They’re a long way off from spending to the levels of franchises like the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets, but the Pirates are being a little less miserly ahead of the 2026 season. With hopes of maximizing their window with Cy Young winner Paul Skenes on the mound, Pittsburgh has acquired outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia and All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe via trade and signed reliever Gregory Soto to a one-year deal. In perhaps the most significant sign that the Pirates are ready to contend in the NL Central, Pittsburgh is signing former Orioles designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn to a two-year, $29 million deal.
The deal is far from the kind of eye-popping contract that those aforementioned franchises throw out each season, but it represents an important step forward for a franchise that has scant looked interested in serious contention at the ownership level. As noted by the Tribune-Review, this is the first multiyear deal that Pittsburgh has given out in free agency since 2016.
