Pirates urged to cut $12 million All-Star who replaced Andrew McCutchen

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a much-improved team. 

But the front office still made a pretty bad mistake during the offseason. 

They decided to give Marcell Ozuna $12 million for one season, with a mutual option for 2027. 

The 35-year-old didn't have a particularly strong year with the Atlanta Braves in 2025, and his performance with the Pirates has been even worse. 

In 58 games, Ozuna has seven home runs, 26 RBIs, a .202 batting average, and a .610 OPS. 

FanSided's Zachary Rotman wrote Tuesday that the Pirates could consider designating the three-time All-Star for assignment after the All-Star break. 

"The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Ozuna with the hope that he'd provide a jolt to an offense that had consistently been among the league's worst," wrote Rotman. "Well, not only did that signing disrespectfully kick franchise icon Andrew McCutchen out the door, but the Pirates have flourished in spite of Ozuna." 

Ozuna no longer plays the outfield, so having a DH who is not providing offense is doing the Pirates more harm than good. 

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As Rotman mentioned, his spot/role on the roster belonged to McCutchen, who signed with the Texas Rangers during the offseason and is now on a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves. 

Ozuna's 67 OPS+ indicates he's been 33% worse than the league average hitter. 

It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Pirates move on from the former slugger sooner rather than later. 

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