Andrew McCutchen’s return to Pittsburgh has thus far been a dream. While the Bucs’ hot start has normalized to a more modest 26-25 record, it still represents a clear step up from the rebuilding and losing baseball of the previous seven seasons, and McCutchen has been a big part of that resurgence. In addition to his expected clubhouse mentorship of the young Pirates team, McCutchen is also having a return to form on the field, hitting .269/.364/.462 with eight homers through his first 184 plate appearances.
After signing a one-year, $5MM deal last winter, McCutchen will be a free agent again this offseason, but he made it clear to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he isn’t viewing 2023 as a farewell tour.
“Tom Brady said he would stop playing when he [stunk]. I don’t want to put it in the same context, but when my body tells me I’ve had enough, then I’ve had enough,” said McCutchen, who turns 37 in October. “My body is still saying, ‘Nah, you’re good. You’re fine.’ ”
Obviously quite a bit can still happen with over four months remaining in the season, but on the surface, McCutchen’s comeback year doesn’t look like a fluke. McCutchen’s BABIP is only .301, his wOBA/xwOBA are almost identical, and most of his other Statcast numbers are above average, including a 43.8% hard-hit ball rate that ranks as his highest since 2015. The right-handed hitter is also posting roughly similar numbers against both lefties and righties, after a dropoff against right-handed pitching contributed heavily to McCutchen’s borderline average numbers from 2020-22.
After playing with the Giants, Yankees, Phillies, and Brewers from 2018-22, McCutchen has regained some stability in returning to Pittsburgh, and as a result he naturally wants to remain with the Pirates in the future.
“As long as things continue to be the way that they are, I’m going to continue to keep going,” McCutchen said. “I want to do it here. I don’t want to do it anywhere else. I don’t want to continue my career on another team…..That ballpark gives me a different boost or jolt of energy that I didn’t really have. I don’t know if it’s familiarity or the comfortability of being in Pittsburgh once again. The surroundings, the vibe when you’re on the field, I didn’t have that anywhere else. It’s good to be able to feel all those things again.”
McCutchen and the Pirates have yet to discuss an extension, though as Mackey notes, a new contract “shouldn’t be much more than a formality” considering how openly McCutchen wants to stay put. From the Pirates’ viewpoint, it’s easy to imagine that the Bucs would want to retain a franchise icon who has continued to be such a productive player.
Love the PC “normalized. The Pirates played the easiest schedule in baseball, had extreme luck, and ended April at 20-9. Since then they are 6-16, the 2nd worst record in baseball over that time period. .If it wasn’t for a historically bad Oakland A’s team we would all be talking about the great collapse by the Pirates.
With that schedule they should only have 7 or 8 wins so 6 isn’t a big deal. June looks much better.
The killjoy post. You’d think that a team that has been so downtrodden for so long wouldn’t elicit such trolling
Look, stay out in left field. If they go .500, most of us will think it’s a drastic improvement and something we can live with. Pity you think we all have some delusions of grandeur and came here to pee on our shoes
If they go over .400 you should be celebrating. May was .286 and .400 would be a marked improvement over 2022.
At least you get to watch home games in that incredible ballpark, one of my favorites in baseball, and there are always good seats available.
Guess you haven’t been following Pirates threads here or have relegated yourself to just reading the thoughts of a few starry-eyed fans I mean, the stupidity of your posts here is astounding
They’re playing now at about the level most fans thought they’d be playing at. I predicted 72-75 wins before the season, and most regulars here were in that thinking, too
Pitching is what surprised many of us but I don’t know of anyone here who thought this was going to be a return to the Lumber Company days of yore
So what’s your point? If your goal was to rankle true believer-type fans who saw a pennant run after a 20-8 start, you’re fighting in the wrong field
It was a nice surprise, but no one saw them as a pennant contender, no matter how bad the NL Central is
There are 14 teams with worse records than the Pirates. Considering where the were the last several years, this season is still a vast improvement.
The point is in May after that hot start the writer mentioned.
