Ranking Every New Pittsburgh Pirates Acquisition This Offseason

However, injuries have since derailed Urquidy’s career. He only pitched 63 innings in 2023, suffering shoulder issues and Tommy John surgery. He returned to an MLB mound in 2025, but pitched only 2 1/3 innings for the Detroit Tigers. The Pirates have since signed Urquidy to a one-year, $1.5 million deal. Urquidy’s last three years make his future outlook very uncertain. Hopefully, he can provide the Pirates with some solid innings, either as a starter, reliever, or a mix of both.

7. Jake Mangum

Jake Mangum was one of three players the Pirates acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays. It was a three-team swap where the Pirates sent Mike Burrows to the Houston Astros. Mangum had an unexpectedly solid age-29 rookie season last year. He slashed .296/.330/.368 with a .307 wOBA, and 95 wRC+ over 428 plate appearances. Mangum only hit four home runs with a 4% walk rate. However, he also only struck out 15% of the time.

Mangum proved to be both an outstanding baserunner and fielder. He used his 91st percentile sprint speed to swipe 27 bases. He also used that speed to cover plenty of ground in the outfield. The switch-hitter saw playing time at all three outfield positions, putting up +3 defensive runs saved and +6 outs above average. Mangum shows qualities of a solid, strong-side platoon/fourth outfielder. He’s not the youngest player out there, but he will provide the Pirates with a strong defender and baserunner at the very least.

6. Jhostynxon García

The other minor leaguer the Pirates acquired alongside Travieso, Jhostynxon García, is now one of the Pirates’ top prospects. García spent most of his year at Double-A and Triple-A, batting .267/.340/.470. García showed off his plus power potential, with 21 home runs and a .208 ISO. While he had an unimpressive 26.8% K%, he also drew free passes at a respectable 9.2% mark. Overall, he put up a .360 wOBA and 117 wRC+ in 489 PA’s. García also made his MLB debut and appeared in five games.

At the end of 2025, García was seen as a consensus top-100 prospect. While he isn’t on MLB Pipeline or Baseball America’s Top 100 list right now, he did receive consideration from BA. García is considered a hit-over-power type batter. He is a potential power/speed threat as well. He projects as an average defensive center fielder with a strong arm. However, his glove and arm could play up in an outfield corner. 2026 will only be his age-23 season. García has the potential to take over an outfield spot in the very near future.

5. Gregory Soto

The first major league signing the Pirates made this offseason was left-hander Gregory Soto. The veteran left-hander put up a 4.18 ERA in 60 1/3 IP with the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets. However, he struck out just over a quarter of opponents, with a 25.1% K%. Soto also put up a career-low 8.6% walk rate. Soto also has elite stuff on the mound, sitting in the upper-90s with his sinker and fastball. His FanGraphs Stuff+ comes in at an impressive 115 mark.

That’s not the end of Soto’s solid peripherals. He was in the 97th percentile of barrel rate at 4%. The southpaw was above the 80th percentile of both whiff (29.9%) and chase (31.5%) rates. Soto put up a sub-4.00 xERA (3.85), FIP (3.42), and SIERA (3.45). He also has experience closing games out. He recorded 48 saves with the Detroit Tigers in 2022-2023. The Pirates signed Soto to a one-year deal worth $7.75 million. He’ll likely serve as one of the Pirates’ set-up options in 2026.

4. Mason Montgomery

Mason Montgomery has even more potential than Soto does. He was also included in the three-team, Astros-Pirates-Rays trade. Montgomery’s 5.67 ERA in 46 innings may look poor on the surface. However, he struck out 30.1% of opponents, with a 1.17 HR/9 ratio. Control gave Montgomery the most problems, with a BB% of 12.9%. However, the left-hander has the potential to be a future closing pitcher.

Montgomery throws even harder than Soto, sitting at 98.7 mph. His Stuff+ comes in at 125. That is the highest of any left-handed reliever who threw 30+ innings last year. Montgomery had a 31.5% chase rate, with a 97th percentile whiff rate of 35.8%. His .384 batting average on balls in play inflated his ERA. He had a strong 3.55 SIERA by the end of 2025. And that was only Montgomery’s rookie year. He won’t turn 26 until mid-June either. With his age and potential, it’s hard not to see him as the Pirates’ best pitching addition this offseason.

3. Marcell Ozuna

Even with a hip injury hampering his play, Marcell Ozuna still turned in solid numbers. The designated hitter slashed .232/.355/.400 with a .334 wOBA, and 114 wRC+. Ozuna went yard 21 times with an 11.4% barrel rate. He also set career-bests in walk rate and chase rate at 15.4% and 22.3%, respectively. There is even potential for more offense in 2026.

Ozuna had an outstanding 148 wRC+ between 2023 and 2024. He also crushed 79 home runs. His .355 xwOBA and .448 xSLG% suggest some bad luck played a part in his diminished numbers in 2025. If his hip is fully healthy, he could be one of the Pirates’ best hitters in 2026. The Pirates picked him up on a one-year contract worth $12 million. While he has to hit to make the Pirates’ money worthwhile, he certainly has the potential to do so.

2. Brandon Lowe

The third player the Pirates got for Mike Burrows is second baseman Brandon Lowe. He is one of the best power hitters in the game, with 151 home runs since his 2019 rookie year. The only second basemen with more home runs in that time are Jose Altuve and Ketel Marte. Lowe had a solid year at the plate, slashing .256/.307/.477 with 31 home runs over 553 plate appearances. Lowe’s 26.9% K% sat near his career-average of 27.3%. However, his 6.9% walk rate was a career-low mark. He was still an above-average hitter overall, with a 114 wRC+.

While Lowe is a consistently good hitter, his defense graded out as poor last year. He had 14 DRS and -13 OAA at the keystone in 2025. His defense was closer to average in 2022-2024, where he had -6 DRS and +1 OAA over 1761 innings. Lowe has some defensive question marks and is only under control for one season. However, he is exactly what the Pirates needed. Lowe is a consistent power threat, year-in-year-out.

1. Ryan O’Hearn

The Pirates handed out their first multi-year contract since Ivan Nova in the 2016-2017 offseason, and they offered it to a quality player. Ryan O’Hearn signed a two-year, $29 million contract in January. O’Hearn has produced quality numbers each of the last three seasons. In 2025, he had a career year with the Orioles and San Diego Padres. O’Hearn hit .281/.366/.437 with a .349 wOBA, and 127 wRC+. He hit 17 home runs, while walking 10.7% of the time. O’Hearn also had a solid 20% strikeout percentage. The first baseman/outfielder recorded career-highs in home runs, batting average, OBP, wRC+, wOBA, and OPS.

With the addition of Ozuna, O’Hearn looks to serve as the Pirates’ right fielder. He isn’t a particularly strong defender in the outfield grass. O’Hearn has -11 DRS and -3 OAA over 634 innings in right field. He is most familiar with first base, where he had +4 DRS and +6 OAA last year. Still, he is coming off a career-best year at the plate. Signing O’Hearn is one of the best additions the Pirates have made in a very long time.