The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed All-Star left-handed hitter O’Hearn to a two-year, $29 million deal, continuing to strengthen their lineup.

According to sources, the Pittsburgh Pirates have reached a two-year, $29 million agreement with free agent and 2025 All-Star Ryan O’Hearn, adding a powerful bat to their lineup that desperately needed rebuilding this offseason. The team has yet to officially confirm the deal.

O’Hearn will become the first free agent to receive a multi-year contract from the Pirates since signing Ivan Nova in December 2016 (three years, $26 million). This also marks the largest free-agent contract ever given to a position player in franchise history.

The 32-year-old O’Hearn played last season for both the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres, posting a slash line of .281/.366/.437 over 544 plate appearances, hitting 17 home runs and driving in 63 runs, with stronger performance while in Baltimore. He was traded to San Diego before the deadline and was previously Baltimore’s sole All-Star representative.

This veteran, with eight years of Major League experience, truly blossomed only after joining the Orioles in 2023. Over three seasons with Baltimore, he maintained a .277 batting average, a 0.796 slugging percentage, and an adjusted OPS+ of 125. Last season marked his first career year with at least 500 plate appearances.

As a left-handed hitter, most of O’Hearn’s home runs last season came against right-handed pitchers (14 of 17), but his actual OPS against left-handers (0.832) was higher than against right-handers (0.795). This is due to his balanced approach: his swing-and-miss rate, chase rate, and strikeout rate were all better than league average, while maintaining an excellent walk rate (10.7%) and ideal launch angle (according to Baseball Savant, 38.2% of his batted balls hit the sweet spot last season, ranking better than 85% of players).

The Pirates have been aiming to add more left-handed power to their lineup during the offseason, believing their position players (especially infielders) lean too heavily to the right side. The short right-field fence at PNC Park is also appealing to left-handed hitters, potentially boosting their extra-base hit production.

O’Hearn played both first base and corner outfield positions last season. His defensive performance was best at first base, where his Outs Above Average (OAA) was +6, tied for fourth in the league at that position. Although first baseman Spencer Horwitz was one of the few bright spots in the Pirates’ lineup last season, the team currently does not have a fixed designated hitter, keeping the roster flexible.

O’Hearn is the second 2025 All-Star the Pirates have acquired this week; the first was Brandon Lowe, obtained via a three-team trade involving the Rays and Astros. General Manager Ben Cherington has clearly stated the intention to continue adding experienced power hitters to the lineup, and O’Hearn fits that profile.

With O’Hearn joining, the Pirates’ potential lineup for the new season is beginning to take shape:

• Catchers: Joey Bart / Henry Davis
• First Base / Designated Hitter: O’Hearn / Horwitz
• Second Base: Lowe
• Shortstop: Nick Gonzales / or top prospect Konnor Griffin
• Third Base: Jared Triolo
• Outfield: Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, Jake Mangum, Jhostynxon Garcia

Compared to the end of last season, this lineup could see four to five changes in starters, representing a thorough rebuild for a batting order that ranked last in runs scored (583), home runs (117), and slugging percentage (0.655) last year.

The Pirates’ 40-man roster is currently full, so a spot will need to be cleared to accommodate O’Hearn.