Andrew McCutchen and Three Other Familiar Faces Trying to Make Rosters on Minor League Deals

Andrew McCutchen is signing a minor league deal with the Rangers, putting an end to a rocky second stint with the Pirates.

The veteran outfielder was drafted by Pittsburgh in 2005 and spent the first nine years of his career with the franchise. During that time he collected an MVP award and brought the long-dormant organization to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons.

In 2018 he joined the Giants and then made brief stops with the Yankees, Phillies and Brewers before returning to the Pirates in 2023. It was thought that he would retire with his longtime organization but the front office had other plans.

The 39-year-old McCutchen will now look to write another chapter late in his career for a Rangers team that has playoff aspirations. If he's able to break back into the bigs, he could potentially serve in a platoon situation with Joc Pederson as a designated hitter. His production is not what it once was as he slashed .239/.333/.367 with 35 extra base hits across 551 trips to the plate last season.

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McCutchen is not the only familiar name who will be looking to resurrect their careers by coming back on a minor league deal.

Below are a few players who will also attempt the feat in 2026.

Rhys Hoskins, Guardians

Hoskins joined Cleveland on a minor league deal last month with the hopes of making the club with an impressive spring training showing. At this point he is 1-for-10 but there is still time for the 32-year-old to show the type of consistency that made him a middle-of-the-lineup option for the Phillies and Brewers. During his eight seasons he's amassed 186 homers and posted an OPS of .819. The Guardians are thirsty for right-handed hitters to balance their lineup so one can see why taking a small chance on a proven commodity would be something they are exploring.

Alex Verdugo, Padres

Earlier this week the Padres brought in the 30-year-old outfielder on a minor league agreement to see how much remains in his tank. Considering the already crowded San Diego lineup, it's a small gamble on something that could come in handy down the line. Verdugo, who broke into the majors with the Dodgers in 2017, has not been at the height of his powers for some time. Since finishing 12th in MVP voting with the Red Sox back in 2020, his output has been on a decline. As a member of the Braves last season he put up a .585 OPS in 56 games.

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Liam Hendriks, Twins

Once one of the premier closers in baseball, Hendriks has joined the Twins this spring as a non-roster invitee and thrown one scoreless inning. A spate of injuries, plus a battle with non-Hodgkins lymphoma has prevented him from being one of the best consistent strikeout artists in the game in recent years. Minnesota appears to be in a flux season and does not currently have an established closer on the roster so it will be interesting to see if they like what they see enough from Hendriks to give him the ball late in games.

Michael Conforto, Cubs

The Cubs struck a minor league deal with the outfielder last month that included an invitation out to Arizona for spring training. He's hitless in his first two at-bats thus far as he endeavors to show that he can provide some depth in the outfield. The 32-year-old is an interesting case as he was stellar for most of his time with the Mets, making an All-Star team along the way. His free agent prospects took a downturn with his struggles and last season saw him fail to crack a .200 batting average with the Dodgers.