken for. Guys like García, Mangum, Jack Suwinski and Billy Cook are in the mix for playing time but O’Hearn playing the outfield could leave the DH spot open for Lowe.
That would then leave more second base playing time for guys like Nick Yorke, Jared Triolo and Nick Gonzales. Triolo and Gonzales could also be factors at third base and shortstop but prospect Konnor Griffin might charge forward and become the shortstop before long, though he’s only 19 years old and hasn’t played the Triple-A level yet.
It’s possible the Bucs make even more moves in the coming months but a lot will be determined by the health and performance of the various moving parts on the roster.
RosterResource, assuming the O’Hearn deal has equal salaries in the two years, projects the Bucs for a $96MM payroll next year. That’s tiny compared to the other clubs in the league but high for them. According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, they got to just under $100MM in 2016 but have been below $90MM since 2017.
The coming weeks and months will shed light on if there’s more to come. For now, the Bucs have made yet another move to upgrade the lineup in 2026. This wouldn’t be an especially noteworthy commitment for any other club but it’s the biggest deal for Pittsburgh in quite some time. For O’Hearn himself, it’s got to be an especially gratifying day for a guy who was passed through waivers about three years ago.
FanSided’s Robert Murray first reported the Pirates were signing O’Hearn to a two-year, $29MM with $500K in incentives. Colin Beazley of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the incentive structure. Photos courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, John Jones, Imagn Images
All these years of Nutting saving up.
Wow after going after Schwarber I thought Pittsburgh was going after Bellinger or Tucker and swim in the deep end.
There’s a big difference between the 4/125 they offered schwarber and the 10/350+ Tucker is seeking and 7/250+ Belli wants. The Lowe and O’Hearn additions are solid moves. And the off-season ain’t over yet.
There’s still a decent chance Pittsburghcould get a cheap, modest upgrade over their existing OF/DH options with Castellanos either a near 100% salary dump by Philadelphia or a post-release signing.
Not quite the stuff dreams are made of, but combined with Hearn and Lowe would pack a lot more punch than the Pirates may have been expected to add by Nutting’s much deserved skeptics.
Ozuna signing to DH next
O’Hearn is their DH now. Horwitz is at 1B.
True but there’ll be days where O’Hearn would start over Suwinski in the OF or Horwitz at 1st to open AB’s for Ozuna
If Suwinski does enough to have a roster spot with this bolstered line-up I’d be surprised. Hasn’t shown it in several years.
lol wait, Bellinger wants 7/250?
If Swingandamisski is still on the roster in 2026 the Pirates will not have done enough to upgrade the offense.
O’Hearn is good enough on defense to play in the field. He doesn’t have to DH
Maybe they could go sign Jonah Heim he could be a terrific bounce back candidate and he’s still a good defensive catcher
O’Hearn and Lowe are solid moves for sure. On most competitive teams they aren’t going to be the heart of your batting order though. I hope they can add some more this off-season.
I was going to say, he wont sniff 7/250.
The biggest improvement as with all teams will come from internal improvements. If the pirates can’t draft and develop then they shouldn’t even spend money
They have a really good defensive catcher in Davis (1.6 dWAR). He just needs to learn how to hit ML pitching.
Maybe the new guys will take enough pressure off of him and give him some pointers on how to do so.
He’s proven he can smash MiL pitching (career .936 OPS (.965 in AAA)), just hasn’t put it together against the big boys.
Both were all stars last year. You don’t think they batted in the middle of the order?
It may be a bad assumption on my part. I did say competitive team where I could see either being just outside the 1-4 spots. I guess I just don’t see either as a cleanup hitter. And yes cleanup hitter is not necessarily a thing anymore but it is a good description.
one of Henry’s problems is his inability to hit the ball the other way. He’s too much of a dead pull hitter and when the pitch is on the opposite side of the plate, he either swings right through it or pulls the ball into a ground out
He also has a propensity for popping out
That might not be a bad move for both teams. Phils get rid of a problem player, but who can still provide value (if cheap enough) at DH. Maybe a low minors player to the Phillies and they eat 95 percent of his contract.
I want my hair back and 10″
Strictly kiddie pool for Nutting.
Skip and Uncle, who cares the reason why. The Pirates are simply never getting a top free agent under the current system and ownership. Under the present system just get into the playoffs and see what happens. I’m also glad for O’Hearn. He was never a Bellinger who had it all and was a journeyman type who is now set for life even at just two years.
I think the Giants will.
They were never actually that serious about getting Schwarber or Naylor or any of the high end free agents. Even if Nutting wasn’t such a cheapskate I doubt they could outbid bigger market teams for the Tuckers, Bregmans, Schwarbers, and Bellingers of the world. The Lowe trade and O’Hearn signing are solid moves for them at this particular point in time. As long as they can round out a decent lineup, the pitching staff led by Skenes will carry them towards contention. Believing the young players Cruz, Triolo, Griffin, etc. will develop and break out too.
They weren’t that serious? They offered more in AAV than the Phillies did. It’s not the Pirates fault (technically, if it was about the YEARLY salary) that he chose the Phillies. Sure…he most likely wanted to play for someone who is, at this very moment, a World Series contender instead of a playoff hopeful.
Basically everybody knows Nutting is just spending the least amount he has to to keep that Dodger-Met Luxury Tax payments coming in the future. The money is supposed to be used to level the Playing field but he’s been shoving it in his pants. Now the bills due or no more gravy train see Fisher last year. Spare me.
Disagree. He was goosed by Skenes’ comments and really, by Cutch’s too
There’s no way a guy like Nutting is worried about what amounts to small repercussions from MLB.
If Nutting is pocketing $ and they keep giving it to him then good if they are that stupid or generous.
I mean maybe they were after Schwarber, but also yeah, Philly is built to contend and it’s a better park to hit in than PNC. Though after Naylor signed it came out that Pittsburgh said they were making him offers and then his agent said that they didn’t even get to the talking stages on that so I really have a hard time believing a team like the Pirates are really truly in on a player unless they actually sign him. What they say they offered to someone who signed elsewhere is completely meaningless.
This is the truth. Most of the time a FA (and his agent) will seek the « best financial deal », but these are elite COMPETITIVE Athletes who have other incentives too – like winning, getting a WS or even roster/team familiarity. Money, indeed talks, but not always.
Until there is a Salary floor or Mets and Dodgers owners start to complain (which they won’t because incompetence and uncompetitive teams suit their goals of winning) then « cheap » owners will « milk the system ». Nutting, is bad owner for the Bucs but not a terrible one – he pays the staff and players , an incompetent owner has sunk a team to insolvency in many a sport or business.
Nutting bought then invested millions of dollars in areas around the park in order to attract more fans to the park
He won’t make any money if fans don’t show up for the games
It’s called research, try it sometime
KZW, if you know beforehand that your offer will never be accepted, is it really an offer? The Red Sox do this every year, making supposed good faith offers (aka, Soto last year) for public relations efforts. Until they again actually sign a free agent to a five or more year deal, I personally won’t believe the “offer” was meant to get the player’s signature. For Pittsburgh to make Schwarber an offer, it felt like the Sox were making it. Mostly everyone believed he was going back to Philly and he just needed other offers to get the Phillies to pony up.
Agreed. But I have to admit that Cherington did more than just talk this off season and I hope he’s not done yet. I was expecting bottom of the barrel types again and am glad to say I was very mistaken
He was an all star last year
Well, it is December. Saving it up all NNNovember, now he’s just blowing it all over the place.
I thought this meant O’Hearn was anti-masturb*tion until I learned the name of the Pirates’ owner.
Prob a mistake. It was Taylor Hearn 2/$2.90
Good for the Bucs.
Holy crap, a multi-year deal, I never thought I’d see one again from the Pirates.
Congrats!
Ryan-O is awesome. One of my favorite Orioles in recent memory. It’s also nice to see the Pirates finally adding some real offense with him and Lowe.
Congrats!
Totally agree. As an Os fan, I don’t care where O’Hearn goes, as long as it’s a NL team. He’s totally earned a payday. He’s a good player and a good teammate, but not quite at the Alonso level.
He’s the kind of guy who will always appreciate his time in OPACY. And the Os may thank him for bringing them all of the Pads prospects. Really a great day to be an OHearn/Os fan.