My point is just as you couldn’t call them a big contender when they had the 2nd best record in the Majors, yo cant really call them one of the worst after and ugly month. They are a middling team and their, record is now showing it.
what an odd thing to be bothered by.
What were you bothered about?
Out(killjoy)-We are bothered about negativity and trolls like you.
The euphoria of April becomes the doldrums of May.
Any real Pirate fan knew that they would come.The May schedule has been very difficult,and 2 more wins should have been expected,but it does not surprise veteran and knowledgeable Pirate followers.
Unfortunately,the Pirates have been so bad over the last 3 1/2 years that we are used to naysayers like you and pounce on them every chance that we get.
Not trolling. Simply pointing out that a .286 is not normalizing. Its the worst record in the NL over that period and 2nd worst in baseball.
Good teams are expected to go at least close to .500 against the schedule the Pirates had. That they went .286 instead is indicative of their true talent level. I am being honest when I say that with that team if they finish over .400 on the season you Pirates fans should be celebrating.
I feel for Pirates fans who have to deal with an owner that is not even interested in winning, just collecting his revenue sharing checks.
The Bucs were never considered a good team, they have a mixture of veterans and young players, the former are mentoring the latter
While people like you harp about the same thing and repeatedly, they were never predicted to be a .500 team
And losing Cruz put a major burden on the offense
But again, you’re preaching to the choir. You came aboard here attempting to thumb your nose at a long suffering fan base that is not only accustomed to all of this but also well aware of what the personnel make up of the team is
Now you’re going to placate the same fans here with this tripe?
We get it. We know.
And most of us will say it again…if they are anywhere near .500 and at the very least “competitive “ that’s a marked improvement that we can live with
Maybe MLBTR will post another article about the A’s moving to Vegas so you can laugh at their fans and then tell them you “feel for them”
Why not just light some dog poop on fire, leave it on my doorstep, ring the doorbell and run away? Just about as much of a revelation as your posts
Out- You may not be a true troll,but you are a naysayer.
Why even post such an initial post if you are not?
Do you think that the Pirates are a 46 win team,which is what 286 is?
Who here said that the Pirates are a good team.?With the schedule that they had,a 500 record during that period would have been very good,and would have shown that they have one of the best teams in baseball to this point.
The Pirates have been put down by trolls for three years. I am proud of Pirate fans who point out a negative post such as yours.
It was like rattling a hornet’s nest.
You got the responses that you deserved,and your name by the way is quite apropos.
go crawl back under your rock
Ghost-Out likes t argue about everything. He’s always right you know.
Ridiculous comment. If the Rays hadn’t started out 13 and 0, they’d be in second. If…if…if.
What does the Rays 13-0 start have to do with the Pirates .286 win % in May?
The Rays had a .600 win percentage in May, Other than playing Pittsburgh to start the month, they had as difficult or more difficult of a schedule.
The Rays have a better team and play their home games in a domed stadium where fly balls go out easier which benefits their offense
They also have a competent hitting coach, a position that the Bucs sadly lack
Outinleftfield: What cornwhisperer is simply saying is that you can pick the statistics that fit your narrative. They were just using a different teams #’s to prove their point.
Well, it wasn’t me, but your point is well taken
Nothing new. Pretty much said same thing when he signed. I doubt he wants to be traded at deadline and won’t be unless he wants it. But he will come back. Pirate the rest of the way as long as they want him. Hopefully pirates are in contention anyways.
Pirates, oh please, sign Porcello, Hosmer, Hicks, and make a call for Kluber.
Make this ultimate rebirth team. Also, hire Johnny Depp and Tony Stark to speak to team about second chances.
Cutch is door opener. Culture time is now. Own it, be new hope brand!
Tony Stark would be great as a catcher. After all, he’s already dressed for it.
Cutch has been one of my favorite players of his generation.
Not many players as universally liked as he is. Hopefully he has a few more years left.
i concur even as a cards fan always respected cutch then again i have a lot of respect for the grinders of the game. not to mention cutch is also a class act i remember during his first stint with the bucs some kids out in the of were asking cutch for something and he threw his batting gloves up to the kids (saw the replay on fsmw err bally now), tbh if more stars took just a little time to do things like that would help keep the sport alive
I hope McCutchen makes the All-Star game this year. He’s definitley played good enough to earn a roster spot.
