It is no secret that the Pittsburgh Pirates are one of the most mismanaged teams in professional sports. They have not had appeared in a World-Series since 1979. They haven’t won a division title since 1992, and the last time they were in the postseason was 2015. Throughout the years, talent has come and gone, and in the 21st century, there has been no better Pirate than Andrew McCutchen. Even still, his status moving forward is very much up in the air, as the team doesn’t seem to be getting things
turned around.
Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette recently caught up with McCutchen ahead of the team’s contest against Toronto. Mackey inquired about ‘Cutch’s plans following this season, and where his heart was as far as playing in 2026 is concerned. In that interview McCutchen made it very clear that he was not willing to discuss anything related to his future with the Pirates, but did divulge on his own personal desires.
“I want to win. That’s all. I have to do what I need to do, too. I can’t just say, ‘Hey, I want to win’ and not hold my end of the bargain,” McCutchen said. “I have to first do what I need to do and show that I can be a part of winning. I have to take care of my business first. It’s plain and simple.”
‘Cutch brought up a valid point and that is he has to live up to the deal on his end and has to prove that he can continue to play at a high enough level to remain on a big league roster. This season, the 38-year old former MVP has a slightly below slash line of .238/.328/.696 with 11 homers, 41 RBIs, and 91 hits. Those kinds of numbers are just not strong enough for an every day designated hitter, so if he has a role on a Major League squad in 2026, it may be greatly reduced.
Although he was not willing to comment on Pittsburgh specifically, most signs would indicate that he wants to finish out his career with the Pirates. McCutchen has said in plenty of other interviews that he loves being a Pirate, and has loved getting to come back to where he started his career after being traded away in 2018. Since his return, he has remained on the roster despite a decline in production, and issues with injuries. At any point during the past three seasons, he could’ve been traded to a contender at the deadline looking for a veteran bat, but he has remained in Pittsburgh.
Given his production and the likelihood of him taking another step back in 2026, there might not even be any other Major League team that would sign the aging superstar. The Pirates offense lacks production all around, but McCutchen certainly isn’t the worst on the team either. However, it’s likely a short list of teams that could take on a 39-year old DH, and occasional outfielder.
‘Cutch also recently commented on the outlook of the team regarding building a winning roster through trades and free-agency, essentially calling out the organization saying they need to pay to win. Sitting down with Jose Negron of DK PGH Sports, McCutchen explained that he can see the foundation of a winning ball club, similar to those he saw in Philadelphia, Milwaukee, New York, and San Francisco.
“But you gotta pay to win, because it’s not always going to be the team that doesn’t spend as much that ends up in the playoffs. Very rarely does that happen. It does happen, but it doesn’t always happen that way. For us, it hasn’t happened. There has to be that. There can’t just be the shot in the dark of ‘We hope this happens.’ We gotta go out there and make a push.”
As an organization like the Pittsburgh Pirates, you have to treat this as a wake up call, the straw that broke the camel’s back so to speak. If the biggest star you’ve had in the last 30 years is calling you out on your tired, old strategy, then maybe it’s time to shake things up and try to turn the ship. This situation, along with incidents like Andrew Heaney being sent to the bullpen, seemingly just so that the team doesn’t have to doll out his inning bonus money, is just bad for optics. Other than Paul Skenes being the greatest thing since sliced bread, there is little to nothing going right for this team.
Even with a reduced role, if the Pirates want McCutchen to be a part of their plans for 2026, there are options on the table. His hitting stats against lefties this year have been pretty solid, so if he is just a platoon outfielder, then the team can keep him on the roster and have him reserved more for favorable matchups.
“I want to continue to play. I think I’m still capable of doing that. I think I can still play the outfield, too,” McCutchen said. “That’s something I feel I can do. I’m not necessarily stuck to DH’ing. If I’m needed out there, I can do it.”
McCutchen has signed for $5MM in each of the past three offseasons, and he will certainly be on every Pirate fan’s radars when the season ends.