He was brutal with Royals. Glad he figured it out.
You’ve stuck with them. Hope you get to see some good baseball and a playoff appearance.
Nice to see. Glad you Pirates fans have some more offense to help Skenes & Co.
Don’t get too comfy with multi year deals because they will be few and far between from the lowly Pirates.
Maybe not so lowly anymore
Watch out, the positivity police are here. Quick, everybody look sad and grumpy!
Now a Geno Suarez signing would be cool…45 bombs incoming.
Not the worst prediction. He’s not going to get a crazy big deal. That would be kind of the Pirates version of really going for it. They could definitely use one more power bat.
I would love to see that happen for pirate fans. When’s the last time they brought in somebody who hit anywhere close to 50 home runs in a season? Has that ever happened?
Ralph Kiner hit 54 homers in the 1950’s
He led the NL I think five years in a row.
He wasn’t brought in after he hit 50 though. He was drafted and developed by them.
Solid move. He’ll be an upgrade for that offense for sure.
Hard not to upgrade that lineup amiright!!!!
wow, that’s quite an overpay. But if you’re the Pie Rats and nobody wants to take your money, I guess it makes sense.
One of these people. If they failed to sign him you’d be the one bashing the Pirates that they won’t pay anyone.
Moreover I think O’Hearn is cashing in on what is pretty much a fair market value. It’s only for 2 years so the AAV will be higher and 14mya for a guy who over the last 5 years is averaging around .280 with 20 homers with flexibility to play both Corner OF and 1B is solid work by a franchise who has literally spent every off-season twiddling their thumbs.
“Overpay” is often a lazy take from those stuck on baseball salary figures from two decades ago.
I agree with your point but he is not averaging around .280 with 20HR over the last 5 years, his production only dates back 3 years and he’s never hit more than 17HR he averages almost exactly 15HR over the past 3 seasons. Should have been that he averages around .280 with 15HR over the last 3 years.
Queen-On the Pirates that is still good production.
I wanted him and the Pirates got him.
No free agent is a guarantee but some are better than others.
You’re acting like a .280 batter with 15 home runs is bad. Only 19 batters in 2025 hit .280+ with 15+ home runs in 500+ 500 or more plate appearances. O’Hearn also walks at an above-average rate, making his .280 BA play up.
“Only 19 batters in 2025 hit .280+ with 15+ home runs in 500+ 500 or more plate appearances. ”
And there were 31 better hitters by wRC+ (which doesn’t ignore walks, or doubles, or triples like your analysis does).
2026 FG projection
112 wRC+ (.266 average. 16 home runs)
I’m just saying by @Wueen Soto’s analysis, a .280 batter with 15+ homers is usually good. I agree, wRC+ is a better way to evalulate it, and I’m totally happy if we get a top 30-ish batter.
Don’t mind @JuanUribeJazzHands. His M.O. here is to one-up commenters supported by FG data and predictions as the gospel. Rarely has an original thought.
As opposed to what? Making stuff up based on vibes?
Like every other casual fan,you are writing off the minors as meaningless. O’Hearn’s MILB numbers projected to near MLB AS and that’s where he is now. It wasn’t a stretch for Elias to see the MILB numbers and find a gem.
So? He’s still a good solid hitter, regardless of the metric you use. If he hits 280 with a good OBP, 15 to 20 home runs, and average or better defense, that’s a winner and nothing to complain about, and it’s only for two years, after which somebody is still gonna be paying Schwarber to be a DH only player.
@Kelenic- Vibes are often as accurate as projections. See almost our entire offense, especially Cal, this past offseason. Projections like ZiPS and the like are almost always useless.
They’re way more accurate than a random dummy in the MLBTR comments making guesses.
JK-If they were any good though they would report how accurate they were each year for each player which is easy enough to do.They could give various statistics on that in the report.Do they do that?
YBC
“One upping” is a product of the way that you think, not the way that I think.
You got me, though. I do think that data and projections are good.
Imagine if we expanded your apparent thought process to other realms.
YBC: It’s getting late
JUJH: It’s 19:30
YBC: Look at JUJH one-upping me by using National Institute of Standards and Technology data. Never has an original thought
Or
YBC: I’m having a BBQ tomorrow
JUJH: That hurricane is supposed to hit tomorrow at 2:17 AM
YBC: Look at JUJH one-upping me by using National Hurricane Center projections. Never has an original thought
I wasn’t acting like it’s bad at all? Your assuming as I was just correcting the person I replied to that said “he’s averaged .280 with 20HR over 5 years” he’s only been productive for 3 years and never hit 20HR. I also said I agreed with the OP who was praising the signing and I said been PRODUCTIVE for 3 years, which is a positive, so not only were you assuming but it was a terrible assumption.
Agreed, everyone’s acting like I said it was bad. Where in my comment does it say that? I actually start it off saying I agree with the person who was talking about it being a positive signing, I was simply correcting him that O”Hearn hasn’t averaged that over 5 years he’s only been a good regular for 3 years and couldn’t possibly average 20HR when he’s never hit 20HR, I was just giving an accurate analysis of his production and the length of time. That’s it.
you just can’t please everyone
Some people just actively look for the negative in every transaction and feel it’s their duty to try to bring other people down. Fun at parties types.
He’s coming off a good year and the best year of his career. Seems like a reasonable price to me.
Yup and for 5 years running now he has been a legit, pro big league hitter. EXACTLY what the Pirates need.
@marinersfan it’s only $3M more than MLBTR predicted he would get.
It’s pretty fair market value, not an overpay at all.
Zero reason to come in here with your negativity and poor analysis. Let pirate fans enjoy this
Yeah I agree let the Pirates fans enjoy it. The team is finally making an effort. Its a 2 year deal it isnt gonna break the bank even if he doesnt live up to expectations. I am glad the Pirates are trying.
King-With four pennants and two championships this century and a three year long period of having the best record in baseball an historic proud franchise will be back sooner rather than later.
I think you mean last century but I take your point
I was talking about the Cardinals.They won the World Series in 2006 and 2011 and lost it in 2004 and 2013.
King wrote a nice post for the Pirates fans and I wrote one for Cardinal fans.
@Mendoza you forgot to mention the cardinals being cheaters. Company espionage.. hardly a “proud” franchise.
They were a proud franchise long before that and that is one instance over a period of over 100 years.
I think that they have the most World Series wins of any NL team.
I stand by my wording.
Right let’s just sweep it under the rug because I’m sure it was all Chris Correa was doing it all by himself. Wasn’t there even a slogan one year “the cardinals way”. Yup cheating is definitely the cardinals way
Definitely not an overpay. As an Orioles fan it was sad to see him go. A very underrated player
It’s always cool to see fans praising former players and regretting that they’re gone. But the Orioles in particular seem to have found a decent replacement for him as 1B/DH, didn’t they?
Gruß,
BSHH
Genau
Not an overpay at all. Pretty much exactly in line with projections.
3 million is an overpay? Kinda wild. to say
1977-Too bad there are no downvotes anymore.
14.5M AAV is the going rate for an average/slightly above average 1B. Mets are paying injury prone Polanco $20M a year to be their first baseman and he’s maybe played 5-10 games there ever.
Yet the Mariners still haven’t seen a World Series EVER. Who’s really the rats of baseball?
Players generally earn around $8-10M per year per WAR in free agency. O’Hearn put up 2.0 and 2.4 WAR the last couple seasons. If he does that again the next couple, he’ll be a steal.
Bob Nutting pulling out his checkbook this year trying to show skenes what pittsburgh is capable of for one year before tanking for the next decade
Nutting pulls out?
You’d take this moment to be that bitter and pathetic when Pirates fans might want to be a little bit excited for once in the last 7 years? You in San Francisco?
This actually reminds me of the 2015 Mets with dominant pitching and zero offense. They added one bat and went off. Would love to see PIT competitive again
Pirates added Lowe and O’Hearn and I suspect they’ll add a 3B of some sort too. Not to mention it’s likely they bring up the top prospect in all of MLB in Griffin to play SS.
With their pitching they don’t need a huge jump in offense to make a big difference.
Getting a large bump in offense makes the innings pitched less stressful though.
They’ve been a punchline long enough, and I’m happy for their fans they are adding to the team in a productive way.
