Former MVP Andrew McCutchen Discusses Why He Signed With Rangers

It's 2026 and Andrew McCutchen somehow finds his way on teams. A top ten hitter in the league during his prime, the 39-year-old is now in the twilight of his illustrious MLB career. Still, he's getting job offers, as he signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers this offseason with an invite to spring training.

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— Andrew McCutchen (@TheCUTCH22) March 5, 2026

McCutchen spent his first nine years in the league with the Pittsburgh Pirates, batting .291 while earning 1,465 hits and 203 homers along with an .866 OPS. He blossomed into a formidable bat, earning five All-Star and Silver Slugger awards along with a Gold Glove in 2012.

The following year, he secured the NL MVP. What's more impactful was his significance in bringing the playoffs back to Pittsburgh for the first time since Barry Bonds donned a Pirates uniform in the 90s.

While a World Series berth didn't happen for McCutchen's team, he was their undisputed leader, something that fans and the organization will never forget. After nine years, the Florida native bounced around teams for the next six seasons, with the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and Milwaukee Brewers needing a reliable veteran bat.

By the time McCutchen began to regress, he somehow found his way back on the Buccos in 2023, and spent what was expected to be the final years of his career in the big leagues. As of today, that hasn't happened yet. Expecting another go with the Pirates after 2025, the club surprisingly had no interest, and didn't re-sign the beloved Pirate.

He finished his 2025 season with the Bucs batting .239 with 13 homers and a .700 OPS in 114 games. While these stats are slightly below average, it's not like he was hurting Pittsburgh's playoff chances. They very likely did that to themselves.

Nevertheless, "Cutch" became a free agent in the 2025 offseason and signed with the Rangers on a minor league deal, hoping to get in at least one more year in the show.

Andrew McCutchen is in #Rangers camp, and he explains why Texas and talks about an interesting offseason. pic.twitter.com/rbPXlYdQTF
— Jeff Wilson (@JeffWilsonTXR) March 6, 2026

As to why Cutch signed with the Rangers, here was his response:

"Honestly it was one of the first options for me and also at the moment the only option. I understood things weren't happening and there were opportunities maybe elsewhere...there was no waiting around and I understood that. If I wanted to continue to play....I need to jump on the opportunity and represent and that's what I did here."

Signed on a minor league deal, McCutchen will need to make a statement here in spring training and prove to the Rangers organization that he can still play in the big leagues. Given his age, should things go well, a bench role, a leader in the locker room, and DH platooning with primary DH Joc Pederson will be a likely outcome.

On the Texas side, it doesn't hurt to add more vets on the roster, especially with playoff experience in McCutchen. Now almost three years removed from a World Series victory, the Rangers haven't been able to sustain postseason success, missing out on the playoffs in back to back seasons since making it to the Fall Classic.

This is due to injuries dealt to their hitters along with a major regression in offense. Last season, while they led the league in ERA, they were bottom five in hitting.

Cutch at 39 won't necessarily improve that on his own. Yet, his postseason and leadership experience should he get called up to the majors will make an impact to a team in need of more veterans.

The core of Wyatt Langford, Josh Jung, Corey Seager, Jacob deGrom and newly added Brandon Nimmo, after the Marcus Semien trade aim to make the Rangers relevant again in returning to the playoffs. Adding a bona fide leader in McCutchen helps reach that goal.

"One door closes and another door opens," McCutchen added. "I'm grateful the Rangers are giving me this chance."