Few players in baseball are as closely tied to one franchise as Andrew McCutchen is to the Pittsburgh Pirates. For more than a decade, he’s been the face of the organization and carried the team through some great and horrible moments.
As the offseason continues, McCutchen remains unsigned, leaving uncertainty around whether his playing career and his time with the Pirates have truly reached the end. McCutchen wants to come back, but it takes two to make something happen.
The situation recently drew comments from The Athletic’s Jim Bowden, who urged Pittsburgh to bring McCutchen back and handle the situation with more respect.
“You don’t want to leave it in limbo and the last thing you can’t do, with the face of the franchise, is not communicate with the player and tell him exactly where you stand and why and treat him with class and dignity, because Andrew McCutchen is a human being, for all he’s done for Pittsburgh, deserves that and also deserves a job in their front office or on the field on the staff, if he wanted it, when he’s done playing,” Bowden said on “Foul Territory.”
Bowden went even further, criticizing how the Pirates have been in the situation to this point.
“So I think the entire situation has been mishandled by Pittsburgh. I think they have time to correct it and I hope that they do,” he continued. “I still think that he’s got something left in the tank. I think it’s probably as an extra outfielder or part-time DH kind of role, but there’s still a spot for him and I think if he wants to play one more, I think the Pirates owe it to him to give him one more year, ‘cause he can still play.”
Bowden’s comments are how much of the fanbase feels. While McCutchen is no longer the MVP-caliber player he once was, his value has never been limited strictly to production, as he’s the true definition of a great professional.
From a baseball standpoint, a small role makes sense. Even if he barely plays, there’s so much value in having guys like him around the young dudes.