Andrew McCutchen returning to Pirates on 1-year, $5 million deal, bringing former face of franchise home

Andrew McCutchen is coming back home, possibly to finish his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The immensely popular, five-time All-Star outfielder and 2013 NL MVP who was the catalyst in leading the Pirates to end two decades of losing seasons with three consecutive postseason appearances, agreed Friday to a one-year contract for $5 million to return to the team that drafted him, a source confirmed to the Tribune-Review. The deal is pending a physical.

McCutchen, 36, was selected by the Pirates in the first round (No. 11 overall) in the 2005 MLB Draft out of Fort Meade (Fla.) High School and makes Pittsburgh his offseason home. When he was traded to the San Francisco Giants in January 2018, he wrote in the Players’ Tribune, “Pittsburgh … it’s home. It will always be home.”

pic.twitter.com/VFLFb6Q48c

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) January 13, 2023

It could be a season of milestones for McCutchen, who has 1,948 hits, 392 doubles, 287 home runs and 983 walks in his 14-year major-league career. He batted .292/.379/.487 with 203 home runs and 725 RBIs in nine seasons with the Pirates, making five consecutive All-Star Game appearances from 2011-15, winning the NL Gold Glove in center field in 2012 and the NL MVP the following year. He finished in the top five in MVP voting four times and also won four Silver Slugger awards from 2012-15.

The Pirates signed McCutchen to a six-year, $51.5 million contract in 2012, just before he broke out as a superstar. With McCutchen serving as the face of the franchise, wearing long dreadlocks and flashing a bright smile, the Pirates won 98, 88 and 94 games and clinched three consecutive NL wild-card berths from 2013-15. They beat the Cincinnati Reds in the 2013 wild-card game at PNC Park but lost to the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs the next two years.

Related

• Photo gallery: Andrew McCutchen is coming home

After slipping to 78-83 in 2016 and 75-87 in ’17, the Pirates traded McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants for outfielder Bryan Reynolds, reliever Kyle Crick and $500,000 in international bonus pool space Jan. 18, 2018, just days after dealing right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole to the Houston Astros for four players.

While McCutchen has bounced from the Giants to the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers — earning $73.25 million over the past five years — Reynolds has become the Pirates’ most productive player. A 2021 NL All-Star and Gold Glove finalist and two-time Silver Slugger finalist, Reynolds has 54 doubles, 51 home runs and 152 RBIs over the past two seasons.

Reynolds, however, requested a trade last month before the Winter Meetings. So while there is potential they could play alongside each other, it’s also possible that McCutchen is a ready replacement if Reynolds is dealt.

Regardless, McCutchen adds another run-producing, right-handed bat to the Pirates’ lineup. McCutchen slashed .237/.316/.384 with 25 doubles, 17 homers and 69 RBIs in 134 games while making $8.5 million on a one-year deal for the Brewers last season. Both the doubles and RBI totals would have led the Pirates, and the homers would have tied Oneil Cruz for third most on the team.

McCutchen also is capable of playing all three outfield positions, although he played mostly in the corners last year with 31 games in left, 19 in right and three in center while serving as designated hitter in 82. That gives the Pirates flexibility with an outfield that could include Reynolds, Miguel Andujar and Jack Suwinski, who is coming off a 19-home run rookie season.

More important, the Pirates added another veteran with playoff experience to a young roster. McCutchen joins fellow free agent signees in first baseman/DH Carlos Santana, catcher Austin Hedges, a pair of starting pitchers in right-hander Vince Velasquez and lefty Rich Hill and lefty reliever Jarlin Garcia, as well as first baseman/DH Ji-Man Choi and outfielder/first baseman Connor Joe, both of whom were acquired in trades.

Pirates equipment/clubhouse manager Scott Bonnett refused to give out No. 22 to another player since McCutchen’s departure, so his favorite number (McCutchen wore No. 26 with the Yankees and No. 24 with the Brewers) remains available upon his return. For Pirates fans who continued to wear McCutchen’s jerseys to PNC Park in his absence, they can do so once again with no animosity toward the Pirates.