Ryan O’Hearn reveals why he chose Pirates in free agency

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Ryan O’Hearn reveals why he chose Pirates in free agency

Benedetto Vitale, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Sun, Mar 1, 2026 ·

2 min read

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Ryan O'Hearn signed a two-year, $29 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates during free agency. The deal makes him the highest-paid free agent hitter signed by Pittsburgh in franchise history. However, that is not the reason why O'Hearn signed with the organization.

The 32-year-old slugger claims that the Pirates were essentially the perfect fit for himself and his family. He admits he received several offers in free agency, but Pittsburgh seemed to be the most logical destination for O'Hearn.

"Going into free agency, I didn't know really what to expect," said O'Hearn. "I heard from a lot of teams. And then as the winter kind of went on, you start to get your offers, and you look at the team and the city and the situation… Pittsburgh checked a lot of boxes for my wife and I… It made a lot of sense."

Ryan O'Hearn has a history of playing first base and the outfield, and he could be in line to play a ton of time in the latter for Pittsburgh this season. He's coming off what is arguably the best season of his career, as O'Hearn finished the 2025 season with a .281 batting average and .366 OBP, along with 133 hits, 17 home runs, and 63 RBIs for the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres .

His efforts earned him the first All-Star nod of his career. If O'Hearn can put up similar numbers in 2026, then the Pirates will have a solid, consistent bat to improve the offense. We'll have a better idea of his exact role in Pittsburgh come Opening Day, when the club kicks off the new season against the New York Mets .

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