Former MLB GM hands Pirates brutal reality check on $12 million slugger: 'He's done'

Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Marcell Ozuna (24) breaks the bat on a swing in the second inning of a MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates, Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati. © Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 25-24, last place in the NL Central, but are having a much better season than many would've expected before the season began.

Konnor Griffin has been great, Oneil Cruz looks to be breaking out, Paul Skenes is as good as ever, while offseason additions of Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn have gone very well.

However, a $12 million offseason signing in Marcell Ozuna has not aged well at all for the Pirates. Things have gone so poorly that Jim Bowden of The Athletic, a former MLB general manager, gave a simple but brutal reality check.

Pirates get brutal reality check on Marcell Ozuna: 'He's done'

"Marcell Ozuna, DH, Pittsburgh Pirates. My best guess: He's done," Bowden writes. "... Given his age and the decline in his production over the past two years, he looks like a release candidate at some point this season."

The Pirates brought in Ozuna to be their designated hitter, a position reserved for someone who's a net positive offensively.

That hasn't been the case with Ozuna this season. In 2026 so far, he's posted -0.7 bWAR with a .179 average, .579 OPS, and 63 OPS+ in 40 games.

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Across his 14-year MLB career, Ozuna has posted an .800 OPS with a 117 OPS+. This year's production has been well below his previous production, which is proof that this regression is hitting hard.

Bowden believes that Ozuna is done, and while it's a brutal reality check for the Pirates, it's one the team needs, as Ozuna cannot be relied upon going forward.

Pittsburgh will need to go after a new designated hitter, whether it's calling someone up to the Majors or trading for someone to replace the 35-year-old veteran.

But, Bowden believes that Ozuna is done, and is more than simply in decline; he's already declined as a hitter and should be someone the Pirates replace very soon.

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