Pirates latest signing shines new light on Guardians lack of offensive additions 

Ryan O’Hearn’s career is one of the more interesting ones among active MLB players.

After struggling through the first five years of his career with the Royals to the tune of a .219/.293/.390 slashline, he found a mid-career renaissance with the Orioles. After hitting .289 in 2023 (his first season in Baltimore) and slugging 15 home runs in 2024, O’Hearn reached a new level in 2025. 

Along with posting a .283/.374/.463 slashline with 13 home runs and 43 RBI in 94 games with the Orioles, O’Hearn was traded to the Padres at the trade deadline exchange alongside Ramón Laureano in exchange for a whopping six minor leaguers.

And, after a productive second half with San Diego, O’Hearn hit free agency for the first time in his career this season with his eyes set on a big payday. 

While O’Hearn didn’t have the kind of established track record as someone like Josh Naylor, he stood out as an obvious free agent fit for the Guardians due to his ability to hit from the right side of the plate and play first base. 

But instead of signing a deal with the Guardians (which would have been a surprise given Cleveland’s track record), O’Hearn signed with an even more surprising team, as he inked a  two-year, $29 million deal with the Pirates on Tuesday, per Fansided MLB insider Robert Murray. 

Not only does the deal mark the Pirates’ first multi-year pact since they signed Ivan Nova to a three-year deal in 2016, but it signifies their first mutli-year deal for a free agent hitter since they signed John Jaso to a two-year, $8 million deal the season prior. 

The Pirates have started spending money as they work to push themselves out of the National League Central basement, and O’Hearn will go a long way toward doing that. He also would have gone a long way toward helping the Guardians lowly offense get better after a dismal 2025. 

The Guardians missed out on a chance to sign Ryan O’Hearn 

O’Hearn checked all of the boxes the Guardians tend to prioritize in free agency— and some they usually don’t. He has the kind of defensive versatility the front office loves (he can play some outfield along with first base) and wouldn’t break the bank (as we saw), but he also hits with power from the right-side, which is something the Guardians haven’t had in a long time. 

While Chase DeLauter and George Valera are going to get more chances in the outfield (as they should), O’Hearn wouldn’t take a ton of chances away from them since he’d serve as the weak-side platoon option, which is the kind skillset the Guardians are telling teams they’re prioritizing. 

While there’s still a chance the Guardians could find a player who fills that void via free agency or another trade, O’Hearn going off the board to another low-payroll team stings a little bit.