First baseman Ryan O’Hearn and the Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a two-year, $29 million contract, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Tuesday.
O’Hearn, 32, had a big year in 2025, earning his first All-Star selection while setting career highs with a .281 average, 17 homers and 3.0 WAR. He doesn’t have massive raw power, but instead is more of a steady on-base threat. He played more regularly against lefties last season and hit .278/.358/.474 against them in 109 plate appearances.
The deal is the latest in a very busy winter for the Pirates, who acquired second baseman Brandon Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum and left-handed pitcher Mason Montgomery last week as part of a three-team trade. Pittsburgh has also traded for Red Sox outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia, who hit 18 homers in Triple-A, signed reliever Gregory Soto and has been in the mix for a number of other players as it tries to bolster its lineup to support a promising young pitching staff led by National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes.
The Pirates’ offense was at or near the bottom of the majors in nearly every major category last season, including runs and home runs.
O’Hearn, who played for the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres last season, had 63 RBIs. In eight MLB seasons, including a five-year stint with the Kansas City Royals, he has a career .252 batting average with 84 home runs and 313 RBIs.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.