After spending 12 of his 18 Major League seasons with the Pirates, Andrew McCutchen he said back in August that he wanted to return for another season in the black-and-gold, while admitting his mistakes in the 2025 season. “I have to do what I need to do to… show that I was able to have a good year and still be able to play next year.,” McCutchen said, noting that he didn’t want to just be “to fill the space” and don’t give up.
There has been no buzz about the market for McCutchen as he enters his age-39 season, with the Pirates thought to be the only place he could go. When asked about McCutchen during the PiratesFest fan event this weekend, Bucs manager Ben Cherington told fans and reporters (including Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) that the club still needs to get a lot of their roster together before considering McCutchen’s role.
“Andrew set the tone for the group. He had an amazing run on two different occasions. Surely his legacy as a Pirate is secure,” Cherington said.To everyone at Pirates, it is our desire to maintain a very good relationship with Andrew in the future. Then we return to our group. What is the job? The job is to build a team that gives us the best chance to win games when you’re in the ballpark in June and July….Our approach this offseason is focused on what gives us the best chance to win more baseball games in Pittsburgh than we’ve had in previous seasons. That will continue to guide our decisions.
“So much respect for Andrew. That relationship is really important to us. We will continue to communicate directly with him as the group comes together. We have more work to do.”
McCutchen hit .239/.333/.367 with 13 homers over 551 plate appearances in 2025, which translates to a 95 wRC+. While it was only the second time in McCutchen’s career that he dipped below the 100 wRC+ mark for a league-average offense, most of his Statcast metrics were also pretty average, with the exception of a very strong 12.2% walk rate.
Those aren’t the numbers you want from a designated hitter in particular, and McCutchen is still a DH at this point in his career, with only 20 games played in the field during his 2023-25 return to Pittsburgh. So far, the Pirates seem to have already spoken to DH about signing him Ryan O’Hearnwhich may be exchanged Spencer Horwitz between the first base and DH positions in the lineup.
O’Hearn can also play the corner outfield, and since O’Hearn and Horwitz are both left-handed hitters, there will be room in the lineup for Cutch as a temporary righty bat who may be limited to facing southpaw pitches. As Cherington said though, Pirates are still looking for ways to improve the team. If that means choosing between McCutchen or a young and versatile player, the second pick might make more sense for the Pirates.
Improving the offense has been the club’s biggest goal this winter. Among O’Hearn, Brandon Lowe, Joshynxon Garciaagain Jake MangumThe Bucs are hoping they’ve already raised the ceiling and increased their offense, and it would help a lot if Bryan Reynolds or Oneil Cruz returned from disappointing 2025 campaigns. As impressive as McCutchen’s 2025 numbers were, his wRC+ of 95 still ranked fourth among all Pirates hitters last year, which speaks to the lackluster nature of Pittsburgh’s team.
If McCutchen were another player, it probably wouldn’t be a question of the Pirates moving on from an aging DH bat. However, severing ties with the franchise doesn’t sound like something Cherington (or possibly owner Bob Nutting) wants to do until it’s absolutely necessary, or if Cutch decides to retire of his own accord. Part of the reason McCutchen returned to the Pirates before the 2023 season was his desire to be a part of Pittsburgh’s next winning season, however with seven consecutive losing seasons, the Bucs have yet to fully exit their rebuild.
Breaking at least one winning record (and maybe a playoff berth) with McCutchen on the roster would be great for all teams. McCutchen’s previous three one-year contracts with the Pirates were signed earlier in the season than Jan. 24, although there is still plenty of time before Spring Training to hammer out an agreement between the two teams.