If none of the Pirates get voted in to the all-star game, you know who will get picked: Reynolds, the biggest name on the team, even if McCutcheon deserves it.
Keller has a good chance of being selected to the AS game this year as does Reynolds
Cutch is the kind of guy you want leading a team of young guys. I hope they keep him around as long as he is productive.
Cutch, Curtis Granderson, and David Ross were really on another level for mentor type players
Good for Cutch to be having a good year. Familiarity often brings relaxation, which mitigates itself into being able to put up better than average numbers. Pirates are playing well, as well. Hope they give him another year.Almost like a player-coach I would imagine.
Sas-Cutch actually is the de facto hitting coach as the Pirates do not actually have a professional one at the moment.
Well they pay someone to fill the slot as a hitting coach but as Mendoza said, it’s the veteran leadership who’s really the team’s hitting coach
My baseball prayer. Dear Lord, please let my son play the game of baseball, or any other sport, like Andrew McCutchen plays. thank you and Amen.
Love seeing a genuine connection between a player and a city. This is one.
Also love Pittsburgh playing good ball.
They used up a ton of luck early, haven’t had any recently, so maybe that’s all balanced out and they can get to winning a bit.
In today’s world of egotism, personal glory over common good, and lack of loyalty Cutch is a very refreshing breath of air and truly a gem. This isn’t a newfound sense of commitment or loyalty as he ages and gets closer to the end of his playing days either. He was saying these same types of things and acting accordingly when he signed his first extension in Pittsburgh which was at the time and later proven to be a very team friendly deal. It’s just who he is, tons of love and respect.
Exactly. And he gives substantial time and mo ey to charity.
I’m a big fan.
It’ll definitely be more than the token $5M he accepted this past winter. I think it would have to be a minimum of $10M to be reasonable and possibly as much as $13M.
Ultimately 2 years/$18M for how he’s producing for them would be extremely fair and still somewhat of a veteran hometown discount on his services.
TrillionaireTeamOperator: He already said he wants to play for the Pirates. That kind of puts the team in the driver’s seat.
Well, wanting to play for them again and accepting an offer are two different things.
I heard somewhere, I forget where though, that Cutch contacted Nutting personally to sign with the Bucs for this season. Cutch also has never been about chasing the money either and I’m sure he’s well aware of the team’s player payroll status over the last couple decades. If he wants to be in Pittsburgh he’ll sign for less than market price.
you obviously don’t know enough about Cutch or the owner’s business history with him
No doubt you’re one of those people that think they know everything when they don’t know squat
Cutch called Nutting over the winter and said he’s interested in playing again for the Pirates and would accept a lower salary to achieve his goal
Nutting quickly agreed
So it wasn’t the franchise seeking out Cutch to play, it was Cutch’s decision all the way
Regarding his value to the team, often times when the Bucs are at bat, Cutch can be seen in the dugout going over stances and hitting approaches to the younger players
He’s a very valuable mentor to this team and is a fan favorite as well
Why? He’s already made over $128 million and he wants to play baseball and for the Pirates. The amount of money in the next contract ($5m or $10m a year) would probably not make a meaningful difference for him or his family. Not everyone is purely motivated by money.
TTO-He will get $8M next year if he keeps this up as it is what they paid AJBurnett in 2015 after he had left for the Phillies in 2014.
Burnett was surprised that is was that much as he wanted to end his career in Pittsburgh.
Cutch will be worth every penny.
Funny you mention AJ Burnett in the same sentence as Cutch
I have each autographed home jerseys framed and hanging on the wall in my Pittsburgh sports memorabilia room
Two very good choices.Burnett was the first significant addition to the team and Martin came next. Cutch is one of the all time great Pirates.
I think he totally has one more year. Maybe two.
He left Pittsburgh for SF. And the Dimensions got to him. Had some rough years. But still hitting homers. RBI s . Has some value. Especially in Pittsburgh at a low price. Maybe two year 20 deal at most. As a clubhouse leader.
