Back 'where it all began': To delight of fans, Pirates sign star outfielder Andrew McCutchen

The Pittsburgh Pirates are bringing back Andrew McCutchen, reuniting with their most popular player of the PNC Park era to the delight of a fan base that has voiced its frustration since he was traded.

McCutchen, 36, agreed Friday to a one-year, $5 million contract, pending physical, that will return the five-time All-Star outfielder and 2013 National League Most Valuable Player to the team he led to three consecutive postseason appearances from 2013-15.

The signing comes almost five years to the day the Pirates traded McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants in January 2018, and following back-to-back seasons in which the Pirates lost 100 or more games.

McCutchen, who makes his offseason home in the North Hills, tweeted a photo indicating his return with the caption, “Where it all began.” Wearing a white No. 22 jersey with his name on the back and a backwards Pirates cap, McCutchen held his young sons Armani and Steel, who pointed to his MVP plaque in a room filled with his four Silver Slugger awards, Gold Glove and Roberto Clemente Award.

Where it all began pic.twitter.com/TmHG8yWbg1

— Andrew McCutchen (@TheCUTCH22) January 13, 2023

A 2005 Pirates first-round draft pick, McCutchen helped end a 20-year streak of losing seasons, the longest of any team in North American major sports history, in leading the Pirates to a 94-win season and wild-card win over the Cincinnati Reds before a boisterous blackout crowd at PNC Park in 2013.

Pirates broadcaster Neil Walker spoke with McCutchen on Friday morning and shared that his former teammate with the Pirates, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies was thrilled to wear the black and gold again.

“He’s excited to come back,” Walker said. “He’s looking forward to the opportunity to help usher in this next wave of young players coming up through the organization. It’s a great signing, not just for him and for the Pirates but for the fans in the city of Pittsburgh.”