You can talk about the money (not) spent and most would agree. But they are a better team today than they were at seasons end. That’s what matters. And that’s what’s been missing.
Okamoto would be a big get.
Us SF fans are not all that miserable. Although granted, some are. Still, this looks like it might be an LA or NY fan imo.
Giants are an interesting team with a guy who cares about that team in charge. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out over the next few seasons.
im in texas bro. i genuinely do wish pittsburgh to make for a crowded nl central but let’s be real. thats not gonna happen. someway somehow pittsburgh is gonna be medicore
They don’t have to be better than the Brewers, they just have to be better than the reds
Pirates are looking to surprise everyone in 2026
This will have zero impact. Waste of money for a team that hardly has any.
Why is it a waste of money?
he’s not a dial mover. Did zero for Padres last year. Going to get older and regress. They should have been all in on Murakami.
The pirates were 20% below league average at the plate in 2025. Literally just about any hitter who can bat near his weight is a big impact for them!
Why will adding a firmly above average hitter on a reasonable deal have “zero impact” for a team that has good pitching but needs more offense?
King-Trolls and semi trolls still litter this site.
Sad!
On paper its decent, which is why Padres got him but we all saw how that worked out. He’s gonna be league average pretty soon.
He put up a .276 AVG with a .736 OPS in his 2 months in SD, it’s not like he cratered or something.
Petco isn’t the best park to hit in either.
the preconceived notions that the Bucs don’t have money is laughable and only someone who doesn’t pay attention to baseball in Pitt’s would make such a ridiculous claim
The owner of the franchise, Bob Nutting is a billionaire and prior to this offseason refused to spend any money to make this team competitive
This kind of reminds me of the 2015 Mets who had insane pitching and were wasting it with no offense. A single trade for Cespedes and they run off with the Division and go to the WS. Great to see Pirates fans get thrown a bone even if it isn’t eye popping headlines
Do you men 2014 Mets?
The 2015 Mets went to the WS. Their success that year was mostly because of a top 5 pitching staff. Their rotation included deGrom, Harvey, Syndergaard, and the Big Sexy. Familia was dominant as the closer. As a team they had a 98 wRC+ that season including Cespedes, so their hitting was meh. In 2014 it was 92, so they did improve, but not to the extent their pitching did by adding Harvey and Syndergaard. 2 months of Cespedes in 2015 didn’t put them in the playoffs.
In 2025 the Pirates hitting was abysmal. An 82 wRC+ that ranked 29th and a .655 OPS that ranked 30th. Adding O’Hearn is nice, but not a game changer. In 2025 the Pirates did not have a single batter with a qualifying number of PA that had a wRC+ that was above average. Their 1B Horwitz had a 119 wRC+ but only 411 PA and Bart was average but only had 332 PA. They need far more than O’Hearn.
Yea 2015. They were very mid as a team all season until that move. Sure it wasn’t the entire reason, the point being they had great pitching for months and that trade seemed to spark something. I watched every game, saw exactly how it happened. I’m not one who will ever talk about intangible stuff but it made a difference. I’m sure the Nats probably played a part as well and there was some luck involved.
Also, pretty sure I did mention they went to the World Series. The 2014 Mets did not. And I’m not saying tbat trade was the entire reason alone
Well, to be fair, in 2015, the Lord had anointed the Royals and nobody was gonna stop them, so no shame to the Mets for being the last domino to fall
They added Lowe and Mangum. The pirates always needed to add multiple guys. 3 hitters is more impactful for this lineup than 1 Kyle Tucker. They need at least 1 more.
That lineup just made hard contact with everything and that bullpen was just unstoppable. KC in ‘15.
I am rooting for them to get Okamoto. A trade with Boston for an outfielder would be good too though. Or sign E. Suarez if he comes cheap enough.
I don’t think another trade is viable for Pitt.
I’d prefer they keep the studs in the rotation bc that’s what separates them. Trading Burrows was a good call & they could deal Keller and spend that money elsewhere. But I’d want to keep Jones, Chandler, Skenes as your front 3 for the future. Gives you guys like Harrington, Ashcraft, and Barco to fill in the back half.
Agree with your comment about pitching
I think my friends Mendoza or AI mentioned this but they need to address 3rd base/get one more stick and would deal from depth in pitching—not the guys who are here or on the cusp
And for me, trading Keller should be off the table now. You have a proven commodity in Skenes but a lot of youth behind him. That’s dangerous in itself but add in an injury?
Bob Nutting’s money has NOTHING to do with the PIrates’ operational budget.. Net worth does not equate to having millions on hand to spend willy-nilly, like most billionaires Nutting is rich on paper but doesn’t have a Scrooge McDuck money bin full of gold coins he swims around in.
Nutting spending out his own pocket would have the opposite effect of what you’d like to see happen – he would dilute the shares of minority owners who cannot make in-kind contributions to the higher budget, essentially buying a larger stake in the team (the sad tale of the Expos).
If you “pay attention to baseball”, stop relying on the Pittsburgh media’s take on ownership and do a little research.
I don’t know who you are directing this post to nor do I understand its misguided and naive viewpoints
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a fan here suggesting Nutting should spend out of his own pocket. At the same time, given your thinking perhaps we should believe Richard when he appears to suggest Nutting is merely breaking even here. After all, he points to the uber-journalistic prowess of DK so this must all be the fans fault or rather, the lack of support in Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh PG did a deep dive expose on Nutting’s franchise 3 or 4 years ago. Extremely well written and had numerous sources. I’m sure you can find it online
The PG also published a long interview with Mark Cuban a couple years ago. When the subject came to perhaps buying the Pirates one day, Cuban said, ‘Nutting would be insane to sell’ given the incredible profit he’s making.
And Forbes published an article detailing MLB owner profit margins, as well
Please. Save the proselytizing. I can assure you that many of us have indeed done “a little research” and will rely on trusted news sources before the drivel that comes from the “fake news” crowd
How is an .800+ OPS a waste of money? You don’t know ball.
I seriously challenge “for a team that hardly has any”
Here come the Bucs!
It’s very nice to see and I’m not even a Pirates fan.
Alright, someone claim it if they called this one right in Prediction Contest.
I didn’t: Marlins. 😑
I did actually, but it’s one of maybe five I have right lol
I actually thought he would be the Reds fall back and predicted them.
They are falling further back apparently.
I actually thought he was Cincy bound too.
I also had the Marlins here. Welp. I pretty much should stop looking.
One of the few I’ve gotten right so far.
That is impressive! I can’t remember but I think I had SD.
@RunDMC: Neither did I. Had the Reds signing him.
RAISE THE MF JOLLY ROGER!!!
Bob Nutting just endorsed a multi-year free agent contract.
A whopping TWO (2) entire seasons.
LOL, he’s gonna be 33 what did you expect an 8 year deal? He will be a quality guy for those two years as Valdez, Florentino, and Password gain experience and then move into the spot in 3 years.
If Nixon is the “password”, Nutting is the “virus”
Only one with the 2027 strike/lockout.
Players can’t strike unless they start playing the 2027 season without a new CBA. That won’t happen because the owners will lockout the players if they don’t come to an agreement on a new CBA.
Which may or may not occur. It’s possible, but not guaranteed. Obviously you’re hoping it happens, but not all of us are. The people who really matter will do everything possible to keep it from happening, (other than working it out a year in advance), because they’ll lose a lot of money if it happens.
That’s actually a nice deal for the Pirates. Good signing.
Love this deal, he fits what we need, left handed bat, can play first, outfield and DH.
Lets go Bucs!
O’s fan here and really liked O’Hearn for us. He’s a solid player, but wouldn’t a RH bat have been a better fit for you guys – especially after getting Lowe? He doesn’t seem like a huge upgrade over Horowitz. You can get him some time in the OF but he’s not a regular out there, Still, nice to see Pittsburgh making some moves.
Left handed batters do better in Pittsburgh because RF is shorter.
He will probably be mostly the DH.
The Pirates have been so bad hitting for several years that any reasonably good hitter will be an improvement.
We have too many RH hitters already, trying to get sime balance. O’Hearn can play some OF, 1B and DH. Yes way past time adding some possible talent/ help.
Solid player at a reasonable price. Good signing for the Bucs and him.
