Report: Andrew McCutchen to Rejoin Pirates on One-Year Deal
Andrew McCutchen is coming home to Pittsburgh.
The 36-year-old, drafted by the Pirates 11th overall in 2005, has reportedly signed a one-year deal, pending a physical, to return to where his professional career began, Jason Mackey of the Post-Gazette reported on Friday.
The financial terms of McCutchen’s contract remain unknown, although they’ll likely be available once his deal becomes official. And once that occurs, his 14-year journey in the majors will come full circle after spending the last five seasons away from the “Steel City.”
McCutchen played nine big-league seasons with the Pirates from 2009-17, logging 203 home runs, 725 RBIs and a .291/.379/.487 slash line across 1,346 career games. He led the organization to three consecutive playoff berths (2013-15) but couldn’t surge past the NLDS.
The franchise icon did, however, make five All-Star appearances as a Pirate and won an MVP trophy (2013), four straight Silver Slugger awards (2012-15) and a Gold Glove (2012) during his nine-year tenure.
McCutchen also had a flare for the dramatic, delivering numerous clutch moments throughout his storied career, including a walk-off home run in the 14th inning versus the St. Louis Cardinals a day before the 2015 All-Star break.
With McCutchen nearing free agency, he was dealt in a blockbuster trade to the San Francisco Giants after the 2017 campaign, sending outfielder Bryan Reynolds – Pittsburgh’s current everyday centre-fielder – left-hander Kyle Crick and $500,000 of international bonus slot money.
The 5-foot-11 outfielder’s tenure on the west coast – consisting of 15 home runs, a 115 wRC+ and a .255/.357/.415 slash line over 130 games – didn’t last long as he was shipped off to the New York Yankees at the 2018 August trade deadline. That allowed him to make his fourth career postseason appearance, though.
McCutchen only played 25 contests down the stretch with New York but proved quite effective, blasting five round-trippers with a 150 wRC+ and a .253/.421/.471 slash line. He failed to replicate that success over limited at-bats in the playoffs, going 2-for-18 with just one RBI.
Afterwards, the veteran slugger landed a three-year, $50-million deal in free agency with the Philadelphia Phillies, hitting .237/.343/.444 with a 109 wRC+ in 260 contests from 2019-21. After having his $15-million club option declined last winter, he ultimately signed a one-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers worth $8.5 million.
The Fort Meade, Fla., native appeared in 134 games last season, although he didn’t provide much offensive or defensive upside as he was worth a career-worst 0.3 fWAR. At the plate, he finished with a .237/.316/.384 slash line and a 98 wRC+.
Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster featured nine eligible outfielders prior to McCutchen’s arrival, meaning the long-time star could be relegated to a part-time role next season. But as long as he stays healthy, he should have an opportunity to reach multiple milestones.
Entering his age-36 campaign, the right-hander is just 52 hits away from becoming the 73rd player in MLB history to achieve the 2,000-hit mark. He also sits at 392 doubles, 287 home runs and 983 walks through 1,895 career games.
If the 2023 campaign is McCutchen’s swan song, there is no better place for the potential future Hall-of-Fame player to spend his final season than with the franchise that selected him almost 18 years ago.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Blackngold29. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.