Pittsburgh

Pirates

The deal, which was first reported on Monday morning, is official now that the 35-year-old slugger has passed his physical. Ozuna will earn $10.5 million in 2025 and the deal includes a $16 million mutual option with a $1.5 million buyout for 2026. He should function as the Pirates’ regular designated hitter which will push Ryan O’Hearn to a corner outfield spot.

Jeff Passan of ESPN adds that the deal includes a $16 million mutual option for the 2027 season with a $1.5 million buyout. The Pirates have been trying all winter to add thump to the middle of their lineup and despite missing out on some of the bigger names available, they have done a nice job overall. Ozuna joins Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn as offseason additions that should drastically improve the Pirates’ offensive outlook. The 35-year-old slugger had a down year offensively in 2025, slashing .232/.355/.400 with 21 homers, 68 RBI and a 144/94 K/BB ratio over 592 plate appearances with the Braves, but clobbered 79 home runs and drove in 204 runs over the previous two seasons.

Rome added that the Red Sox and Pirates are among five legitimate suitors in the Paredes sweepstakes. With spring training kicking off next week it makes sense that Houston would attempt to resolve their existing corner infield logjam before the situation gets uncomfortable. With Carlos Correa taking over at the hot corner and Christian Walker’s albatross contract seemingly unmovable, Paredes lacks a clear role with the Astros heading into next season. His pull-centered approach would be an excellent fit in Fenway Park’s hitter-favorable dimensions although his lackluster defense at third base would adversely impact Boston’s pitching staff. Meanwhile, PNC Park is among the worst in the league for right-handed pull power, which would certainly diminish his fantasy appeal. There should be a resolution on the Paredes sweepstakes at some point in the coming days.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post adds that the contract will be for $1.5 million. After failing in their surprise pursuit of Framber Valdez, the Pirates will settle for his former rotation-mate instead. Urquidy missed most of the 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, ultimately logging 2 1/3 innings with the Tigers in September. Urquidy looked sharp in the Mexican Winter League though and he should help to bring stability to the back end of the Pirates’ rotation.

The White Sox gave Clevinger a try as a reliever last year, but it didn’t take at all. After returning to the minors, he made 22 starts for Triple-A Charlotte with a 4.20 ERA and a 93/36 K/BB in 100 2/3 innings. He’s enjoyed major league success just once in four years since returning from Tommy John surgery, going 9-9 with a 3.77 ERA for the White Sox in 2023, and he seems like quite a long shot to help the Pirates.

While the Pirates have a genuine interest in Valdez, there is a belief that their interest may just raise the price for other bidders. As Rosenthal notes, “The Baltimore Orioles have been linked to Valdez the entire offseason,” and “the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres continue to pursue starters.” However, the Pirates did hire Bill Murphy as their new pitching coach. He has “worked with Valdez for the vast majority of the pitcher’s professional career, as both a minor- and major-league coach with the Houston Astros,” so that may be enough for the left-hander to honestly entertain joining the Pirates.

The Pirates have enough defensive versatility with their current starting lineup that they could add a hitter who is mainly a DH. It would mean Ryan O’Hearn would play primary first base and also some left field, while Spencer Horwitz and Jake Mangum would also work in at those positions. The Pirates may not want one of those players to be moved out of the lineup, but they could certainly use Ozuna’s thump in the middle of their order.

There hasn’t been any doubt, but now it’s official that Griffin will be at camp. Given the Pirates’ history, it seems unlikely that he’ll have much of a shot at winning the shortstop job prior to Opening Day, but he could well prove to be the best man for the job at age 19 (he turns 20 in April). Griffin hit .333/.415/.527 with 21 homers and 65 steals between high-A and Double-A last season, and he is widely regarded as the game’s No. 1 prospect.

Guerrero, a 16-year-old shortstop, was MLB.com’s No. 19 international prospect and is reportedly getting a $1.95 million bonus. Guerrero’s dad played in the majors from 1996-2004, with the majority of his at-bats coming on Expos teams that also featured Wilton Jr.'s uncle Vladimir. Perhaps Wilton Jr. will one day share the field with his cousin Vlad Jr.

Shugart, who was DFA’d last week, had a 3.40 ERA in 45 innings for the Pirates last season, though his peripherals weren’t very impressive; his K/BB was 31/17 and his groundball rate was only 33%. He does have an option year left, though, and the Phillies were surely attracted to that. Loreto, an 18-year-old signed out of Venezuela two years ago, wasn’t regarded as one of the Phillies’ better prospects. He hit .237/.332/.396 in 47 games in the Florida Complex League last season.