Good for them, and I guessed that one haha
Love to see the Pirates actually making some moves!
Got this one right in the contest. Made too much sense. Good for Pittsburgh for doing something.
Paul Skenes forcing Bob Nutting to open his wallet; his most hated endeavor. Well done Paul.
@blah A feat far more impressive than anything he’s ever done on the field, despite his otherworldly talent.
Solid move here for the Buccos
Woah, not bad! Look at the Pirates spending on free agents, that Wild Card spot is looking like a reality! Congrats Pirates fans this is a good signing!
If the Pirates can find a way to land a credible 3B they may have a lineup working.
Doesn’t/cant Horowitz play third?
Horwitz has 40 appearances at 2B, otherwise he’s only played 1B in the Majors.
That’s too bad. I wanted my Pads to make a run at him. Oh well. Good on the Pirates.
$12 mil per year sounded right to me. Good pickup Bucs nonetheless
I like it for him. In SD he was getting platooned. This way he gets to play full time.
Hopefully the Pirates aren’t done yet. They got a generational talent in Skenes. Put some players around him and try to win.
Fun (funny, sad) stat of the day….
In Skenes 10 losses, in 2024, the Pirates scored a TOTAL of 11 runs.
In the 15 games that he pitched and the team lost (10 official + 5 others), they scored a total of 25, or 1.67 per game.
Adding Hearns, Lowe, and Mangum to the worst offense in the league, by a wide stretch, could easily push this team into WC contention. Now they just need to add Okamoto to play 3B.
I have to agree with you on their outlook. They’re probably moving ahead of the Cardinals and my Reds (who refuse to do anything that cost money). Easy to see them moving into that 80+ win spot and competing for the wild cards.
Those are some horrific numbers for run support during Skenes’ starts. Adding O’Hearn will help and deepen the lineup.
That said the Rockies take offense to calling the Pirates the worst offense in the league considering one calls Denver home.
Pirates – 583 runs scored – 82 OPS+
Rockies – 597 runs scored – 80 OPS+
Nice signing!!
Nice signing for the Buccos, O’Hearn is pretty underrated. Loved him with the O’s and rooting hard for him to keep his career renaissance going in Pittsburgh.
Good to see quality, positive posts instead of the inane trolling so often seen here.
I was worried at the start of the offseason that he might end up on a division rival like Boston so it’s nice that I can be unabashadly positive about him signing with a NL team like Pittsburgh, where I can root for him without really worrying about it hurting the Orioles 🙂
Also good to see multiple Orioles fans chiming it to say how much they enjoyed O’Hearn in Baltimore.
O’Hearn fans being baseball fans in the best ways possible.
Nothing but love for Ryan-O and his contributions to the Orioles, and nothing but well wishes since he signed with a NL team.
Here’s hoping he continues to rake for the Pirates!
He was very easy to root for. Definitely a feel good story and a lot of Oriole fans wanted to bring him back… And then we signed Pete, and now we wish Ryan well in Pittsburgh. seriously though, the Cardinals are taking the year off, the Reds haven’t done anything so I think there’s a chance that the pirates could do something.
Bucs making moves, i love it!!!
Get Okamoto and call it an offseason.
Agree on Okamoto, but they still need to sign their annual veteran LH starter, who’ll they’ll flip in July. Heaney didn’t work out, but otherwise they’ve had a knack for that.
They’ll probably grab some random guy as always after the pickings are slim for them to sign elsewhere.
Glad to see the Pirates trying to be more competitive
Still kinda sad they’re version of going for it is still $200,000,000 less than standard operating systems for some teams
I would have liked the Nats to have gone after him. They need a first baseman. It seems like the Nats are content with hoping they can “fix” erratic and inconsistent players like Louis Garcia. Hopefully the Nats have a bigger move than that up their sleeves.
I think the Nationals are taking a step back in 2026. Probably saving for when they plan on contending again in a couple years.
I was thinking Washington may have put Garcia at 1B late last season to showcase whatever versatility they could still get out of him and then trade him NBA expiring contract style for another team’s underperforming backup IF or RP with a similar contract.
Looks like there may not be a market for Garcia even toward the bottom of the market.
ohyeahdam, Pittsburgh is a small market town, they can’t spend $200 million on payroll
Good move by pirates at a fair cost. He was a great find, teammate and contributor for the orioles. Pirates fans should love him. He’s not schwarber but a solid hitter with decent defensive value.
Would have loved him back but no spot open on os for 2026
O’Hearrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrn!
According to FOX Sports, the Padres reassigned him to two years?
foxsports.com/stories/mlb/2026-mlb-free-agent-sign…
It’s Fox Sports. Lol. They’re using AI to scrap the wrong data and generate content.
#FakeNews
Fox getting something wrong? Shocking!
(yes, that was sarcasm, folks)
@This one belongs to the Reds. They keep hiring CNN people.
CNN, FOX ‘News’, same thing. Both MSM.
All news has an agenda now. The days of Cronkite, Chancellor, Brinkley, etc. just reporting the news has gone away long ago.
I miss Walter Cronkite. But unfortunately, you’re right.
You are not wrong. It really doesn’t matter if you go to Fox or CNN, you’re not getting the whole story. I miss the days where they just told you exactly what happened and let you make up your own mind instead of trying to force you to the conclusion they want you to make. Some are worse than others, What they all do it to some extent.
Fox News isn’t news. It’s more like SNL comic news skits. All the “so called news hosts are nothing but comedians acting like commodians.
I wish the bucvos sign saurez to play 3rd
I would say Fox Sports got this one wrong.
Looks accurate now. O’Hearn just still has his Padre hat on in the picture.
The FoxS headline earlier was “Padres Sign O’Hearn…”
Pirates are going for it!
Good get by Pitt!
It really is, O’Hearn has somewhat quietly been a very good hitter for years now.
I actually wanted the Orioles to re-sign him this offseason, but that obviously wasn’t happening after the Alonso signing so no complaints from me about him signing with a NL team.
Samesies! In terms of re-signing him for my Pads, haha. Happy Holidays Flocher 🤙🏽
Understandable, my Fellow O’Hearn Enjoyer.
And right back atcha, m8.
Excellent signing by the Bucs. O’Hearn’s a professional hitter.
Love seeing the Pirates make moves.
The lineup is coming together.
I’m going to take the over on total wins 72.5
Pirates can have nice thing. Feliz Navidad!
Pirates fishing in knee deep water again. This is a top 3 dollar value for a FA signing for them all time I think.
I was secretly hoping the Red Sox would get him. solid, if not spectacular player, plus his last name would’ve gone over well in Beantown.
Congrats to the Bucs on their 1st multi year signing since Ivan Nova in 2016.
Did Breslow mess up here?. Yes I know the RS wanted the right hand bat with Willson, but the production O’Hearn provides appears to be equivalent, cheaper, and less prospects. Tired of them of paying via prospects (yes I know that is why they call them prospects) and the same amt of $ for someone who just have cost the $ without trading the prospects. Good for BUCS
sox- exactly. couldn’t have said it better myself.
First they lost out on Mune, now Ryan, but they turn around and trade useful parts for the Crabby Contreras brother? Puzzling
Good for them. Pirates fans should the proud they are doing something. Skenes won’t be there forever, unfortunately in this screwed up system.
Makes the Reds management team look like idiots…again. Elly won’t be there too much longer either.
Extend him now? Might be the best-case scenario… cheers Reds 🍻
They should have extended him over a year ago, but sure, do it!
Have a great holiday!
You too Bubba, have a Merry Christmas with the fam-bam. 🤙🏽😎
When you scream Do It!, imagine it in a Cobra-Kai voice egging on Johnny in his final takedown of Danny Larussa. “Get him a body bag Johnny! Finish him!! Do it!!!”
Boras isn’t letting Elly sign a below market deal to stay in this hell hole. He’s as good as gone.
When I found out Bora$ was his agent, I knew Elly wanted bright lights, big city.
He already said LA was “his town.”
Cincy has bright lights. Oh wait, the right lamppost burnt out. Bright light
from what I’ve read, they’ve approached Skenes about an extension but he basically said that until they start spending money to make the team competitive, he’s not interested
He didn’t say that, or anything, actually.
ah, yes he did
The Pirates will not have enough money to extend Skenes.The days of having superstars on small market teams are long gone.
they could buy out his arbitration years
What’s not to ;like? 2 year deal for an affordable price. I’d say that’s good for the Bucs
Putting some players around Skenes and the rest of the staff. If they stay healthy, they’ll be competitive.
