Pirates Legend Andrew McCutchen Opens Up on Trade From Pittsburgh

It would be tough to find a player who has meant more to the Pittsburgh Pirates over the last few decades than star Andrew McCutchen.

McCutchen, the Pirates' No. 11 pick overall in the 2005 MLB Draft, instantly became a fan favorite from the time he was called up. With Pittsburgh, McCutchen provided the Pirates with countless moments of greatness, helping the team win a lot of games.

The star was with the Pirates from 2009-2017, helping the team make the National League wild-card from 2013-2015. With Pittsburgh, McCutchen made five All-Star teams, won one Gold Glove Award, four Silver Slugger Awards, and won the NL MVP in 2013.

McCutchen is a Pirates legend through and through, and the fans in Pittsburgh were happy to witness him play baseball. So, when the team traded him before the 2018 season, the move was met with all sorts of criticism.

Pittsburgh made the tough decision to trade McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants. Pittsburgh sent McCutchen to the Giants in exchange for Kyle Crick, Bryan Reynolds, and $500,000 in international bonus-slot money.

The former Pirates star recently opened up on the trade during an appearance on the on The 6-1-1 podcast. While the trade to the Giants was tough on the fans, it seems to have taken a toll on McCutchen as well.

McCutchen said that the trade was a shock and that he was attached to being in Pittsburgh before the deal. The former Pirates star said that he never wanted to leave and that the emotional toll of the trade was something that people didn't realize at the time.

Sports are a business at the end of the day, and this is when McCutchen first realized this, especially after all he did for the franchise. But McCutchen said he wouldn't trade the relationships that he built and the experiences that he had with the Pirates, and it's all part of his story.

McCutchen played in 130 games for San Francisco before they traded him to the New York Yankees. Since leaving the Pirates, the veteran has bounced around the league, playing for the Philadelphia Phillies for a few years, the Milwaukee Brewers, and eventually returning to Pittsburgh between 2023-25.

The veteran also played for the Texas Rangers this past season, but he was designated for assignment in late May. His baseball career is likely over, but he hasn't officially retired.

It remains to be seen if he will return to MLB next season, but the Pirates likely won't bring him back again.