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This content was machine-translated from the French version.
The Pittsburgh Pirates officially announced on August 5 the release of Marcell Ozuna, their designated hitter recruited at a high price this winter. The 35-year-old Dominican leaves Pennsylvania after just 70 games and a plummeting offensive production. A radical turn for a club dreaming of the playoffs and no longer having time to wait for a revival that isn't coming.
A $12 million contract, a season in tatters
The Pirates had bet $12 million on a one-year deal to snatch Ozuna from the free-agent market.
The Pirates had bet $12 million on a one-year deal to snatch Ozuna from the free-agent market. The calculation was simple: add a proven bat to a young roster capable of shaking up the Central League. Seventy games later, the verdict is final.
With an OPS of .612 — the lowest of his career over a full season — and an avalanche of strikeouts, the Dominican never found his rhythm in the black and gold jersey. His batting average was hovering below .200 during his final weeks in Pittsburgh. Manager Derek Shelton, who had installed him in the heart of the lineup in April, eventually demoted him before management made the final call.
"We waited as long as possible," a club spokesperson summarized to MLB.com. Patience has its limits when every win counts.
From Atlanta to Pittsburgh: two summers, two faces
The contrast with his 2024 season is striking. In a Braves jersey, Ozuna had compiled 39 home runs, 104 RBIs, and a .302 average in 162 games. An All-Star campaign capped by a Home Run Derby appearance, his third All-Star selection after 2016 and 2017.
Even 2025, though less spectacular, remained within the standards of an established hitter. Nothing foreshadowed the collapse of 2026. The fall is all the more brutal as it comes at age 35, an age where career curves leave little room for a rebound.
In 1,572 MLB games split between Miami, St. Louis, Atlanta, and Pittsburgh, Ozuna has compiled 302 home runs and 972 RBIs. A résumé no one can erase. But the present, for its part, does not forgive.
Ronny Simon, the youth gamble
To fill the vacant spot, the Pirates recalled Ronny Simon, a 24-year-old infielder and outfielder who was tearing up Triple-A in Indianapolis. A switch-hitter, Simon was averaging over .300 with about twenty stolen bases before his promotion. A profile radically opposite to that of the veteran Dominican: mobility, speed, defensive versatility.
Pittsburgh, still in the wild-card race with two months left in the regular season, could no longer afford to carry a broken bat in a lineup that is otherwise performing well. The Simon choice embodies a form of generational break as much as a financial imperative.
Age 35, that wall baseball does not forgive
Ozuna becomes the latest example of a truth MLB reminds us of every summer: after 34 or 35, a designated hitter who no longer produces finds no place. The market for one-dimensional veterans has shrunk considerably in recent seasons, with clubs now preferring to invest in versatility and bench depth rather than a name.
At 302 career home runs, has the Dominican played his last game? Nothing rules it out. A rebuilding club could offer him a minimum contract to mentor a young group next spring. But the era when an Ozuna signed $12 million guaranteed with his eyes closed seems definitively over. Baseball, for its part, has already turned the page.