Pirates are serious!!! I love this move for them and they are finally willing to spend! Impressive. I thought O’Hearn would get 23 or so million. Nice job Ryan, earned contract!
This is their big slugger! You go Bob😐
Great for team and player!!
“Rhino” is a grinder of a player!
Good job Pittsburgh, you’ll love Ryan O’Hearn, aka The Rhino!
Best of luck to all!
The Pirates want 4th place real bad. Fire the cannons.
With the Cards embroiled in a rebuild, don’t be surprised if the Bucs are competing for the top spot in the division
Only the Brewers are better than them. With Jones returning the Bucs have the 2nd best rotation in the NL, behind only the Dodgers.
the Brewers are trying trade Peralta, one of the mainstays of their rotation
If they get a league average or better 3B I have them winning the division or finishing second.
Wow that is a waste of good money
The Pirates are looking pretty decent this year. Congrats to Pirates fans.
Buena firma.Si tiene salud ese equipo será interesante con Horwitz, Lowe, O’Hearn, Reynolds, Cruz.
Gracias Raulito.
Muy muy bueno!
パイレーツは今すぐ岡本と契約を結ぶべきだ。
Now get Okamoto or Suarez to play 3B, a veteran LH SP (like they sign every year), and maybe, just maybe, they can be competitive.
I think Skenes woke up the Pirates, they are actually trying this winter!
That rumor about him wanting to play for the Yankees—whether true or not—woke some people up
Minus
8m Bednar
7m Hayes
2m Oviedo
5m Cutch
3m or whatever Ferguson made
4m Pham
5m Heaney
Frazier
IKF
Mayza
Plus
8m Soto
12m Lowe
14m Ohearn
HELP SKENES OUT
I liked him in his short time with the Padres. Happy for him that he not only got paid, but with the Pirates has an opportunity to play everyday.
It remains to be seen but with their young pitching and their attempts to add some offense, maybe Pittsburgh surprisingly makes some noise this year.
Happy Festivus Mr O’Hearn
Ahh the holiday for the rest of us. Is it time for the airing of the grievances?
Nice move, Pirates!
As a Reds fan, I hate it. But good on the Buccos. Better there than the rest of the division.
A December for Buccos fans to remember baby
Sign Okamoto & call it a day ! Lineup is lengthened & having Lowe, Okamoto & O’Hearn in the middle if the batting order is great. They need that 1 more player at 3B. Putting Triolo or Gonzo at 3B is not gonna work. Those 2 are better playing some SS or coming off the bench. Cmon Bob, one more signing
Naw. Too many questions about him being able to hit MLB pitching for that kind of money, no?
Yes
KG will be playing ss at some point. Tri at 3b isn’t the worst thing. If teams want Hayes Arenado McMahon at 3b Tri can play there.
Did Cherington say he wanted to add another proven bat or 2 more proven bats?
$ is getting up there but maybe a trade can be done.
Wasn’t excited about this guy when rumors started but I do think it’s a good fit at a good cost. Gets Suwinski out of the DH spot!!! Now go get Okamoto!
Look I trust Nutting as much as I would Dahmer! Maybe he’s adding to avoid a salary floor next season but it sure is fun to participate in the offseason!
Pirates have the best pitching in the division and now they should have a competent lineup
Avoiding a potential MLBPA grievance like the A’s did is certainly worth considering.
Nutting has never failed to spend when necessary and possible
Nutting spent one time before and then couldn’t afford to keep Starting pitching!
Not sure how he has people brainwashed still! He’s a terrible owner and has made a ton of money of providing bad baseball to the fans who funded his ballpark!
I like Ryan O’Hearn. Good deal.
Good move for the Pirates… Lowe and O’Hearn give them a couple of professional bats for the middle of that lineup. This team could break .500 and maybe even contend for the division if they catch some breaks. Cherington has done a pretty good job here.
“ cherington has done a pretty good job here “
it only took him 7 years
That’s on Nutting. Now that Cherington has a modicum of spending flexibility, he’s spending it intelligently.
true but Cherington also used his first round draft picks outside of pitching to become failures at the major league level
Can anyone say Henry Davis?
Good for the Pirates! Between the Lowe (
trade and this, the offense is looking up.
Well, this is at least getting a touch interesting! The Pirates have a great fan base, nice to see the management giving them SOMETHING. At least the top of the lineup is looking like it should be solid against right handed pitching (at least). If Oneil Cruz or Nick Yorke or Henry Davis could take a step forward offensively this year, things could get really interesting.
Don’t be surprised if Konnor Griffin gets to Pittsburgh at some point in 2026 as well. That kid looks like a helluva good prospect. The Pirates may manipulate him due to service-time considerations but he might just force the issue.
I’m curious to see the line-up. O’Hearn at 1B, Horwicz 2B, and Lowe DH? OF of Cruz, Reynolds, Garcia/Magnum?
I was really hoping the Pirates would use the O’Hearn money at the blackhole of 3B and put Reynolds in the DH spot.
This probably puts the Pirates out of the Okamoto running, but they may be able to afford Moncada.
Think I’d rather roll with Triolo than sign Moncada. Since Murakami signed for $17M a year, might be able to get Okamoto for $12M. Who knows. Hard to imagine the team taking payroll over $100M this year but they have surprised me already a couple times.
Lowe has a better glove than Horwitz. Watched him last year in Tampa. Surprised by the poor DRS
Lowe 2b
Horwitz 1b
O’hearn outfield 1b
Reynolds RF
Everyone will dh. A lot of Cutch at dh if they bring him back. Horwitz will get a few at 2b so Lowe can dh.
Will be interesting but doesn’t really matter to me who plays where. What matters is that currently Triolo, Gonzalez, and Bart are still getting everyday at bats. Griffin will hopefully replace Gonzalez this season (I’m not convinced that will happen though) and sign or trade for someone to replace Triolo. Hopefully a solid catcher emerges between Bart, Davis, Rodriguez, and Flores.
I’ve been a Pirates fan since 1961 and very much appreciate all of the good comments of all the fans of other teams on here.
I had wanted O’hearn and got an early Christmas present.
Nutting has been frugal at best for the last ten years but the Pirates have been bad enough during that time that even twice as many of these deals would not have made them competitive.
They still could use a few more players but Nutting will spend at least some money when necessary to make a decent team better and into a competitive one.
Again,thanks to all who are happy for Pirates fans.
Does this kill the idea of Bohm playing 3rd for the Pirates, my friend? Too much payroll?
I hate to say it but I have crafted a trade in my mind.The problem is it is probably as stupid as many of the proposed trades on here.
The Phillies are in the highest tax bracket and are paying two for oneMiddleton has funny money and wants to win very badly but even he sees the bills floating away.
Bohm makes $10.7 M a year and next year he is a free agent along with Castellanos who is making $20M next year.I say give them Nick Gonzalez and a young pitcher generally unknown to Pirates fans and a lower level prospect for both of them and $15 M to offset Nick’s $20M salary.
They should be better than a 500 team at this point but this trade could give them two more decent hitters which they still need.
Triolo could be the shortstop until Connor comes up then be the utility man like Rodriguez was.
Then they would have to fill three spots next year but Password should be ready for RF by then.
Nutting is only committing the greatly increased team salary amount then for one year to see how they play.
Well I love this idea. And all I have to go by are the articles here in which Phils fans chime in. Don’t know the Pirates would really want Castellanos but I’m guessing if they refused it’d be a deal breaker as the Phillies would be looking to dump salary and perhaps go for a Bellinger or Bregman.
I don’t like the idea of players on expiring contracts but to me, it beats throwing millions at a foreign player who is really an unknown MLB quality.
And I admit, I’d love to see Bohm at 3rd here
Nowhere for Castellanos. Outfield is loaded. So loaded some will need to dh.
Is Cutch going to pass on the Pirates best playoff chance in a decade to play somewhere else? What contender is looking to add Cutch. Him playing final year or two with a contending Pirates team makes too much sense.
Bohm works if Philly wants to trade him.
