Former Pirates MVP Not in Cardinals’ Plans, According to Insider

The St. Louis Cardinals may still have a little bit of work left to do this offseason. They added Dustin May and Ryne Stanek to boost their pitching staff and trading away veterans Brendan Donovan, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado. But one thing they could potentially use is a right-handed bat that can play in the otufield.

In free agency, options are quite thin, so the Cardinals will have less to choose from, but there are still some options. In Derrick Goold's weekly Cardinals chat in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, a fan asked about a possible match with Andrew McCutchen, but Goold nipped that in the bud quickly.

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No Cutch in Cards

Sep 19, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen (22) hits a single against the Athletics during the seventh inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

"I don't have to pull out the binoculars to see it. But I'm not sure what the Cardinals have to offer him -- and that's been the response I get a lot. Money, sure. But not necessarily playing time. Maybe not DH time. And not wins. The Cardinals best offer for McCutchen might be all of the games against the Pirates for him to play against them," Goold said.

McCutchen might be looking for a contender this season, and the Cardinals just aren't that at the moment. They need a right-handed hitting outfield bat, but not one that is going to play every day.

At this point, McCutchen, the 2013 National League MVP winner, doesn't play much outfield anymore and is more of a designated hitter. That could give the Cardinals their right-handed bat, and he could play every day, but he doesn't exactly check all the boxes that the Cardinals are looking for.

For this reason, somebody like Randal Grichuk might make more sense. He brings power, but wouldn't be expected to be an everyday player. The Cardinals can't really offer that to McCutchen right now, so that narrows their options a little bit as spring training gets underway, but it will still be quite interesting to see what Chaim Bloom is thinking and if the Cardinals can land their right-handed bat.

This could also come via trade, but fans shouldn't be getting their hopes up about McCutchen, who might be best served going back to the Pittsburgh Pirates after their strong offseason showing in free agency, The Cardinals can't offer him a place to contend,

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