Pirates just outshined Cubs’ entire offseason with bold All-Star free agency splurge

As funny as it is to realize, at this moment, the Chicago White Sox have spent more money than the Chicago Cubs this offseason, it's even funnier that the Pittsburgh Pirates can now be added to that list. FanSided's Robert Murray reports that the Pirates are signing All-Star first baseman Ryan O'Hearn to a two-year deal worth $29 million.

After Ryan O'Hearn's signing, the Pirates are surprisingly having a better offseason than the Cubs.

In fact, O'Hearn's deal with the Pirates nearly tops the total amount of money the Cubs have spent the entire offseason.

Throughout the early weeks of the offseason, the Pirates were talking a big game, including making a run at Kyle Schwarber. While cynical baseball fans suggested that Pittsburgh's run at Schwarber may have been lip service as they try to avoid a grievance being filed by the MLB Players Association, it's hard to say that their offseason hasn't been successful.

O'Hearn marks the second All-Star bat that the Pirates have added in the past week. Over the weekend, Pittsburgh added All-Star infielder Brandon Lowe as part of a three-team trade with the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays.

O'Hearn should give the Pirates some thump in the middle of their lineup. Earning an All-Star selection with the Baltimore Orioles, the 32-year-old veteran finished the season with a slash line of .281/.366/.437 with 17 home runs and a wRC+ of 127. At the deadline, OHearn was traded to the San Diego Padres.

Even with the moves the Pirates have made this offseason, they don't serve as a threat to the Cubs yet, but they may not be the doormat they've been in recent years.

The expectation remains that the Cubs' penny-pinching moves this offseason will ultimately lead to them making a free-agent splash in the weeks ahead. Tatsuya Imai and Alex Bregman remain on the free-agent market, and signing either of those players would certainly push the Cubs' spending past the White Sox and Pirates.

If that move never materializes for the Cubs, it will be an awkward February as the team opens spring training with what will be a worse roster than the one they had in 2025 and a noticeable dip in payroll.