Andrew McCutchen Heads Back To Pittsburgh, Agrees To A 1-year Deal With The Pirates

By Jordan Long

The Pittsburgh Pirates will report to Spring Training on February 15th when pitchers and catchers head to Bradenton, Florida.  On February 20th they will have their first full-squad workout.  Spring Training games for them begin on February 25th when they face the Toronto Blue Jays.  With that, the Pirates brought back a familiar face, Andrew McCutchen.  He agreed to a 1-year deal with the club. The financial terms of the contract weren’t announced.

            McCutchen started his MLB career with Pittsburgh in 2009.  That season he hit .286 with 12 home runs and 54 RBI’s, a taste of what he could do at the MLB level.  After that, he became their best hitter. He smacked 20+ home runs 7 times including a career-high 28 in 2017.  His batting average for the Pirates stood at .291. McCutchen ended up in 5 All-Star Games as a member of the Pirates.  He even won 1 Gold Glove for his play in the outfield.

            On January 15, 2018, McCutchen was dealt to the San Francisco Giants. The Giants anticipated McCutchen improving their lineup and outfield.  It didn’t work out. McCutchen spent 130 games with the Giants.  His batting average was .255 with 15 home runs and 55 RBI’s.  The Giants decided to trade McCutchen to the New York Yankees on August 30^th, 2018.  This was to boost the Yankees’ playoff chances.

            New York finished the 2018 season at 100-62, earning a Wild Card spot in the MLB playoffs.  They beat the Oakland Athletics in the Wild Card game.  In the American League Division Series, New York was defeated by the Boston Red Sox, 3 games to 1.  Once that series was over, McCutchen was a free agent.  The Philadelphia Phillies agreed to a 3-year, $50 million contract with him.

            In his 3 years with Philadelphia, his team didn’t earn a playoff spot.  Philadelphia’s best finish with McCutchen was in 2021 when they were 82-80.  With Philadelphia, McCutchen’s batting average was .237 with 47 home runs and 143 RBI’s. 

            Last year he was with the Milwaukee Brewers.  The Brewers went 86-76. They were close to earning a playoff spot but missed it by 1 game.  In a Brewers’ uniform, McCutchen hit .237 with 17 home runs and 69 RBI’s.  Milwaukee decided to allow him to test free agency.

            It took a while for him to sign a contract with a team.  It makes a lot of sense for McCutchen to end up in Pittsburgh. He had his top years there.  McCutchen should be an everyday outfielder for the team.  It doesn’t matter where he is placed because he can play each position. He also brings veteran leadership to the team.  McCutchen is at the end of his career.  He is 36 years old and will be 37 once the season ends. This may be one of his last seasons. At least McCutchen can end his career where it all started if this is his last year.  Hopefully, he can contribute to helping the Pirates win even if they fall short of the MLB postseason.