Bo hm is no all star but Triolo does not hit enough to be comparable to an average hitting third baseman.
Triolo is a much better fielder.
They still need to add a veteran left handed starter which Cherington has been good at doing and another power bat and I do not seeing them paying top price for either.
I do not like the one year control either but they do have surplus and need to go for it this year or at least show that they are trying.
They can move Triolo from shortstop to UT when Connor comes up later this year and then to third base next year.
Password replaces Castellanos at some point but he needs more time in AAA I think.
Termar replaces Lowe next year and they possibly sign him for DH
Cruz Reynolds O’hearn Mangum all ahead of password. He will have to wait for injury or hit his way into lineup.
Password needs to start in AAA.Castellanos is a good RF with a good arm except for one big thing-he covers no ground.
You got Jack and Mangum and Jack is the fifth outfielder and Mangum starts against left handers for Cruz.
Both Nick and Bohm in different respects need to get out of Philadelphia as the boos get old after awhile.
Phillies fans used to boo Mike Schmidt,the greatest third baseman of all time,and pelted Santa Claus with snowballs.
Pirate fans need to get off Cutch.There is no team that will sign him and he has trended down every year with the Pirates and could fall off the cliff next year.
No good hitting team has Cutch as the DH,which stands for designated hitter,which means that the guy must be a good hitter.
Do you realize that he is 39 years old and cannot play the field anymore.
It is not his decision.
Password needs some more time in AAA but I think that he has good power if it can be developed without too much wild swinging.
O’hearn is much more of a first baseman who can play the OF if necessary but I think that he will be the main DH for the Pirates.He actually hit left handers well last year which means that they would not need to sign someone like Hopkins to hit against lefthanders.
Castellanos is absolutely one of the worst defensive players in all of baseball, not just OF. I wouldn’t take him on the Pirates for FREE! We have enough bad defenders on the team between Cruz, Reynolds, Gonzalez and others.
Want no part of Castellanos, and Bohm’s power will evaporate at PNC. Okamota is the way to go.
How is he the way to go? Big contract for a guy we’ve never seen play and hit against MLB
Think I’d rather have Suarez.
Me? I still think Bohm fits well
Cutch or Castellanos would be platoon DH at best. They can still hit lefties. And this team will be seeing a LOT of lefties.
Actually, Cutch didn’t hit lefties last year. Time to pass on Cutch, there are better options. Frankly, I’d rather bring Pham back over Cutch.
You said the same thing about Kang’s hitting. Suarez? Sure, I don’t think he’ll come here though, but if they can get him, absolutely. But Castellanos and Bonn are no’s.
No, no need to sell early on Nick, especially for Castellanos cancer and No PNC power Buhm. Buhm is a poor defender also, is he not?
What’s the fascination with Buhm? Ever wonder why the Phillies aren’t extending him?
Fascination?
I think he’s an upgrade over Triolo where hitting is concerned. Maybe I don’t watch as many Phillies games as you do but the guy looked pretty solid to me.
Let me ask again, aside from hoping you have found another Ohtani, which is akin to hitting the lottery, how does signing Okamoto make sense for a team like the Pirates? They can’t afford to make a mistake where perhaps others can, financially or in a baseball sense.
As for the Phillies, they’ve been in the cusp of the WS for some time now. How long will their window stay open? And additionally, they have a better farm system where position players are concerned
I just hope they get one more solid player
Merry Christmas
Mario-No fascination with Bohm.
He is a decent hitter and decent fielder and everyone is down on Triolo for 3b.
I see Bohm as a one year rental but he is clearly a better hitter than Triolo with more power although not a lot more.
The good thing about him and Nick C is that they can get them relatively cheap.
You guys are crazy if you think Okamoto or Suarez are good bets to have even one more good year.Sunk money.If the Pirates miff on free agents Nutting won’t spend for another ten years.
Bohm does not like the Phillies fans which I cannot blame him and Nick C wants out also.
The Pirates need another veteran starter and right handed good reliever.The proposed trade can get them two decent hitters which on the Pirates still is a real addition.
as a long suffering Orioles fan, who’s previous team’s ownership dumpster dove often, I love this signing for Pittsburgh. He is a great addition and will give his all for your team.
Nice left handed bat. Roster move coming. Could this finally be the end of Jack?
if only this were true, panj341
Is it me or is that a lot of money for him?
It’s you. Polanco Conforto got 20m Kepler 10m. Yaz wasn’t cheap. Weak platoon go for 5 to 7.
Definitely you.
What they needed is a 3rd baseman. Not another 1B, OF. If they have to open with trillo at 3rd. . .its going to hamper a relatively good off season. Not excited about this move. Should be going after more
More options, also use at DH
We may see a semi rotation of OHearn, Horowitz, Lowe and Reynolds all getting time at dh to keep all fresh. OH will get time in right, first and dh.
And they may play Horowitz at second some this year to keep Lowe fresh and because he is injury prone
In that Division, Pirates may have already set themselves up for a fight to the finish!
And, if Cherrington gets a few of these bets right, maybe Nutting will see the ROI of winning and free up a bit more cash to enhance those future possibilities.
Not counting on the latter but good work, Pirates
Merry Christmas to us Pirates fans. This was the exact offseason I asked for. Not entirely sure how the lineup will shape up but it has versatility. Like I said before, Griffin can come up and bump someone to utility. I never knew what it was like rooting for a team who tries to win!!
Well said, well said
They tried to win 2012 13 14 15 16 17 18 2023 2024 2025 maybe sorta 19.
Actually tried to win every year since 2012. Huntington needed to go and left no farm system. So between no farm system and paying for previous management to chill at home they couldn’t try to win in those 3 years. Firing Huntington was trying to win though.
There’s a difference between trying to win though and actually going after currently good players. For the longest, they’d always just try to grab rebound players and figure out if they can get them to work. Oddly enough, Huntington trying to win was the worst moce he made. What I like about this is that it greatly raises the ceiling if the current club while still not hurting things long term. It’s still probably most important to get better performances from the younger guys but that used to be the only hope to win.
I don’t recall many rebound players. As for good players available to Pirates they are hard to find. Fans gave names like Conforto Santander Hoskins but those weren’t good players. This just happened to be a good off season for Pirates needs. If you had any good names you should be posting links taking your victory lap.
Another great scoop by the Pirates
Pillage
Pirates building a sneaky decent team up there. Not a good team lol, but decent
I like the first comment but with this pitching, health-willing, they can certainly be good enough.
Would love to see what Skenes and company can do in a short playoff series
This signing had to happen, it just made too much sense for both parties.
Suwinski would appear to be the odd man out after this addition. It could also be Enmanuel Valdéz.
Maybe make one last move for 3B.
Hope it’s Valdez
Good for the Pirates. Finally putting some money where their mouth is.
Yay! To the Pirates for going for it
Boo! To the Pirates for having signing O’Hearn and trading for Lowe be “going for it”.
FG projections:
O’Hearn 1.4 WAR
Lowe 2.0 WAR
there’s always a debbie downer who ruins any semblance of credibility that they had before posting their nonsense
Well, we all know what WAR is good for…
Absolutely nuttin’!
“Well, we all know what WAR is good for…”
Some of us know that it’s good for accurately modeling the number of runs that a player contributes on the field.
“The first thing that jumps out from the regression is how well the samples fit to the projected linear equation. I expected the slope of the trendline to be around 1.0, and it came out to be 0.97, while I expected the intercept to be around 52 and it came out to 52.7—very close.
The correlation coefficient, r, from this sample (.91) was higher than the one from Cameron’s study (.83). Also, that correlation can be converted into an r^2 of .83, which simply means that 83 percent of the variance in wins is accounted for by WAR. That is amazing.”
tht.fangraphs.com/what-is-war-good-for/
TM
What?
Good for the Pirates for actually doing the thing that they need to do – ADD major league quality players to supplement what they have
Boo to them for making average guys like these two be their BIG adds instead of actual big adds.
Average is an improvement over what they had. That doesn’t speak well to what they’ve been doing
TM
What?
Good for the Pirates for actually doing the thing that they need to do – ADD major league quality players to supplement what they have
Boo to them for making average guys like these two be their BIG adds instead of actual big adds.
Average is an improvement over what they had. That doesn’t speak well to what they’ve been doing.
