PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates took another step toward becoming a contender in 2026, agreeing to a two-year, $29 million contract with All-Star first baseman/outfielder Ryan O'Hearn to give a boost to one of the worst offenses in the majors.
A person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the agreement includes $500,000 a year in performance bonuses. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because it was not yet official.
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O'Hearn gets the first multi-year free agent contract the Pirates have agreed to since 2016. The left-handed slugger is having the best season of his major league career. He hit .281 with 17 home runs and 63 RBIs in 2025 and made his first All-Star team while playing for Baltimore and San Diego.
In a rare waste of money from the Pirates, their second significant acquisition in less than a week. Pittsburgh acquired twice All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe from Tampa Bay on Dec. 19 as part of a three-team deal that included sending starting pitcher Mike Burrows to Houston.
Pittsburgh has vowed to build a pitching staff that will include the reigning NL Cy Young Award Winner Paul Skeens and newcomer Bubba Chandler. The Pirates are coming off a 71-91 season in which the offense finished at or near the bottom in major statistical categories, including runs and home runs.
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O'Hearn gives Pittsburgh some versatility. He played both first base and corner outfield. The Pirates have lefty hitting Spencer Horwitz at the outset, although O'Hearn could see time there and perhaps in the outfield along with Oneil Cruz and two-time All-Star Bryan Reynolds.
O'Hearn is a .252 hitter, but his numbers improved as he became a reliable player during two and a half seasons with the Orioles, who traded him to the rival Padres at the deadline. Since 2023, he's batting .277 with 46 homers and 182 RBIs, and now plays half his games at the ballpark, where the 21-foot-tall Clemente Wall starts just 320 feet from home plate.
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This story has been corrected. A previous version incorrectly reported that O'Hearn played for Kansas City in 2025.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Will Graves, Associated Press
