Ryan O’Hearn admits he did his ‘research’ before signing with Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates have made adding pop a priority this offseason. They were inexplicably one of the teams that were seriously in on Kyle Schwarber in free agency before he returned to the Philadelphia Phillies, and against standard operating procedure, they managed to ink veteran slugger Ryan O’Hearn to a two-year, $29 million deal.

The Pirates’ bigger level of involvement in free agency has raised a few eyebrows around MLB, with some even chalking this up to the influence of the looming CBA negotiations. This skepticism was warranted considering the Pirates franchise’s reputation as perhaps the cheapest in MLB at present.

Nonetheless, O’Hearn is not fazed whatsoever about the gravity of the situation he’s facing with the Pirates. In fact, the team’s big-money signing (for their standards) this offseason has much higher hopes for the team than most would.

“I did my research before I made my decision … [the Pirates] just seemed like one or two pieces away from being a legit contender,” O’Hearn said in his introductory press conference as a Pirate, via SportsNet Pittsburgh.

"I did my research before I made my decision … [the Pirates] just seemed like one or two pieces away from being a legit contender."

Ryan O'Hearn is ready to make an impact in Pittsburgh pic.twitter.com/5o3sfQomOX

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) January 8, 2026

It would be one thing if the Pirates were truly one piece away from contending. They have some promising young pieces, none more elite than ace Paul Skenes, but their position player core does not inspire much confidence.

But it’s another thing entirely for O’Hearn to insinuate that he is the piece the team needs to take the leap. That level of confidence is something everyone can aspire towards achieving.

Fans clown Ryan O’Hearn for Pirates optimism

Fans don’t believe in the Pirates as much as O’Hearn does, if the reaction to his press conference on X (formerly Twitter) is any indication.

“Makes no sense with the brewers and cubs and even the reds ahead of them lol they offered the most money just keep it real,” @Mohawkdakidd wrote.

“Brother doesn’t realize he’s joining one of the most poverty franchises in all of sports,” @TheRealSamBrad furthered.

“Hilarious. The over / under is 75 wins. Only 6 teams in MLB are worse,” @mlc118 pointed out.

The post Ryan O’Hearn admits he did his ‘research’ before signing with Pirates appeared first on ClutchPoints.