“Ryan O’Hearn’s a welcome addition” - MLB insider credits Pirates for $29M signing over failed Kyle Schwarber pursuit

The Pittsburgh Pirates continued their offseason rebuild by signing All-Star infielder Ryan O'Hearn on a two-year, $29-million contract this week. The Pirates had one of the worst hitting performances last season as they finished last in Major League Baseball in runs scored, home runs, SLG%, and OPS.

Pittsburgh signed the All-Star infielder to fix their hitting woes, making him the first free agent to sign a multi-year deal with the Pirates in nine years. O'Hearn is the second infielder to join the Pirates this offseason, as they traded for second baseman Brandon Lowe from the Tampa Bay Rays last week.

MLB analyst Dejan Kovacevic hailed the addition of the veteran infielder, outlining the Pirates' strategy of signing multiple impactful bats after their failed pursuit of superstar slugger Kyle Schwarber earlier this offseason. He said on the "DK Pittsburgh Sports" podcast (timestamp 3:00 onwards):

"It's a nice pick up, he is a welcome addition and I have been more in favor of doing this sorta thing where you say, 'okay, we are gonna get Brandon Lowe, we are gonna get Ryan O'Hearn, we are gonna get guys who can add up to runs as opposed to the one super mega solar explosion of adding a Kyle Schwarber.'"

Pirates receive praise for Brandon Lowe, Ryan O'Hearn's signings

The 32-year-old slugger will provide disciplined production as he slashed .281/.366/.437 with a 128 wRC+ last season. O'Hearn earned his first All-Star selection this year and ESPN analyst Bradford Doolittle lauded the Pirates' signing of the veteran slugger.

"With the addition of Ryan O'Hearn, Pittsburgh is moving well into the territory of mediocrity that, in 2026, can mean the playoffs. This is no small feat. Between O'Hearn and recently acquired infielder Brandon Lowe, Pittsburgh increasingly has a bona fide major league lineup to back up its exciting pitching staff."

While O'Hearn will provide plate discipline, the recently acquired Brandon Lowe is expected to add more power from the infield as the All-Star second baseman hit 31 home runs for the Rays in 2025, the second-most of his career, which earned him a second All-Star selection.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash