Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz Could Be Next in Line For Contract Extension

Oneil Cruz racked up 21 home runs and 22 stolen bases in 2024 before moving to center field, which could convince the Pittsburgh Pirates to extend the young star as they did with Bryan Reynolds, Ke'Bryan Hayes and Mitch Keller.

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (15) high fives teammates after hitting a solo home run in the first inning against the Cincinnati at Great American Ball Park. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Pirates have made a habit of extending young players over the past few springs, and that trend could continue in 2025.

MLB.com's Mark Feinsand compiled a list of the 16 most notable players who could land contract extensions in the near future. Pirates shortstop-turned-center fielder Oneil Cruz made the cut, while Paul Skenes did not.

A Skenes extension is seen as "unlikely" at the moment, per Feinsand, considering the reigning NL Rookie of the Year is still under team control for five more seasons. Cruz is on the books for four, but the 26-year-old has at least spent parts of four seasons on Pittsburgh's MLB roster.

Cruz made his big league debut in 2021, split 2022 between Triple-A and MLB, then missed all but nine games in 2023 due to a fractured left fibula. The former top-25 prospect finally lasted through a full campaign in 2024, batting .259 with 21 home runs, 76 RBI, 22 stolen bases, a .773 OPS and a 2.5 WAR across 146 games.

Last August, Pittsburgh opted to move Cruz to center field. The 6-foot-7, 215-pound slugger posted -3 defensive runs saved at his new position down the stretch.

For as much as the Pirates have sleepwalked through free agency in recent years, the front office has typically been willing to shell out plenty of cash to keep its homegrown players in-house.

Pittsburgh previously awarded third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes with an eight-year, $70 million extension back in April 2022. In 2023, they gave outfielder Bryan Reynolds an eight-year, $106.75 million deal before signing starting pitcher Mitch Keller to a five-year, $77 million contract in February 2024.

Whether it's with Cruz, Skenes or the newly-acquired Spencer Horwitz, the Pirates are surely prepared to enter extension talks again.

Pittsburgh's first full-squad workout down in Bradenton, Florida, is scheduled for Monday. The regular season gets started on March 27.

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