Pirates Earn Praise For Ryan O'Hearn Signing

"If you're a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, you're starting to dream a little bit," Doolittle said. "Over the past week, the frustrating team that seemingly never does anything during the transaction season has now made a couple of clear win-now moves. Suddenly, your anticipation for the 2026 season can include a set of expectations that factors in playoff contention."

Doolittle later clarifies that it's the string of moves they've made that could put them into playoff contention, not just adding the veteran lefty.

"With the addition of Ryan O'Hearn, Pittsburgh is moving well into the territory of mediocrity that, in 2026, can mean the playoffs. This is no small feat. Between O'Hearn and recently acquired infielder Brandon Lowe, Pittsburgh increasingly has a bona fide major league lineup to back up its exciting pitching staff."

Relatively Risk Free Signing For Pittsburgh

"The risk here is simply that, at 32 years old, O'Hearn might be at risk for age-related decline, but there is no evidence yet that he's on that precipice," Doolittle added. He continued, "In any event, there is a lot to like about this move for Pittsburgh and very little not to like. This is good stuff."

No matter what the Pirates do, they're always going to be traced back to Paul Skenes. If they're unable to re-sign their ace, this team is going absolutely nowhere. Moves like this aren't going to break the internet, but to Pirates fans, they're long-awaited signing that are helping them get back on track.

O'Hearn lit the world on fire when he came into the league in 2018-19. From there, he fell off. Thankfully for his sake, he was able to get back on track thanks to a career resurgence with the Baltimore Orioles.

After a short stint with the San Diego Padres at the end of the year, this will be his third team in two years. O'Hearn isn't afraid of the grind, and he's more than prepared to give Pittsburgh his all for these next two years.