A familiar face will be back in Pittsburgh. The Pirates have reached a one-year deal with 2023 National League MVP Andrew McCutchen, a source told Justice delos Santos on Friday. The club has not confirmed.
McCutchen, who became a star during his nine years with the Pirates, has been through several teams since 2018, seeing action with the Giants, Yankees, Phillies and Brewers.
The 14-season veteran played 134 games with Milwaukee at age 35 in 2022, spending most of his time as a designated hitter (82 starts), but also saw action in all three outfield spots, mostly at cornerback.
He posted .237/.316/.384 averages with a 99 OPS+; just below the league average (100).
Now, McCutchen returns to the Pirates, a franchise in which he ranks as the fourth-highest home run hitter (203), 37 behind Puerto Rican Roberto Clemente and 27 ahead of Barry Bonds. He is among the best 10 in the club’s history in various categories.
In addition, you will start 2023 with the opportunity to achieve several important milestones. He needs 105 games to reach 2,000, 52 hits for 2,000, eight doubles for 400, 13 home runs for 300 and 17 walks for 1,000.
