BRADENTON, Fla. — One of the biggest storylines entering spring training was that the Pittsburgh Pirates appeared to be moving on from franchise icon Andrew McCutchen.
The 39-year-old designated hitter isn’t done playing baseball.
The five-time All-Star and 2013 National League MVP is signing a minor league deal with an invite to big league camp with the Texas Rangers, per a report Thursday morning by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
McCutchen has 2,266 career hits, with a .271/.365/.457 slash line, 451 doubles, 50 triples, 332 home runs and 1,152 RBIs over a 17-year major league career. McCutchen spent a dozen seasons with the Pirates, and ranks among their all-time leaders in most offensive categories. He surpassed Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente for third place on the home run list with his 241st homer against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 11 at PNC Park.
A 2005 first-round pick by the Pirates, he served as the catalyst to end a 20-year streak of losing seasons with three consecutive wild-card playoff berths from 2013-15. He was traded to the San Francisco Giants in January 2018, then bounced to the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers before returning to the Pirates on a one-year, $5 million free agent deal in January 2023.
McCutchen spent three seasons as their primary designated hitter. His production dipped last season to a .239/.333/.367 slash line with 22 doubles, 13 home runs and 57 RBIs. The Pirates did not offer McCutchen a chance to return this offseason, and he voiced his frustration on social media over the organization’s treatment of him after not being invited to the PiratesFest fan festival Jan. 24.
“There’s more work to do and I’m not done, no matter what label to you try to stamp on me,” McCutchen posted on his official X account. “Rip the jersey off of me.”
The Pirates agreed to a one-year, $12 million deal with 35-year-old free agent Marcell Ozuna, a three-time All-Star, to be their designated hitter Feb. 9, thereby ending any chance of bringing McCutchen back.
“As far as I’m concerned, Andrew will always be a Pirate,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said the following day in a Grapefruit League Media Day video conference call. “I think most people feel that way. I certainly speak for the organization, and that’s how we feel — that, no matter what, Andrew is a Pirate — and certainly our desire will be to continue to have a really strong relationship with him into the future, whatever that looks like.”
Both Cherington and manager Don Kelly expressed their gratitude toward McCutchen and what he’s meant to both the Pirates and the City of Pittsburgh. Cherington expressed hope that their relationship can be repaired in the future.
“I think this is a moment in time. I think there is a long time ahead of us. Forever is a long time,” Cherington said. “The Pirates will never shut the door, completely shut the door, on Andrew McCutchen. That’s how we feel about him. That’s not going to happen.”