Pirates cut Marcell Ozuna loose in playoff push

Marcell Ozuna's one-year reunion tour in Pittsburgh is over. The Pirates cut the veteran DH loose on Wednesday, ending a stretch that was supposed to add thump to the middle of their lineup and instead became one of the worst everyday seasons of his career.

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Pirates To Release Marcell Ozuna t.co/MNYQuo1ABL

The numbers explain the decision on their own. Ozuna signed a one-year, $12 million deal with a mutual option for 2027, and in return the Pirates got a.203 average, 8 home runs, 29 RBIs and a.613 OPS across 70 games. For a guy brought in specifically to hit, that's not a slump you can wait out in August.

Timing matters here too. Pittsburgh entered Wednesday sitting 3 1/2 games back of Arizona for the third NL wild-card spot, which means this wasn't a rebuilding club shedding salary — it's a team trying to squeeze into October that decided a warm body with upside beats a proven bat in a season-long nosedive. The Pirates immediately called up outfielder Ronny Simon from Triple-A Indianapolis to fill the roster spot.

For Ozuna, this closes another chapter in a career that's had real peaks — an NL RBI title, a Silver Slugger, a postseason run in Atlanta where he looked like one of the scariest hitters in baseball. Lately the power has come and gone in stretches, and at this point in his 30s teams are betting on matchup-proof pop over everyday at-bats. He's now a free agent in the middle of a pennant race, which is exactly the kind of timing that gets contenders calling.

Whether anyone bites is the real question. A DH-only bat hitting under.210 isn't an obvious fit for a club trying to add difference-makers down the stretch, but Ozuna's track record of hot streaks means some front office will at least kick the tires before rosters freeze for the postseason. Don't be shocked if he's wearing a different uniform within the next couple of weeks.