Insider: Andrew McCutchen Must Return To Pirates
Few players have meant more to the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise than Andrew McCutchen.
But will he and the Pirates get the storybook ending that rarely happens in sports?
MLB.com insider Will Leitch broke down McCutchen's situation in free agency and said there's no way the two sides could split again after reuniting in 2023. McCutchen was traded to the San Francisco Giants before the 2018 season in a deal that netted them current Pirates star Bryan Renolds. The former MVP also played for the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers before returning to Pittsburgh ahead of the 2023 season.
"He can't come back to Pittsburgh and then leave again," Leitch said on MLB Network. " I feel like he has to come back to Pittsburgh again. That's a team that, for the record, he was one of their better hitters last year. Obviously, he's not the MVP that he once was but he's still an above-average hitter. I think he's obviously not a center fielder anymore, but this is still a guy that you're not just bringing him in to be like a team leader. He still can hit. He's an above-average hitter."
McCutchen's return wasn't just a feel-good story. He was one of the Pirates' best hitters last season, tallying 20 home runs and 50 RBIs while posting a .232/.328/.411 slash line in 2024. Given McCutchen's level of performance, his meaning to the Pirates franchise and their need for offense, it feels like it shouldn't take much for a deal to come together.
McCutchen, 38, is a former MVP, five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, a Gold Glove winner and he won the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award in 2015. He also ranks among the franchise's all-time great players, ranking in the top 10 in Wins Above Replacement, games played, at-bats, home runs, RBIs, hits, doubles and total bases. In his 11-year career with the Pirates, McCutchen has slashed .284/.375/.475 with 235 home runs and 818 RBIs.
Both general manager Ben Cherington and McCutchen haven't been bashful about their intentions to reach a deal for the 2025 season. Cherington noted how good McCutchen has had a career and his hopes to re-sign the franchise's most important player in the 21st century.
"He's had a remarkable career," Cherington said at the Winter Meetings in Dallas. "It's been so cool to see him back in a Pirates uniform doing what he's done the last couple of years. We hope that continues. We have interest. We'll continue that conversation and hope to see him in black and gold again."
The only thing that could seemingly derail McCutchen ending his career somewhere other than the Pirates is a contender swooping in and giving him one final chance at winning a World Series. But if the two sides are intent on reaching a deal, it should be inevitable that McCutchen spends the 18th year of his career with the team that drafted him.
