Pirates GM Addresses Andrew McCutchen's Future Before Spring Training
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates and Andrew McCutchen aren't together at this point, an unusual occurrence in the club's recent history.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has made some important moves this offseason, but McCutchen hasn't featured as one of them, despite signing him to a one-year, $5 million deal the past three winters.
Cherington spoke to the media about McCutchen ahead of Spring Training, where the Pirates will report down to Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla. for their first workouts.
He said that they want to keep a good relationship with McCutchen, but that they went into this offseason looking to make the right moves, which they believe they've done so far
"As far as I'm concerned, Andrew will always be a Pirate," Cherington said. "I think most people feel that way. I certainly speak for the organization and that's how we feel, that no matter what, Andrew is a Pirate, and certainly our desire will be to continue to have a really strong relationship with him into the future, whatever that looks like.
"At the beginning of the offseason, when we spoke, what I shared was that we felt like we needed to go into the offseason with a singular mindset, and that was what puts this team in the best position to win more games in 2026, really focus on that. Be singularly focused on the team, and as we did that work, we would do the best we could to continue to share information with him about what that looked like. We did the best we could to do that.
"Of course, we can always look back and reflect on communication. There's always ways to make it better, but that was our mindset going into the offseason that really guided every decision that we've made.
"I feel confident that every decision we've made has been about what we believe is best for the team. And sometimes, when you are making those decisions, they're going to be hard. Some of those decisions are hard, and I think that, again, that's the nature of these things.
"Tremendous respect for Andrew, and certainly our desire would be to have a strong relationship with him going forward. Right now, obviously focused on the guys that are here in Bradenton and getting ready to prepare for a season.”
Marcell Ozuna Signing Change Things?
The Pirates have made important acquisitions this offseason, including second baseman Brandon Lowe in the trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and free agent signings in Ryan O'Hearn and most recently, Marcell Ozuna.
Ozuna has served mostly as a designated hitter the past three seasons and will likely fill that role again this season. Both Lowe and O'Hearn can fill it too, plus returning players like outfielders inOneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds and first baseman Spencer Horwitz.
This puts McCutchen in a difficult spot with the Pirates, as he has also spent the past three seasons with the team as their designated hitter.
Cherington didn't officially address the signing of Ozuna, as it isn't official and the collective barganing agreement forbids most discussions of non-finalized free agent signings.
He did say that they are still open to McCutchen for the future, but that the front office is more worried about the way the roster is structured now and the players currently with the Pirates.
“I think this is a moment in time. I think there is a long time ahead of us, forever is a long time," Cherington said. "The Pirates will never shut the door, completely shut the door on Andrew McCutchen. That’s how we feel about him, that’s not going to happen.
"There is a moment in time that we are in right now in Bradenton today, focused on the players who are here. Focused on how do we get ready for the 2026 season?
"Given the complexion of the roster, what we expect it to be here as we get into full camp, when position players arrive. I think our focus will be on the players who are here. We don’t need to make any declaration on the longer term, just focused on today right now.”
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.