MARCH 16: It’s a one-year, $8.5MM pact, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
MARCH 14: Outfielder Andrew McCutchen is in agreement on a deal with the Brewers, reports Daniel Álvarez Montes of El ExtraBase (on Twitter). Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic had reported this afternoon the sides were in discussions.
McCutchen, 35, has 13 MLB seasons under his belt at this point, having broken into the league as a Pirate in 2009. From that season to 2019, he posted a wRC+ of at least 120 in each season except for a slight dip to 105 in 2016. In 2013, he hit 21 home runs, stole 27 bases and put up an incredible line of .317/404/.508, wRC+ of 156. Combined with his excellent center field defense, he was worth an incredible 8.1 fWAR on the year, winning National League MVP and helping the Pirates make the postseason for the first time since 1992.
In 2018, he had one year remaining on the extension he signed with the Pirates back in 2012. The Bucs sent him to the Giants in exchange for Bryan Reynolds, Kyle Crick and international bonus money. The Giants, in turn, sent McCutchen to the Yankees at the August waiver deadline. Reaching free agency for the first time, he signed a three-year, $50MM deal with the Phillies prior to the 2019 season.
His production has naturally declined somewhat over the years, with his elite center field defense gradually becoming subpar left field defense. He hasn’t reached double-digit steals since 2018. However, he’s still plenty useful with the bat, particularly against left-handed pitching. Over the past two seasons, he’s hit 37 home runs and slashed .232/.331/.441, wRC+ of 106. But when he has the platoon advantage, his line jumps up to .290/.402/.603, wRC+ of 164.
For the Brewers, they went 95-67 last year and won the NL Central, despite a fairly tepid offense. The batting line for the entire team was .233/.317/.396, adding up to a wRC+ of just 91, ranking them 23rd out of the 30 teams in the league. Their moves this offseason have largely been about trying to complement their superb pitching with some increased firepower in the lineup. To that end, they traded for Hunter Renfroe and Mike Brosseau before the lockout, and have now added McCutchen into the mix as well.
McCutchen will join Renfroe in an outfield group that also includes Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain and Tyrone Taylor. That’s a bit of a crowded mix, but with the recent implementation of the designated hitter in the National League, they should be able to spread at-bats around to whichever part of this group needs a day off their feet. McCutchen and Cain are both 35 years old, with Cain turning 36 in less than a month, making them particularly good fits for some time in the DH slot, in order to keep them healthy and in the lineup throughout the season.
However manager Craig Counsell decides to construct the lineup, it seems like it will be capable of more firepower than last year’s version, as they attempt to defend their division title and make the postseason for a fifth consecutive season.
I’m predicting 1 year/$8M guarantee: $6.5M base salary, $1.5M buyout on an $8.5M mutual option.
Seems light considering Adam Eaton got 8 MIL last year but we shall see.
Too little, too late
I don’t understand what this even means. What’s too little and WHAT is “too late?”
I’ll take the under.
Spot on the money with the commitment.
95M for 3yrs. And he’s worth every penny of it. Ahahahaha!
Yawn. Who cares
More like 1/$5.5m.
McCutchen should’ve kept that long hair. He was a superior player with those long dreads.
When he cut those dreads, he suddenly couldn’t play defense or hit above .250.
Tellez/Cutch DH platoon?
Gross. Do not want to see him there
Why
Pirate fan
my condolences
sch1989- You must be a cubs fan
I literally said I’m a pirate fan lol
Right? Didn’t they learn with JBJ?
Smart signing.
There are people on Twitter really against this signing. I like it. According to Brent Suter’s Actual Raptor Twitter account, if he was on the Brewers with the same stats last year, he would be second in HR and RBI. If he has that type of production, that’s a win for the Crew, especially if Yelich and Hiura aren’t back yet if at all.
that’s because their team is terrible
Their offense is bad. Their pitching is very good.
yes, that’s what I meant, of course he’d be towards the top of offensive players because their “offense” is so bad
And there’s another two-hopper to short….he’s not much more than just a body in the outfield these days. His 20+ HR last season we’re a surprise but wouldn’t count on it again
Ridiculous signing.
Well, it seems it’s either ridiculously smart or so ridiculous it’s gonna smart.
Nice. 🙂
And there’s another two-hopper to short….he’s not much more than just a body in the outfield these days. His 20+ HR last season we’re a surprise but wouldn’t count on it again
Excellent, great clubhouse guy.
