Dodgers Rumored Offseason Target is Signing with the Pirates

Andrew McCutchen, who had been linked to the Dodgers as a possible target this offseason, is heading back to the Pirates, his original team.

With the Dodgers in the market for an outfielder and possibly a veteran presence in the clubhouse, one name has naturally been thrown out as a possible target for this this offseason. Friday morning, though, we found out that won't be happening, as Andrew McCutchen is heading back to the team that drafted him 18 years ago and for whom he had his best seasons.

Sources: Andrew McCutchen returning to the Pirates. One-year deal pending physical.

— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) January 13, 2023

McCutchen, who turned 36 in October, is heading into his 15th season in the big leagues. He played the first nine years with Pittsburgh, winning the 2013 National League Most Valuable Player Award and finishing in the top five in 2012, 2014, and 2015. He was a five-time All-Star with the Pirates, willing a Gold Glove and four Silver Sluggers.

Pittsburgh traded McCutchen to the Giants after the 2017 season, getting back relief pitcher Kyle Crick, who pitched pretty well for them for four years, and outfielder Bryan Reynolds, who has turned into an All-Star.

Things haven't gone as well for McCutchen since the trade. After averaging about 4.5 WAR per season with the Pirates, Cutch has put up a total of just 6.6 WAR in the six seasons since. He didn't even spend an entire season in San Francisco before being traded to the Yankees, and he played just 25 games in the Bronx. He spent three seasons with the Phillies, then signed last year with the Brewers, for whom he batted .237 with a .700 OPS in 2022.

McCutchen was rarely as good defensively as his reputation said, and in recent years he's definitely lost a step or three on D. With the bat losing some of its pop, too, he's not anything close to the player he was at his peak.

Still, McCutchen has a career OPS+ of 129, and even in the six years since leaving the Pirates, it's a respectable 110. As a DH who occasionally plays the field, he can contribute nicely to a team like the Pirates and maybe even get regular playing time. You do have to wonder if this is step one of a retirement plan for the former superstar, heading home to Pittsburgh for on last hurrah.