This MLB Veteran will Benefit the Most from His Team's Recent Roster Upgrades

In case you missed it, it has been a busy offseason for the usually cheap Pittsburgh Pirates. A team that is notorious for cutting players before hitting contract incentives, not spending to win rarely ever ... it was certainly a shock to many that the team was finally super aggressive and decided to try to win for the first time in a decade. 

They traded for 2B Brandon Lowe, a .260 hitter that left the yard 31 times last season and hit 30+ bombs for the second time in his career with the Rays. They also acquired Jake Mangum in that trade, who had a .330 OBP in his first full year in the majors. Next, they made multiple free agent signings of Ryan O'Hearn and Marcell Ozuna for a combined $41 million.

Both MLB veterans, O'Hearn is coming off a career year, hitting .281 with an OPS over .800 and was named to his first ever All-Star game. His .366 OBP and 58 walks blew out his previous career highs. Ozuna finished fourth in MVP voting in 2024 after a monstrous season, slashing .302/.378/.546 with 39 home runs without missing a single game. His 2025 numbers did decline but he saw considerable improvement in plate discipline (170 Ks --> 144 Ks, 74 BB --> 94 BB). 

This article is not about them, but it is important to note these additions when giving this sell job for this MLB SZN square. These are real MLB vets that give the Pirates lineup legitimate weapons throughout the top 2/3 of the lineup, something that they have not had in a decade. 

The lineup hasn't been completely void of talent the last few seasons, which is why fans have been so adamant that the team could seriously complete in the postseason with the addition of just a few real bats. 

O'Neil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds have been solid mainstays of the Pirates lineup the last four years, with the latter being one of the more consistent hitters for the team since his debut in 2019. Reynolds' best season came in 2021 when he hit .302 with a .912 OPS, recorded 90 RBIs and walked 75 times. Since 2021, he's recorded hit totals of 169, 142, 151, 171 and 144 in each of the last five seasons. 

Now, with the additions of three bonafide MLB vets in the lineup and the presence of Cruz's power behind him alongside 2025 acquisition Spencer Horwitz, Reynolds will have lineup protection that he has really never had in his time with the team. There is no longer an option to bat around him to try to pitch to weaker hitters to get out of innings, especially if Reynolds is slotted in the two or three hole.

I have fallen in love with Bryan Reynolds to go over his 144.5 SZN hits line on PrizePicks. As I mentioned above, he's gone over this line in four of the last five seasons with the one season falling just three hits short of it. In a new lineup with a bunch of shiny toys, the most consistent hitter for the team the last few seasons is being overlooked big time. 

This will be my meat-on-table Pittsburgh Pirates square for the upcoming MLB season. I am stoked to see how this lineup, which has been among the worst in the league the last 5+ seasons, performs this season with real MLB talent scattered throughout it.