Pirates Hopeful Andrew McCutchen Will Return
No player has meant more to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 21st century than Andrew McCutchen.
Whether or not the outfielder turned designated will return to Pittsburgh for another season remains to be seen, though.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington spoke about the importance of McCutchen to the franchise. He also noted that talks between the two camps for a potential deal are ongoing as McCutchen, who is a free agent, prepares for his 17th season.
"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."
McCutchen 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.
The veteran outfielder is among the all-time greats offensively in Pirates franchise history. McCutchen ranks 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.
For his career, he has hit 319 home runs, driven in 1,095 runs and slashed .273/.367/.462. McCutchen has also played for the San Francisco Giants (2018), New York Yankees (2018), Philadelphia Phillies (2019-2021) and Milwaukee Brewers (2022). McCutchen has had two stints with Pittsburgh, as he was with the franchise from 2009 to 2017 before returning in 2023.
McCutchen, 38, proved he can still produce at the plate and was one of the Pirates' more reliable hitters in 2024. He batted .232/.328/.411 with 20 home runs and 50 RBIs across 120 games.
McCutchen hasn't been shy about wanting to return to Pittsburgh, either. Given his importance to the franchise, it'd be tough to picture him ending his career elsewhere.
