Andrew McCutchen, Pirates come full circle with reunion

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been mostly quiet this offseason, spending little on free agents to keep playing time open for their young players. However, they have signed a free agent that baseball fans from all over are pleased to see: Andrew McCutchen.

McCutchen is heading back to the Pirates on a one-year deal, according to Jack Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 36-year-old will be a veteran on a young team looking to support star center fielder Bryan Reynolds and develop many key players like Ke’Bryan Hayes, Oneil Cruz and Jack Suwinski.

After being drafted by the Pirates, McCutchen became a superstar in the black and yellow. Across his nine seasons with Pittsburgh, he made five All-Star games, won the MVP Award and helped restore a winning culture to the organization. They made the playoffs three times, the only times they have done so since the 1992 season. They are far from making it there with the team they have now but having ‘Cutch back will be great for the young players.

Andrew McCutchen will likely occupy the designated hitter spot but could also be used in the outfield here and there. Last season with the Milwaukee Brewers, he posted a slash line of .237/.316/.384 and 122 hits in 134 games. Having him back where he established himself as a household name should be fun even though his best days are long behind him. He received interest from title contenders but instead chose to head back to the Jolly Roger.

The Pirates have taken a slow and steady approach to rebuild. They previously signed 42-year-old Rich Hill, as well as other veterans like Carlos Santana and Austin Hedges, to steady the club before it can blossom into a winner.