Rangers Done? Pirates Made Right Call With Andrew McCutchen

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.