The Pittsburgh Pirates will have to watch Andrew McCutchen finish his storied career with another team after the organization and the franchise legend were unable to come to a contract agreement for the 2026 season.
The 39-year-old McCutchen has signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The agreement is pending a physical. McCutchen will compete for DH reps in Texas as the right-handed complement to Joc Pederson.
The five-time All-Star has spent the past three seasons in Pittsburgh. McCutchen scuffled to a .239/.333/.367 slash line this past year. He did manage to play in 135 games, his best mark since 2021. McCutchen is embarking on the 18th season of his Hall of Fame career.
Pittsburgh Pirates Fail to Retain Andrew McCutchen Following Intense Offseason
The Pirates have kept the 2013 NL MVP in the fold throughout three consecutive trips through free agency. Pittsburgh brought McCutchen back heading into the 2023 campaign on a one-year, $5 million deal. He has signed identical one-year, $5 million pacts in each of the past two winters. The arrangement has benefited both parties. McCutchen was able to wind down his career in the city where he became a star, and the Pirates kept an all-time great close to home, where he could get fans in the stands.
Negotiations this offseason didn’t go as smoothly. McCutchen was offended when the team didn’t include him in PiratesFest festivities. General manager Ben Cherington left the door open for a reunion, even after the fan fest snafu. “So much respect for Andrew,” Cherington told reporters. “That relationship is really important to us. We’ll continue to communicate with him directly as the team comes together. We have more work to do.” Then, the team went out and signed Marcell Ozuna to fill the DH spot. McCutchen responded by removing every reference to the team from his social media profiles.
Pittsburgh took McCutchen with the 11th pick of the 2005 draft. He debuted with the club in 2009. The outfielder hit the ground running in the big leagues, delivering a 122 wRC+ as a 22-year-old rookie. McCutchen earned an All-Star nomination by his third season. He finished in the top five in NL MVP voting every season from 2012 through 2015. McCutchen won the award in 2013 by slashing .317/.404/.508 with 21 home runs and 27 stolen bases.
Pirates Move on From Andrew McCutchen Era
Although they didn’t bring back McCutchen, the Pirates had an active offseason. The organization boosted an offense that ranked dead last in scoring last year by bringing in Ozuna, Brandon Lowe, and Ryan O’Hearn. The trio should occupy regular spots in the middle of the lineup. Pittsburgh also added Jake Mangum and Jhostynxon Garcia to round out the bench.
The biggest development this spring has been the emergence of top prospect Konnor Griffin. The 19-year-old shortstop has gotten off to a blistering start, belting three home runs in six games. He’s even received some hype from Bryce Harper. Griffin is shaping up to be the next face of the franchise just in time. He isn’t a lock to make the Opening Day roster, but his Spring Training performance could force Pittsburgh’s hand.
Pirates Lose Franchise Icon After Contentious Offseason