At long last, veteran slugger Marcell Ozuna has found a new home.

The 35-year-old Ozuna, who had spent the last six seasons with the Atlanta Braves, will now officially move on after reportedly agreeing to a one-year, $12 million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. Jon Heyman of the New York Post was the first to report the signing.

Ozuna’s contract is pending a physical and hasn’t been officially confirmed by the team yet.

Additional contract details emerged via ESPN’s Jeff Passan shortly afterwards, revealing the deal will also include a $16 million mutual option for the 2027 season, guaranteeing Ozuna $10.5 million this year and the $1.5 million buyout tied to his option.

Mutual options are rarely triggered by both parties these days. As such, this contract structure essentially allows the Pirates’ brass to kick a portion of Ozuna’s salary to next off-season rather than attaching it to his 2026 salary.

Ozuna will likely operate as Pittsburgh’s everyday designated hitter this season, further lengthening the club’s lineup behind fellow newcomers Brandon Lowe (acquired via trade from Tampa Bay) and Ryan O’Hearn (signed in free agency).

Last season was a disappointing year for the former Braves’ DH, who hit 21 home runs in 145 games, but slashed .232/.355/.400 with a 114 wRC+ (100 league average). Those were far below his usual standards, considering he posted 39 home runs and drove in 104 runs along with an impressive .302/.378/.546 slash line and 154 wRC+ over 162 games in 2024 — worth 4.7 fWAR, the second-highest rating of his 13-year MLB career.

The Pirates are certainly banking on a return-to-form performance from Ozuna as they attempt to climb up the standings in the NL Central and begin turning the page on their longstanding rebuild.

But by bringing in a full-time DH, this signing could mean saying goodbye to franchise icon Andrew McCutchen, who intends to return for his 18th major-league season and had been open to staying in Pittsburgh for a fourth consecutive campaign.

If the Pirates do move on from McCutchen, who’s also primarily a hitter-only outfielder as he enters his age-39 season, it’ll be interesting to see if any other team is willing to take a flyer on him as pitchers and catchers report for spring training this week.