Where DH Market Stands After Marcell Ozuna Joins Pirates

What comes next after this deal?

Sep 24, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna (20) reacts after hitting a home run against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The designated hitter market has moved a little bit slow this offseason. Granted, there weren't many options available to teams looking. Kyle Schwarber was the big name on the market, and he returned to the Philadelphia Phillies.

That left two options: Marcell Ozuna and Andrew McCutchen. On Monday, Jon Heyman reported that the Pittsburgh Pirates had signed Ozuna to a three-year, $12 million contract, which is pending a physical.

With him off the board, here is a quick look at the market, what teams looking for have left as options and how this affects the potential playoff race in 2026.

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What's next after Ozuna deal?

Sep 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna (20) runs to third against the Washington Nationals in the sixth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Ozuna left the Atlanta Braves to join the Pirates, so Atlanta will likely need to find a way to replace him. That could come internally, or they could dive into the free agent or trade markets to land a bat.

For the Pirates, it gives them a great chance to climb out of last place in the National League Central. They have had a solid offseason thus far, having also landed Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum and Ryan O'Hearn. As far as the National League Central is concerned, it now looks like the St. Louis Cardinals are going to be the division's door mat.

St. Louis is a team that needed a right-handed bat, so perhaps they could look into signing the remaining DH option, which is McCutchen, a former Pirate himself. Any teams in need of a DH now only have one option remaining if they want to add via free agency.

Players like Mark Canha and Tommy Pham could at least pass as possible designated hitters, but if it's exclusively a DH teams are looking for, they are down to one option.

There's still a little time left in the offseason. Spring training is going to be underway very shortly, but the offseason has moved slow the past several years, so it might still take a while for some dominoes to fall.

But it was slim pickings on the DH market to begin with. Now, there aren't many more options left, so if teams are looking for an option, it might be McCutchen or bust.

We'll see where teams looking for bats go from here now that Ozuna is off the board.

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