Good clubhouses are overrated. Just ask The 72,73 and 74 A’s
’76, ’77, & ’78 Yankees too.
Hell. Just go ask Reggie Jackson.
Sounds like somebody has been watching the MLB channel late at night lol
Smiling at the “coincidence” of Jackson being on so many teams with questionable chemistry over the first half of his career.
Yeah, but he could play ball.
I will never forget watching him as a kid. Fans used to throw money onto to the field for him & Reggie would pick it up between pitches, bro!
If not for one of the worst owners in mlb history, they would have won a lot more than 3. Team had like 4 future HOFers on it (including the manager).
When you have terrible ownership it’s very little the players can do about it other than move on. The A’s of the early 70’s are a perfect example
Good clubhouse guy does not mean ‘ nice guy keeps quiet gets along fine’. It means plays to win. and fires guys up to do the same.
He going to follow Cameron Maybin, imo, and have a job as an analyst, coach, or commentator the second he hangs up his cleats. He’s just one of those guys that has a relatable personality, good perspective, baseball acumen, & humility.
I can definitely see that.
He played for us for a little over a month, yet I found it impossible to not like him. Very personable.
He’s past his prime but simply a good guy to have around.
He had a 1.027 OPS versus LHP last year.
He’s gonna look sleek in the Brewers fits.
Wonder if Yellich can let Cutch use the guy who would send him signals from the RF stands at Miller Park?
American Family Field
Is this a thing?
Who knows, but Darvish called him out because he was making some suspicious eye movements during his at bats and Yelich clapped back. Yelich has sucked ever since.
The guy was in the batters box and literally glances to right field…ya know, where they’ve got an extra OFer.
So the story is…Yelich GLANCED at one part of the field during an at bat…briefly. It’s so ridiculous, it’s funny.
Yelich had an unlucky 2020, hit the ball hard, good launch angle…and then he was just awful in 2021. No explanation other than he had back issues and rolled over everything. Just an incredibly low FB rate.
But the story is just silly. And even if you want to argue he cheated…you need to actually look at the video. Just say he went from great to bad. That in and of itself is enough. But google the video. You’ll see how nonsensical it is.
If you actually look at Yellich last year he was definitely smaller in the upper body which I think was contributed by having the back problem. I would bet my wife he wasn’t able to work out regularly.
Your wife..? Does she know this? Might want to run it by her before you really get in trouble!
She is one that noticed it lol
It was never a thing. Some whiny Cub reporter was butt hurt that the Brewers own the Cubs lately.
I kind of figured they would sign him when I saw they were interested in him. Hope it pays off, but I’m not very optimistic about this move.
One of my favorite personalities in baseball. Sad to see him leave Philly.
He’s been a plus everywhere he’s gone. Even the short time in SF he was a postive.
You’re right. Few players are more likeable.
JBJ + Avi << Renfroe + Cutch
Most definitely. JBJ was the worst hitter in franchise history
not even close to the worst
I nominate Billy Jo Robidoux as the worst hitter in Brewers history…
Can’t see this addition making up for loss of Avisail Garcia’s very productive 2021, but most likely neither would Garcia. He of the “one year good, one year bad” pattern!
They did flip jbj back to Boston for Renfroe though. Is Renfroe/Cutch better, worse, or a push to JBJ/Garcia?
Brewers must be hopeful that Renfroe and Cutch will be as good if not better. Of course, if Yelich could return to prior form Brewers wouldn’t have to worry so much, right?!
I got it as a huge upgrade. Catastrophic injury aside, the floor on Renfroe + Cutch combined equals close to the ceiling of Avi alone, and JBJ almost literally provided nothing. If one of those two has even a good not great season, it becomes a laughable comparison.
Garcia isn’t half he player McCutchen is—even now that Cutch has slowed.
Hopefully the MLB Tonight after Top 1B is live.for all breaking News happening tonight.
Every Pirates fan just threw up in their mouth.
Not this one.
Cutch was great, but the Bucs got back Reynolds for him in the NH trade that people like to forget.
Also have a good deal of respect for what the Brewers have done over the last few years.
As a Giants fan, I know I’d like to forget that trade. It should be probably be banned entirely as a topic of conversation forever. 🙂
Absolutely, but that isn’t McCutchen’s fault. He was quite good for the Giants. In fact, he;s been good everywhere he’s played. Brewers got a solid player, even at his age.
