Pirates Have No Regrets With Andrew McCutchen's First Revenge Game
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ARLINGTON, Texas — Andrew McCutchen has changed clubhouses more times than he probably cares to count. From Pittsburgh to San Francisco, on to New York, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and then back to Pittsburgh again.
But this week at Globe Life Field, when he steps to the plate in a Texas Rangers uniform for the first time against the Pirates, it will feel different. He will be facing the franchise that drafted him, the city that adored him, and the organization that traded him away in 2018, welcomed him back in 2023, and then let him walk for a second time last winter.
And since that decision was made, it looks like the Pirates got it right.
This is the only time this season that he will face the Pirates. And because McCutchen doesn't play regularly — and hasn't played since last Friday — his at-bats against Pittsburgh will likely be limited. So Pirates fans should especially cherish his on-field moments during the series.
He was the heartbeat of the 2013-15 playoff teams, the 2013 NL MVP, and a player who meant more to the city of Pittsburgh than almost any athlete not named Sidney Crosby. Many fans assumed the Pirates would find a way to keep him. A one-year deal, a platoon role, a graceful send-off—something. Sentiments screamed one more year.
A Pivot from the Pirates
But sentiment does not win baseball games. And the Pirates' front office, for all its past missteps, recognized something uncomfortable but true: McCutchen had become a connection to an old era, not a building block for a new one. At 39, his bat had clearly slowed. His range in the outfield was limited. His value was almost entirely contained in his locker room presence—real and meaningful, but not enough to carry a team that needed more than nostalgia.
So the Pirates pivoted. They let McCutchen walk and reinvested in a different kind of veteran leadership. They traded for Brandon Lowe, a proven power bat from the Rays. They signed Ryan O'Hearn to add thump against right-handed pitching. They took a calculated gamble on Marcell Ozuna, hoping a change of scenery would unlock something close to his Atlanta form. The message was clear: this is not the same Pirates team that kept losing with familiar faces. This is a team trying to win now.
A New Era in Pittsburgh
Three weeks into the 2026 season, the results have backed up the decision. The Pirates enter Monday's series at 13-9, sitting comfortably above .500 and looking every bit like a team that could hang in the NL Central race.
Lowe has been everything they hoped, providing middle-of-the-order pop and a professional at-bat every time up. O'Hearn has delivered timely hits. Even Ozuna, after a brutal first week, has shown signs of waking up. The clubhouse, by all accounts, has embraced the new faces, and the losing culture that plagued previous Pirates teams feels, at least for now, like a thing of the past.
It is hard to envision Andrew McCutchen helping this team beyond the margins. A good locker room presence? Absolutely. A player who could make a difference in the standings? Probably not. The Pirates needed bats, not memories. They needed power, not past glory. And while watching McCutchen in another uniform will sting for fans who grew up watching him patrol center field at PNC Park, the cold reality is that Pittsburgh is better off without him.
That does not diminish what McCutchen meant to this franchise. His number could hang on the outfield wall someday. His place in Pirates history is secure. But the 2026 Pirates are not the 2013 Pirates. They are a different team, built by a different front office, with a different set of priorities.
On Tuesday night, McCutchen will mingle with his former teammates during batting practice, tip his helmet to the few Pirates fans who made the trip to Arlington, and try to beat the team that let him go. And the Pirates will try to prove, once again, that they made the right call.
First pitch on Tuesday is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. Eastern.
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Ethan Merrill is from Grand Rapids, MI, and brings with him a diverse background of experiences. After graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in journalism, he worked with the Arizona Diamondbacks for three seasons before settling in the Pittsburgh area in 2020. With a passion for sports and a growing connection to his community, Ethan brings a fresh perspective to covering the Pittsburgh Pirates.