First baseman Ryan O'Hearn was always one of the Pirates’ top targets this offseason. As a desired free agent, O’Hearn needed to do his research first.
Some of it was about the 2025 team, especially on the pitching side. O’Hearn was quick to point out that the Pirates’ staff was in the top 10 in ERA, WHIP and strikeouts. He wanted to be part of a winner, and that could be a foundation.
Some of that research was on the projected 2026 team, especially after the Pirates acquired Brandon Lowe from the Rays in December. O’Hearn, a former Oriole, had watched Lowe play for years in the AL East and gotten to know him better at last year’s All-Star Game, to the point that they jet-pooled back from the Midsummer Classic to their respective clubs, who played each other to open the second half of the season. Adding Lowe “moved the needle” towards becoming a Pirate, as O’Hearn put it.
Then there was the phone call with manager Don Kelly. Kelly reflected that it was mostly on O’Hearn’s journey, going from a guy who was designated for assignment by the Orioles in 2023 to becoming an All-Star starter for them last season. Kelly knows that feeling, having been DFA’d nine times himself, as O’Hearn jokingly pointed out.
It was a good chat, one that offered insight into the manager and team. That was all the research he needed.
“We spoke for like 45 minutes,” O’Hearn said Thursday. “I got off and called my agent and was like, 'Let's do a deal.'”
On Thursday, that two-year, $29 million contract -- the largest for a free-agent hitter in franchise history -- was finalized, giving the Pirates’ lineup another proven left-handed bat. While the team is still looking to add to the club before they head to Bradenton, Fla., next month, this is going to be one of the team’s biggest swings towards fixing what was the league’s worst offense to try to contend in 2026.
“I couldn’t be anymore excited to be a Pirate,” O’Hearn said. “I love the stadium, I love the city, what it’s about. I did my research before I made a decision, and it’s a team that can pitch and just seemed like one or two pieces away from being a legit contender.”
The hope is O’Hearn can be one of those X-factors to elevate the offense. The back of his baseball card certainly makes a case. O’Hearn slashed .281/.366/.437 with 17 home runs and 63 RBIs over 144 games with the Orioles and Padres, but that’s only part of the appeal. He’s a solid defender at first base and can play the outfield, giving Kelly some lineup flexibility. He is a late bloomer who has seemingly been getting better each of the past few years despite now being 32. When asked what Pittsburgh fans should expect out of him, O’Hearn answered that they should “expect me to play hard and call me out if I’m not.”
And O'Hearn is well-regarded as a great clubhouse guy -- the type of leader the hitting side could also use.
“[He’s] an authentic guy who has been through a lot in baseball and life,” general manager Ben Cherington said. “Loves baseball. Loves being in a clubhouse with his teammates. If we could find the proven left-handed bat in the former of someone who also brings those qualities, I think that’s a good outcome for us.”
“The resiliency that he showed in that moment of going from being DFA'd to starting in the All-Star Game, that's what Pittsburgh is all about, is that toughness and that grit,” Kelly said. “Really excited to add him to the organization.”
This is going to be a pivotal season in Pittsburgh, with the stated expectation being a postseason berth. O’Hearn was a big part of that 2023 Orioles club that broke out and became a division winner, a drastic change from someone who was DFA’d in January of that year. He always thought he could be that type of impact player, even if he might have been “a little bit irrational at the time.”
You can do all the research you want, but sometimes you do have to take that leap of faith.
“I don’t think it happens without belief,” O’Hearn said. “Believing in myself is something that I was always good at. The same could be said for the team. For this team to go to the playoffs, we’ve got to believe that we can do it. That’s something that I’m going to be talking about from the minute we get to spring training: ‘Hey, we’re going to win. We’re going to go to the playoffs.’
“Because if you don’t believe it, then nobody else will.”