Andrew McCutchen Gets Another Shot in Pittsburgh, And That Makes Me Happy (UPDATE) – Bleacher Nation

The days of “Andrew McCutchen The Superstar” are long since gone. He hasn’t been worth more than 3.0 WAR in a season since 2017, and he just wrapped up his age-37 campaign in Pittsburgh last season. And yet, he’s kinda still cooking. In 2023, McCutchen walked 15.9% of the time, struck out at just 21.1% clip, and posted a 114 wRC+ with 12 homers, 11 stolen bases, and a .378 OBP. Last season, McCutchen’s overall production slipped to 105 wRC+, but he hit 20 homers in 120 games. And he’s not done yet.

Andrew McCutchen and the Pirates Give it Another Go

Just now, in a statement released on X, the Pirates announced that they had re-signed Andrew McCutchen. The terms aren’t out there yet, but the official MLB account did call it a one-year deal for what it’s worth (and that’s what you should expect anyway). I’ll update this post when we know more (UPDATE: One year, $5 million)

And you know what? I’m happy about it. The Pirates may be in the Cubs division and they may be an up-and-coming team led by some very formidable starting pitching … But Andrew McCutchen belongs on the Pirates. That just makes me happy. I’m a Cubs fan first, but a baseball fan second. And baseball is better when McCutchen is in Pittsburgh. He means a lot to that team and city and I like when players stick around. Except Kyle Tucker, he was right to get out of Houston and he should definitely spend the rest of his career with the Cubs. That’s your new home now, bub.

I’m not sure exactly what to expect out of Andrew McCutchen next season, but Steamer is projecting a 102 wRC+ with 17 HRs, so they still forecast a useful player. The market is humming before Christmas, eh?