If being able to look at things through 2 lenses ruins credibility in your eyes, I’m glad that I don’t see through your eyes
Better than trading away future stars like the crappy Archer deal or having to pay someone 40m a year then moving Reynolds and Keller. Yes they are normal moves for a team trying to win, but not something they do much at all and is a welcome addition.
I would try Horwitz at 3B, would allow for the Pirates to add another bat like Ozuna to DH
DH is still open.
Great pickup by the Pirates. He’s a good player to have on field and in the clubhouse.
He’s will make a difference.
I’ve been among the biggest critics of Cherington and the front office but he gets a standing ovation from me for this past month. Finally. No, it’s not perfect and it doesn’t approach big market spenders but what an upgrade.
Here’s hoping he can pry Bohm away from the Phillies to make it all complete
Nice job, Ben. I stand corrected and am glad my prediction of another blah offseason of bringing in fringe players was wrong
Old- What we have said about Cherington has been true though.
And Nutting has had to OK the spending.
They still need more to go for the Division crown.
I think that Nutting told Ben that he has to really really win this year to keep his job,and Ben told Nutting that he has to really really spend this year for him to be able to keep his job.
At least we finally see some impetus toward action to actually make changes to the dull routine of saying that we need to do something different.
Nutting spent money during the gravy years in the middle of the last decade when they actually had a very good team.
He always makes fair offers to his existing players to extend the good ones.
He is a businessman first and foremost but does not make the stupid offers to free agents that create underwater contracts which have to be traded for other underwater contracts.
They might as well put the cherry on top by making another trade to add a couple of more hitters on one year contracts like they did with Lowe.
Old news. The experts well the expert told you this back in the summer.
“I heard he is all in for 2026. All in for Nutting so nothing exciting but more than he has done in a long time. Part with better prospects than normal. Spend more on free agents. Even one that takes more than a 1 year deal. Willing to do another extension.”
One thing I think a lot of people overlook is the fact that moves like this isn’t just soley adding a decent hitter. It deepens the line-up and adds protection to other batters. No reason to pitch to Oneil Cruz or Bryan Reynolds last year if guys like Alexander Canario and Isiah Kiner-Falefa batting around them. Now, that vein in the line-up of Lowe, O’Hearn, Reynolds, Cruz, (and hopefully Konnor Griffin) is a lot more threatening and should make pitchers throw more strikes to them, rather than work around them.
Teams for a long time have stopped believing the “protection” theory. Good hitters wait for their pitch, might they walk a little more sure, but walks are bad for pitchers, usually causing them to unravel. Pitchers rarely walk guys “intentionally”, even if there is not a good hitter behind the guy they are facing, because it’s so much harder to pitch with men on base. That said, the question is can guys like Cruz and Reynolds prove they are actually good hitters, it becomes put up or shut up time when you have a real team around you.
Reynolds has already proved that he’s a good hitter. Down year in ’25 to be sure yet still led team in RBIs.
Mets fan- Correctamundo.
It is easy to play on a bad hitting team.
Reynolds had a bad year and Cruz even worse,so much so that he should not be starting against left handed pitchers.
That had nothing to do with IKF who batted ninth and Canario
who did not play that much.
Having more good hitters and a reasonably strong lineup though does put more pressure on below average pitchers because they feel the possible heat.
I really believe that in Reynolds and Cruz defense that both got tired of playing on a bad team.Hopefully both raise their hitting to at least the max that they have hit before.
And the lack thereof will not be able to be muddied by being in a similar bad hitting group as the rest of the group has been.
“One thing I think a lot of people overlook is the fact that moves like this isn’t just soley adding a decent hitter. It deepens the line-up and adds protection to other batters.”
Who’s these a lot of people? The people in here have known believed this before even your parents were born.
Go sign Saurez now!
Ryan “The Big Splurge” O’Hearn
Oh EARN
Ryan got a great break when the O’s got him. KC totally mishandled him by making him a platoon player. What were they trying to accomplish? They should have put him at 1st and let him play himself on or off the team. He showed flashes but then he would sit for 4-5 games. The O’s saw a diamond in the rough and grabbed him. Fortunately he hooked up with a hitting coach who tweaked his swing. I kinda thought the White Sox would end up with him since they would reunite.
Good luck Ryan.
Pie in the sky, but next move the bucs should make if they were actually trying to compete is Bregman. When they inevitably don’t do that, they should go after Suarez, not a great defender but that Bat would be huge for them, and he also would only be a 2-3 year deal. Would at least make them interesting next year. Prob need one more big OF bat and a better option at SS/C, but some of that for a small market team should come from prospects. Still a fun offseason for a team that has not done jack in years.
for some reason i keep thinking Realmuto would be a good target for them.
The Phillies really need Realmuto who is probably asking for too many years.
He has one maybe two more good ones left and any more will be underwater.
The problem is that the Phillies have no one in house and there are none as good as JT in free agency.
He has them over the barrel and he and his agent know it.
When Cohen sells Mets to buy Pirates or a better revenue sharing system Bregman is in play. As is Suarez is a stretch. Maybe Suarez can take a low salary in 2026 and make it up later years. If they even want Suarez. Risky player.
I agree on Suarez.He strikes out a lot and as such would fit right in but I do like his power.
I think that if he was younger I would be more amenable to signing him but he will want at least a three year contract Some of these older guys get soft pretty quickly when they get that last big contract..
Defense could get real bad. Hrs could plummet. Strike outs are a given. Okamoto might be better gamble. Realistically it could be Triolo.
If they could get Suarez on the cheap okay, but probably not. Okamoto probably more reasonable get.
Bregman would be perfect though 😀
Regardless though their offense already seems like it will be leaps and bounds better and if Cruz can get his head out his butt and Davis hits anywhere close to his prospect scouting then daaang watch out 🙂
Again, I’m gonna hope they can pry Bohm away from Philly. Bregman has only played for contenders and likely out of their price range
Suarez too, and the strikeouts sure would be an issue
strikeouts don’t seem to an issue with Cruz
they would be an issue if he didn’t have 30+ home runs and if his obp was over .300. oh wait… 😀
It could be a real fluke season. his ball in play average tanked about 80pts between 24 and 25. I really hope it is.. dude is a freak he gets anywhere near his ceiling he is a MVP candidate
Don’t get me wrong, Joe. I like Suarez. I like the upside for the Pirates offense, of course. But I wonder about the price tag more than anything else.
Haven’t seen washed so happy excited other than the time he spent a week with that young Mexican waiter.
Uh oh,I think that you are going to pay for that quip.
No idea where Dream comes up with his ideas but I guess it’s better than his Thai Ladyboys fixation of a year or so ago
And you’ll remember I’ve said from the start that I’m happy with a .500 team that hustles, hates losing and plays fundamentally sound baseball.
So yeah, I’m happy with what they’ve done.
Now if one of the new coaches can get into Cruz’s head, I’ll be overjoyed
I remember. One of your many user names was named after a certain young sexy waiter from your Mexican vacation.
Fixation hasn’t gone away. If I go to Thailand tomorrow I am spending a night with a ladyboy. Majority of men would do the same. Why they have so many of them. High demand. O’hearn Lowe I bet are into them. Definitely Mangum I mean MAN GUM!!!!! How do you think the capitol city got it’s name?
haha you guys are weird, i like it 🙂
They cannot afford Bregman and for the years that he wants it will be underwater soon enough.
Nutting is too smart for that.
I’m not sure Ben is though. He had a couple stinkers in boston but I think they were shorter 2/3 year deals
Nutting would fire Cherington on the spot if he recommended a $150M contract that is underwater year two.
I would not blame him.
If you’re talking Judge,Ohtani,Skenes,and a few others,then fine.
But Bregman?
What I am saying is, BC is over rated and had done so in the past.
But I will also say, this off season seems to be going well gives me real optimism in stead of hopes. Time will tell though
They still need a couple hitters and pitchers.
Time will tell if they are just serious of having a winning team or are trying to have a reasonably good chance of getting into the playoffs.
yeah an actually known good pen arm and a 3b.
A vet starter that eats innings in a not bad way to cover injuries and/or stop gap for Jones wouldn’t be a bad idea even if there are a couple young guys on the doorstep. more so if another pitcher moves.
