Pirates Urged To Re-Sign Andrew McCutchen
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Veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen has had quite the career. Most of it has been with the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team that decided to re-invest in him during the 2023 season.
McCutchen bounced around on four teams during his absence from Pittsburgh. He spent 2009-17 with the squad before returning these past three seasons.
Even with the additions of Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn, Yahoo Sports' Tommy Wild is a firm believer McCutchen shouldn't go anywhere. If he's once again going to be in the $5 million range, it could be an investment that ends up paying off.
Not everyone is on board with the Pirates resigning McCutchen, but this will be a huge decision that weighs on the organization for days and weeks to come. The 39-year-old still brings a lot to the table, and this could be more about loyalty than anything.
Main Reasons To Bring Back McCutchen
"If the Pirates were to bring him back, seeing the field every day would no longer be his primary role, and that’s okay," Wild said. "McCutchen’s addition to the roster would simply be as a depth piece; someone who can play once every three days to give one of the starters a day off. There’s no need for him to be playing over 100 games at this point in his career."
Wild continued, "The Pirates will likely need to add at least one more outfielder for depth anyway, so why not have that spot on the roster go to McCutchen?"
The addition of Jake Magnum was well-documented, and that immediately led to speculation that McCutchen wouldn't be returning. That said, Wild raises some great points as the likes of Magnum, Bryan Reynolds, and Oneil Cruz are going to need days off every once in awhile.
Pirates Must Change McCutchen's Role If He's Brought Back
Should Pittsburgh decide it is in their best interest to give McCutchen another year in the organization, they have to know his limits. Wild wasn't afraid to call the Pirates playoff contenders, and one can only imagine what the addition of Kazuma Okamoto would do to that.
If there's anyone with that veteran leadership who can help guide a bunch of young guys through the playoffs, it's Cutch. No one expects Pittsburgh to resign him solely for the fact they could make the playoffs, but he brings up a great point. As long as the Pirates know what they're doing with the 18-year veteran, it may not be the worst idea in the world to give him another one-year contract.
-8bfc4854a6a49ec0e06fe32d76334d6d.jpeg "Jordon Lawrenz")
Jordon Lawrenz began his On SI journey writing for the Tennessee Titans and Iowa Hawkeyes. Since then, he's began contributing to both the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates. Jordon is an accomplished writer covering the NFL, MLB, and college football/basketball. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a Sports Communication and Journalism degree, Jordon fully embraced the sports writing lifestyle upon his relocation to Florida.