It’s the middle of December and the Pittsburgh Pirates have yet to re-sign franchise icon Andrew McCutchen, who agreed to one-year $5-million contracts in free agency in each of the last three offseasons.
McCutchen, who has spent 12 of his 17 seasons with the Pirates, indicated at the end of the past season that he wants to play again next year at age 39. However, he and the Pirates haven’t had any substantive talks, and Pirates general manager Ben Cherington gave the indication at MLB’s Winter Meetings earlier this week that their pursuit of McCutchen is at least on hold.
“I think the big thing right now is we've got some work to do and more to learn about what our team looks like,” Cherington said. “And I think as we work through that, continue to be respectful to him and share what we have, the information we have, and he will with us, I'm sure, and we'll see where that takes us.”
McCutchen made it clear late in the season that he wants to win. McCutchen has yet to appear in the World Series or even a League Championship Series.
McCutchen would prefer to stay in Pittsburgh, where he lives year-round with his wife and four children. However, the Pirates finished last in the National League Central in 2025 with a 71-91 record. They were also last in MLB in runs scored, home runs, and OPS, and have yet to make any major moves this winter to improve the offense after losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in the bidding for slugger Kyle Schwarber.
The situation between McCutchen and the Pirates is somewhat delicate. He helped turn the franchise from a laughingstock with 20 consecutive losing seasons into a team that played in three straight NL Wild Card Games from 2013-15.
The Pirates traded McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants prior to the 2018 season, sparking uproar among fans. McCutchen returned to the Pirates in 2023 to great fanfare and has been a solid offensive performer, though not to the level he was when he played in five consecutive All-Star Games from 2011-15 and was the NL MVP in 2013.
McCutchen played the outfield only once after April 16 last season and made 120 of his 127 starts at the designated hitter. However, McCutchen believes he is still capable of playing in the field.
Whether McCutchen returns to the Pirates next season remains to be seen, but it is a bit of tricky situation for Cherington. McCutchen wants to see the Pirates improve before he commits. Yet there might not be room for McCutchen in the lineup if the Pirates upgrade their offense.
“The relationship between the Pirates and Andrew is important, and we want to do what we can to preserve that,” Cherington said. “And he has expressed that he's interested in continuing to play. So, we really respect that too.”