Andrew McCutchen Potentially Joining Pirates at Spring Training
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the midst of Spring Training and may be getting a visit from one of their best ever players.
Mark Kaboly reported from a source that Andrew McCutchen is on their flight to Bradenton, Fla., where the Pirates Spring Training headquarters are.
SOURCE FROM 30,000 FEET:
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) February 27, 2026
"Andrew McCutchen is on my flight right now to Bradenton." pic.twitter.com/ICeg91CrfB
Now this report doesn't inherently mean that McCutchen is going to re-sign with the Pirates and play a major role on the team in 2026. McCutchen is from Fort Meade, Fla., about 60 miles east of Bradenton and could potentially be visiting family.
It does signal that the Pirates could be at least interested in bringing their star back or giving him a role on this team that suits him in 2026.
Pirates and McCutchen Timeline This Offseason
McCutchen and the Pirates were previously together at this point the past three seasons, as he signed on a one-year, $5 million contract for his second stint with the franchise.
His first stint took place from 2009-17, where he earned five straight All-Star nods (2011-15), the 2013 National League MVP a 2012 Gold Glove Award and four straight Silver Slugger Awards (2012-15).
The Pirates haven't re-signed McCutchen at this point, who is 39 years old and heading into his 18th season at the major league level.
McCutchen said before 2025 ended that he wanted to play again this year, but didn't confirm if he would come back to Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh prioritized signing other free agents in Ryan O'Hearn for two years and $29 million and Marcell Ozuna on a one-year, $12 million deal plus a $16 million mutual option for 2027.
O'Hearn can feature at multiple positions and should play most of 2025 in right field. Ozuna is a strict designated hitter and will only play there.
Those two signings took the role of Andrew McCutchen on the roster, who previously was their starting designated hitter the past three seasons. McCutchen only played in 20 games in the outfield with the Pirates during that time.
He eventually took to Twitter in January and signaled that he wanted to play for the Pirates again, but hadn't received any contact.
McCutchen also didn't appreciate people saying he couldn't play the outfield, saying that he can still do it and is willing to play there if needed.
He also spoke on his disappointment about not getting a chance to go to PiratesFest on Jan. 24 and looked at how other franchises treated their team legends.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington addressed a potential return for McCutchen during the Q&A at PiratesFest, wanting to keep a good relationship with him, but that they were looking at the best options for 2026.
McCutchen reportedly met with Pirates owner Bob Nutting in late January, who has the ultimate say on bringing him back or not.
When the Pirates signed Ozuna, McCutchen later changed his Twitter profile picture from him in a Pirates uniform to a new logo of himself.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.