The Pittsburgh Pirates and veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen, one of the greatest players in franchise history, are reuniting for another season. The club made the three-word announcement on Monday:
Source: He’s back. pic.twitter.com/I2FqZJA2l9
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) December 23, 2024
McCutchen, 38, is coming off a 2024 season in which he slashed .232/.328/.411 (105 OPS+) with 20 home runs in 120 games for the Pirates. For his career, he owns an OPS+ of 126 and a WAR of 49.3 with 319 home runs and 219 stolen bases spread across parts of 16 MLB seasons. Of those 16 seasons, 11 have come with Pittsburgh.
The Pirates originally drafted McCutchen out of a Florida high school with the No. 11 overall pick in 2005. During his first and most lengthy stint with the Pirates at the major-league level, McCutchen emerged as one of the best players in baseball and one of its brightest stars. As a five-time All-Star with the Pirates and as the National League MVP in 2013, McCutchen helmed a baseball renaissance in Pittsburgh that saw them make three straight postseason appearances from 2013-15. In late August of 2018, however, the Pirates traded McCutchen to the Giants, and then came later stints with the Yankees, Phillies, and Brewers. Prior to the 2023 season, however, McCutchen reunited with the Pirates, and now their reunion will stretch to a third season.
McCutchen will enter the 2025 season with 42.7 WAR as a Pirate, which puts him in 12th place on the franchise's all-time leaderboard in that category. As for the Pirates team he rejoins, they're coming off a 76-86 campaign in 2024, and in all they've endured nine straight losing seasons.