I wanted him gone in 2017 and 2018. Didn’t want him back in 2019 and don’t want him back now. Nothing against Cutch who is a cool dude. Just didn’t make sense to have him on team after 2016.
I wanted him back to sell tickets play RF we might only win 70 games though
One of my all time favorite ballplayers, as much for his character as his great career.
I’ll happily root him on as a Brewer.
I don’t get why people are so upset about this signing it’s literally Andrew McCutchen. How do you not like Andrew McCutchen?
old AF
35 yrs old and can’t hit right handed pitching
He can work a walk and still has some pop.
good clubhouse guy
It’s not like he’s getting a gigantic contract and who would he even be blocking on that roster? Platoon pop and a mentor. DH is there for a reason.
Are there some talking points you people that don’t like Cutch have somewhere? I’ve seen a few people say he can’t hit right handed pitching anymore. Based on what….. last year alone? I don’t think one down year means you can’t do it. He had a brutal start last year hitting .169 with an OPS of .548 when they had him hitting lead off. After they started hitting him 4 through 6, his numbers got much better. My guess is he hits 30 home runs this year.
Deshaun Watson to Seattle
Wrong sport page
Wrong page, Sport…
Tyrone might as well just stay home now.
Why? Neither Cain or Cutch are playing everyday, plus there will be DH at bats available for him and those 2 guys, plus Yelich probably. Plenty of PT to go around.
Great leader and clubhouse guy. Sadly, he looks like he’s only a platoon hitter against LHP at this point in his career (.293/.405/1.027 last year!). At the same time, he had a .186/.298/.650 split against RHP in 2021 which is absolutely brutal. I’ll always root for him and hope he can turn it around, but don’t think that time is on his side.
Thought the White Sox might take a flyer on him. Over the years Canseco, Griffey, Vizquel, Melky.
Don’t forget Manny
As a lifetime Philly fan and a reality based non Segura fan….wonder how his contract would have panned out if Segura had a baseball IQ and not just talent….
Good signing for Milwaukee…..and best for McCutchen….
Nobody made Cutch try to juke out the fielder in a rundown. That little dance step caused him to blow out his knee, not Mean Jean’s brain fart…
I think in my entire life I’ve seen 3 guys intentionally drop a ball on the infield because they could turn 2. And I watch multiple games every day on MLB Extra Innings . MLB TV, So yes, this one was on Segura.
This has to be the DH signing for the Crew, so I’m a little surprised they chose him for this role. I don’t think he’ll have to play much outfield, which is good. Maybe he turns into the next Cruz and just learns to mash through the end of his career. Sure was a fun guy to watch in his heydays!
He isn’t Cutch anymore. He can’t give them anything they don’t have. This is mystifying.
If it is really anywhere near $8M, then they should have offered $15M to Cruz! Someone who could actually have improved everyone hitting in front of him.
I think Cruz chose what he wanted, not necessarily just by $.
He wants to play for a last place team and get traded at the deadline to a destination he has no control over?
Only teams buying talent at the deadline are contenders
I like it. The Brewers needed another OF capable of playing regularly if Yelich and Cain continue to battle injuries
@ Rsox;
Unless something radially changed over the offseason, Mr. McCutchen’s days of playing OF should be over – other then to stand out there in the late innings of a one-sided game. Additionally, he was often overmatched at the plate in 2021. It was sad to watch, and a bit surprising as he was only 34 year-old.
Maybe he’s worked out over the offseason or something. He’s going to a class organization that knows how to win. He really should have a few years left as a part-time player.
The Brewers are one of the core teams I follow. Wish him well.
Cain to the Mets now ?
No
I am still interested in a Voit for a salary dump Lorenzo Cain trade. Helps both teams. & there has been a lot of smoke around Luke to the Brewers. The Cain deal is just one of several iterations I have seen.
If the Pirates had something to play for this year. Cutch might’ve signed with them instead he’s going to a team playing for division titles and potential pennants
The Pirates have no room on the 40 man for a vet like Cutch. Try and enjoy the rebuild – the team will be MUCH better this year if they get any pitching at all.
Refreshing my phone every 10 seconds lol
Pittsburgh didn’t want him and I definitely didn’t. Cutch does very little to improve the Pirates this year and even less beyond. I’d rather see the kids get a chance. Come July when the young outfielders are ready he’s not going to handle sitting on the bench well. His ego is too big to be a platoon/bench player.
