Rangers Done? Pirates Made Right Call With Andrew McCutchen
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates made a tough decision to part ways with a franchise legend this past offseason and it clearly ended up being the right one.
The Texas Rangers designated Andrew McCutchen for assignment on May 27, effectivelly ending his tenure with the team just two months into the season.
McCutchen signed with the Rangers this offseason on a minor league deal with an invitation to Major League Camp in Spring Training and made the team for Opening Day.
The Pirates didn't bring McCutchen back this winter, after his second stint with the franchise, but it's a decision they don't really regret at this point.
Why This Ended Up the Right Decision for the Pirates
McCutchen simply didn't hit well with the Rangers, slashing .192/.277/.260 for an OPS of .537 in 37 games, with 14 hits in 73 at-bats, two doubles, one home run, five RBI and nine walks to 22 strikeouts.
He had a strong start with Texas, slashing .429/.467/.786 for an OPS of 1.253 in his first five games, with six hits in 14 at-bats, the home run and two doubles and four RBI.
McCutchen hit just .136 after that, with eight hits in 59 at-bats, one RBI and eight walks to 18 strikeouts in 32 games.
The Pirates decided against bringing back the best player the franchise has had in the 21st century, a choice that wasn't necessarily an easy one.
McCutchen was the face of a team that ended 20 consecutive losing seasons and made three straight playoffs, 2013-15, while serving as one of the best players in baseball during that time.
He won the 2013 National League MVP, a five-time All-Star (2011-15), four-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2012-15), a Gold Glove Award in 2012 and the Roberto Clemente Award in 2015.
McCutchen was also the designated hitter for the Pirates the past three seasons, signing back each season on a one-year, $5 million deal in hopes of bringing winning baseball back to Pittsburgh.
He and the Pirates never achieved that in that second stint, going 76-86 in 2023 and 2024 and then 71-91 last season, the fifth-worst record in baseball.
The Pirates looked at other options to fill those roles, such as signing free agent Ryan O'Hearn on a two-year, $29 million deal, while trading for second baseman Brandon Lowe. Their signing of Marcell Ozuna in February eventually ended any speculation that McCutchen would return.
Pittsburgh is currently 29-26 through the first 55 games of 2026 and are remaining competitive in the tough NL Central Division, as they look to make their first postseason since 2015.
McCutchen not being with the Pirates in this season feels a little bittersweet, but with the way he performed with the Rangers, the team ended up making the right decision in the end.
How the Pirates Have Managed Without McCutchen
Ozuna has served as the every day designated hitter, which hasn't worked out as well as the Pirates would've liked.
He has slashed .185/.271/.304 for an OPS of .575 in 46 games, with 31 hits in 168 at-bats, five doubles, five home runs, 21 RBI and 18 walks to 55 strikeouts.
The Pirates have looked elsewhere at designated hitter, with Oneil Cruz getting a run of games there and Bryan Reynolds has also made some appearances there.
One big difference between having McCutchen and Ozuna on this team is that the Pirates couldn't have just gotten rid of McCutchen, whereas they could feasibly cut Ozuna if he doesn't start improving his play.
The fan reaction to cutting McCutchen midseason would essentially be an uproar and could make for a difficult clubhouse if it were to occur. Ozuna departing wouldn't necessarily be great, but the commotion around it would be less damaging in the long run.
The Pirates have a few other options that could serve as designated hitter, like O'Hearn and Lowe, plus newly called up right-handed power bats in Jhostynxon Garcia and Esmerlyn Valdez.
It'll be interesting to see what happens with the Pirates and how they approach desiganted hitter moving forward.
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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.