Good for him and good for Pittsburgh. He’s a solid bat for sure.
5 G 16 PAs at PNC Park O’Hearn slashing .375/375/938/1313….it’s only 16 PAs but encouraging! Good sign by Pittsburgh!
That’s where they decide to park their $$$? $15M per for what will be an unreadable commodity at the deadline.
Good pickup. All-star for ~15/year is pretty good and should be average+
figuring out who is playing what position could a bit awkward in the spring or early season, but as long as they’re hitting who cares as long as it isn’t a huge negative haha.
okay i care but if the pitching holds up hopefully poor defense won’t get exposed.
Better move for a 1b over Polanco. And cheaper. Cherington is a better GM than Mr know it all Stearns.
Cohen just wants to throw money at players and Stearns has to do what he wants instead of building a team like he did in Milwaukee.
Contreras trade better. Naylor better. Alonso probably been better, better pr marketing attempt least. Bellinger better. Goldschmidt Vientos platoon better.
Happy for O’Hara. loved him in Baltimore. He will be a great fit and Pirates fans should love him.
Hey, this is great for the pirates. Well, done Ryan and all best to you from Baltimore.
The Reds will pay Candelario more than this guy will make this year. Nick Krall is a gem.
Would have been a nice pickup for Nats.
I want to wish everyone A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS…
And 2 CHRISTMAS wishes I have is that the pirates sign a 3rd baseman.
And I’d love to see the pirates go back to the sleeveless uniforms of the 1960s.
Yes a heart of the order 3rd baseman signing would be great and make for a decent off season for the Bucs.
Merry Christmas
Man the Pirates fans are gonna love Hearndog. Dude just suits up everyday and plays hard. Seems well liked in the clubhouse and to media. Made me a fan and believer
C Expected contract. Running out of players to give $ to. Versatility is nice.
Nothing embarrassing about 3 39m as biggest free agent contract. Hope they can get into next decade without beating it. Extend the young guys.
I’m not a Pirates fan but this seems like a solid, professional signing to me. The Pirates are only a few more signings like this away from a solid, Cleveland esque lineup.
I must admit,
Theyre kinda cookin.
But still need a legit 3B .
They’ll struggle defensively if not/ need Triolo to be UTIL not starter (unless it’s at SS until Konnor comes up)
Adding Okamoto or Suarez would really change the picture in the NL Central
@AI what’s a “Un professional signing”?
What the Pirates usually do..
With the bucs’ signing of meadows and o’hearn , the Cincinnati Reds are oficially the worst and cheapest organization in baseball , congrats !
Meadows????
Brandon Lowe. My bad
Wrich..lol ok I thought maybe I missed something
I like this a lot. Nice move, Pirates!
Hope the ink is dry on the contract before Pirates realize what they have done with the owners $$$$
i’m glad he’s finally finding success. The Royals old hitting coach Terry Bradshaw ruined him, imho.
Ryan O’Hearn fell off a decent-sized cliff after being traded to the Padres. That doesn’t happen to everyone they get midstream. Just almost everyone.
Still he wasn’t awful in San Diego. He is a potential good get.
A Pittsburgh lineup featuring a Naylor/O’Hearn addition at 3/5 might have caught my attention for a hot minute during some random June ballgame. Pirates stalwart Bobby Bo was about age 27 the last time that happened.
Pirates fans may be happiest fan base this Christmas. I would have said Orioles but haven’t seen a lot of excitement around the Baz trade. I know I’m happy.
Alonso & Ward is pretty good
Lets not act like this guy is better than average at best. But he is probably their 4th or 5th best hitter.
Padres could have brought him back as an INF/OF rotational player.
But, not for 30M!
It is too steep a cost for his level of production.
Congrats to O’Hearn for getting a nice contract from the Pirates.! The Pirates picked up a good playerin Ryan O’Hearn who was liked by his teammates.
But, O’Hearn should not buy a house in Pittsburg or get too
comfortable there since any MLB contender with injury issues may
want to help him relocate @ the next trade deadline.
Looking at their 40 man, they have three guys who have played on the left side of the infield above AA. So right now, they’re going to have to carry Valdez out of spring training, or bring up Griffin with 21 games of AA experience. Hopefully there’s another signing coming.
They could also use another inning eater, since Barco/Ashcraft/Mlod all were under 100 IP last year and Bubba was only at 120. I know they love their bullpen games, but they’re a little thin right now.
They’re likely going to crack $100M. Bob’s very nervous.
Well stated and agreed. They need another bat and they have a number of kids just getting acclimated.
I’m hoping Nutting is enjoying the positive PR and has some sea change where that other bat is concerned. As far as innings eater, I guess that’s one thing they’ve been adept at addressing each off season
Merry Christmas
Skenes just requested an extension
No, Paul Skenes has not asked for an extension; he’s stated he doesn’t want to discuss it during the season, and the Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t initiated talks, though the team intends to eventually extend him, as he’s a key player. Skenes wants to focus on winning, and while he’s open to future discussions, he prefers to keep contract talks separate from the competitive season.
Sarcasm bud.
great leader for young teams, and goes on tears
Nice signing. Not a big name player but if he keeps producing like he has the last couple years and the Bucs sign (or trade) for one more bigger bat then 2026 could be a solid campaign for them
The Pirates lineup looks much better than it did a month ago. Don’t overlook Jake Mangum. I see him as the starting leftfielder. With Mangum, Lowe, and O’Hearn, they’ve added 3 legitimate starters. If Griffin is up, that’s a 4th starter add. Then you look at 3B—Okamoto/Suarez? That would be a 5th starter add (pushing Triolo to Super Sub). Being in a decent line-up should bring improvement from Reynolds and Cruz. The catching situation is what it is (have to hope for improvement because there’s not much out there externally). The concern is the right side defense (but that was already poor — so not much change there).
Cubs fan here, and I was just having similar thoughts about the Pirates. They are quietly having a darn solid off season. If they can get Jones healthy and rolling, that rotation is as good or better than most.
I don’t think they are going to be the “easy 2/3 wins” this year, that many teams in the past have considered them.
The Pirates should kick the tires on Suarez, Bellinger or Tucker. Put Suarez at 3B and the lineup is at least solid. If Chandler is the real deal you have a heck of a 1 – 2 with Skenes.
O’Hearn has come a long way in his career. A shame he ended up with the garbage pirates
Yeah, I feel bad for him too making $14M a year. Tough life.
The only garbage is the garbage that you post.
Sure the pirates are run by a cheap owner. But a lot of other mlb and other sports teams are owned by cheap owners.
So before you spew you’re garbage crap realize that the pirates have the best pitcher in baseball and one of the best rotations. And they have been active in the trade and free sent market
Pirates have sucked for 10 straight seasons. Enjoy your pitcher until he bails
It’s the losers who get the most defensive about their own garbage.
while it’s the arrogant and ignorant who get the most offensive about their own garbage
Gr81t2-You’re just a stupid troll.
They never post anything productive because they are too stupid to be able to do so.
Realize it and move along to what you think is the next garbage team.
You will get the same response over and over again until you realize that you are what you really are.
A stupid troll.
Yep mendoza another useless troll. With all the chaos in the country, these morons have to spew their crap in a good sports site.
Hey troll, if you want to spew garbage, go on the orange goofs failing social platform.
Go sign Tucker and now the Pirates have something close to resembling a MLB offense
They aren’t getting him but they look like a ML team. Probably done more to is off season then your e
Would like to see Yorke & Triolo share 3b as things stand,Yorke& Gonzalez share SS. As things stand now.Cook replace Suwinski in RF
Cook did not have a good year in AAA last year and needs to do so to get a chance in the big leagues.
Yorke Cook even Gonzales likely aren’t happening. Not going to be a thing.
I don’t even want to see Gonzalez in the lineup.
He has little power and his defense is suspect
Great press conference yesterday. Seems like a great guy. So excited to see him work as hard as he has to get his pay day. Go Bucs!
Maybe I’m just wildly optimistic, but this feels like it could be as good as the Russell Martin signing was for them. Back to back MVP quality seasons then he goes on to get a bigger paycheck somewhere else.
And I would love that outcome.
Cutch must be thinking “damn, guess I will have to retire. Only the pirates will give me $5 million/1 year contracts no more”.