Is Swaggerty playing every day or what kids would he block if he played RF for the year.
McCutchen is a bad idea for the Pirates in my opinion if he takes one at bat from any of these players. Cruz, Frazier, Bae, Swaggerty, Suwinski, Smith-Njiba or Mitchell. I’d even include Alford too. I don’t know who of this group will be ready in June/July but I suspect several will get the chance. Say the Pirates finally decided that Cruz is an outfielder do you want 35 year old bad knee Cutch blocking him? I don’t.
“I’d rather see the kids get a chance…. come July when the young *guys* are ready…..” – every Pirates fan since 1992
Apart from the three years when they were the 2nd best team in baseball under Hurdle/NH?
Even then it was “Wait til Josh Bell is here for first base, wait til Alen Hansen is up for SS, wait til Reese McGuire is up, wait til Glasnow and Taillon and Keller are up, trade Cutch because he’s blocking Austin Meadows…..”
Been going to Grapefruit League ST for 18 years – my buddy is a huge Buccos fan. Cutch is by far the most approachable/friendliest player I’ve met. I root for him all the time..
I root every year for a rebirth of McCutchen to push a fringe HoF case upward. It’s not likely to happen but I always root for his team if the Dodgers are out and his is not (doesn’t happen often, I know).
When he got off to such a hot start with the Phillies I was looking at his numbers and thinking that. He was on pace for 100 walks, 100 runs, 30 home runs. Then the stupid Jean Segura play and the torn ACL. Then COVID. I think the HOF case is out of reach, but he’ll get votes for a while to stay on the ballot just because he’s loved by baseball people everywhere he goes.
With a good year he’ll hit his 300th home run, get his 200th stolen base, and his 1000th RBI as a Brewer. That would be cool.
And 1000th walk. Lots of round numbers.
Cutch is a great guy and can still provide power, but he’s a DH at this point. his range and arm are quite poor now.
Nice addition for the Brew Crew.
Cutch is still a useful platoon player but take it from any Phillies fan, he’s been awful in the OF since his injury. Very tentative out there last year, won’t lay out for a ball even with runners on base.
I wish they would spend some money. Now they’ll tie up a bunch of cash on a guy that can only hit lefties. The Cardinals have no southpaws. Who in the NL central does?
The cards signed Matz before the lockout
Don’t like this signing at all. The only thing this does is take at bats away from other deserving guys like Taylor, tired of them keeping guys down in this organization that have done nothing but deserve a chance and I mean a legit chance. Yes I’m going to say it quite frankly Taylor deserves to start in cf and Cain become the 4th outfielder. I’m telling you give Taylor the starting job he has earned and he is giving you 25 hrs and 85 rbis
I believe that Garrett Mitchell be be up and playing lots of CF by the middle of the 2022 season, if not sooner.
Brewers / Stearns make a lot of in-season moves and adjustments. I can see Cain being moved for something they need at some point.
To get To Milwaukee Mitchell will have to learn how to hit AA pitching. He was a little baffled last season.
He was ill.
He can play CF field in the majors today – better than half the players now starting (due to the CF shortage)..
This guy’s still in the league? Not really a difference maker but probably a nice guy to have in the locker room.
Cutch career at Miller Park – 77 games, 23 homers, .931 OPS
Cutch as a Philly in 2021 – 144 games, 27 homers, .788 OPS
I wouldn’t be surprised to see 30-35 home runs with regular at bats. His numbers at Wrigley and Cincy are pretty great also. .940 OPS Wrigley, .922 OPS Cincy.
It’s incredible how much certain writers like to repeatedly use the word “incredible” to describe accomplishments that, while perhaps noteworthy, are not at all incredible. 🙂
Indeed.
Deal is official now, the Brewers social media team posted it on Facebook.
Yucko
Great signing
If it was 2011
What an old outfield
Local TV sports guy (or the news anchor, I wasn’t paying close attention til I heard the words..) actually said ‘and this is the last year of Cain’s contract so McCutchen could be the Brewers CF for a few years after this year..’
Nevermind that Cutch only signed for 1 year. He really believes an even less capable defender (when healthy) is going to replace Cain?
Was hoping he signed with the Pirates, veteran leadership, 4th OF/DH would have been a great homecoming.