Usually they do good in year one and year two stink. I’d try to go year to year if I’m the Pirates.
he didnt leave pittsburgh he was traded get the facts right
Well he had to pack his stuff. So he did have to leave Pittsburgh. And come to SF.
making it sound like he left voluntarily only proves that the poorly educated don’t understand how to compose a coherent message
he didn’t “ leave “ Pittsburgh for SF, he was traded to SF, and for Brian Reynolds
At least know what you’re talking about before offering your opinion
Believe me. I know way more about baseball than you. That’s for sure.
Stew on that. Comments about self genius and whatever. Trolls you are right ? Nothing better to do. Man that sucks to be that. Goodbye.
Extend him 5 years $110 million as a final contract
keep doing the pipe
Pass that pipe over here.
He (or his agent’s) using the media to send his message to the team, the very common technique used by the parents who don’t get along so much by making their kids get in the middle.
You couldn’t be more wrong. It’s well documented that Cutch called owner Bob Nutting personally this last off-season, and asked if he could go back to Pittsburgh to finish his career.
What are the Pirates since their hot start, like 6-18? Watch them finish with 70 wins.
Another guy Chris Young missed out on… and somehow, Texas has been lucky enough to still manage the 2nd best record in baseball (for now)
With Santana and Choi slated for free agency there is no reason the Pirates can’t keep McCutchen beyond this season. DH AB’s to be had and invaluable leadership on a young team is Worth keeping around
No reason they can’t keep Santana Choi as well. They were willing to pay Santana almost 7 million this year. How much more is someone else going to pay him next year? Still excellent at 1b and bat isn’t good enough to dh anyways.
Ownership and Cutch will figure it out. Mutual interest and benefits for both to have Cutch staying a Pirate.
Easy, fella. It’s only May. We’ll see how you’re doing in September
Go Cutch!
If he keeps taking a discount, the pirates will pay him. No need for an article.
he didn’t “ take “ a discount, that’s the amount he said he’d play for
and you’re supposed to be a Bucs fan?
Cutch may well give them the hometown discount next year as well, or the team may reward him if his year continues as it has. Either way, plan on seeing him in black & yellow next year.
McCutchen is currently at 1,990 hits and 295 home runs. He should reach 2,000 and 300 soon, which will boost his HOF chances.
He’s also only 2 doubles away from 400 for his career and recently drew his 1000th career walk
This is music to this Pirates fans ears for a couple reasons. First, Cutch unlike every other Pirates hitter this year has been a consistently good hitter. Next, he’s a great presence in the dugout. Yesterday he had the day off vs tough RHSP Castillo, but he was seen working with Bae on the mechanics of his swing.
I think Cutch knew what he was getting into. I think that very simply, this is his home and he wanted to finish his career here. I doubt the money had a lot to do with anything and would not be surprised if the agreement took into account that he didn’t want to be a trade piece come deadline time
I don’t know how many players would fall into such a category—usually it’s all about money and in his type of case, having a good season to simply hook on with a contending team as races heat up. But unless I’ve seriously misjudged his character over all these years and his desire to return to Pittsburgh, he’s playing where he wants to be until he calls it a career
As a fan, he’s made the season much more entertaining, whether they win or lose
Cutch has a house in Pittsburgh, even before this season. His kids were born there. His wife is from about 100 miles away. He knows he’s in the twilight of his career. It shouldn’t be much of s surprise that he wants to stay there.
We don’t need to keep Choi & trade Santana & Hill at the deadline for pitching prospects; then bring some of the young guys. Also, 70 wins is a big improvement from the last 2 years. Get rid of Shelton or we’ll never have a winning season..
Happy to see that the MAN 3, is still a irrelevant grumpy old fool. Too much time on his hands.
Cutch was only a yankee for a hot minute but man did I love the guy. He just seems like a genuinely good person and he always played the game the right way. Someone commented earlier that Curtis granderson was a good comp and I can’t agree more
Wish this guy all the best, I’d love to see him stick with Pittsburgh another year or two and reach the playoffs