Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2005, Andrew McCutchen made his big league debut in 2009. Since then, he has enjoyed a great career at the top level of baseball, earning five All-Star selections, an NL MVP award, four Gold Gloves, and a Silver Slugger award.
After his first stint with the Bucs, McCutchen represented some of the biggest franchises in the sport, such as the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, and Philadelphia Phillies, before returning to PNC Park in 2023.
Having entered free agency at the end of the 2025 season, many expected the Pirates to re-sign McCutchen, especially after he publicly expressed his desire to return. However, it appears they have opted to go in a different direction, signing former Atlanta Braves slugger Marcell Ozuna to a one-year, $12 million contract instead.
During Monday’s episode of “Foul Territory,” The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal was asked about Andrew McCutchen’s future.
Rosenthal admitted that Ozuna’s signing probably eliminates the veteran’s chances of a reunion with the Pirates. Instead, he linked the slugger with a move to the St. Louis Cardinals.
“What’s next for Cutch is a very good question, and I don’t know the answer. I assume he still wants to keep playing. He’s a proud guy, and rightly proud, by the way. He’s had an amazing career and was still productive last season. He’s not the Cutch of old, but he is a player who can fill a role for a team. The Pirates simply wanted more offense,” Rosenthal said (22:14).
“They wanted more than he was able to give or could give, and they feel (Marcell) Ozuna could get back to being the guy he was in 2023 and 2024, when he was really a monster. So that’s why they made the decision they did. I don’t know that Cutch can go anywhere or would be willing to go anywhere, but can he be a useful major leaguer? I still believe that. I still believe he wants to play. Maybe at this point, he wants to prove a point. Going to the St. Louis Cardinals, a team in the division, might be right up his alley,” he added.
Andrew McCutchen Sends The Pittsburgh Pirates A Subtle Message Via Social Media, After Marcell Ozuna’s Signing
After Marcell Ozuna’s move to the Pittsburgh Pirates was confirmed, effectively quashing Andrew McCutchen’s hopes of returning to PNC Park in 2026, he sent the team a subtle message via social media.
Host Josh Rowntree of Pittsburgh-based sports radio station “93.7 The Fan” brought this to fans’ attention via X on Monday.
“Following today’s Marcell Ozuna news, Andrew McCutchen appears to have removed the photo of him wearing a Pirates jersey from his social media profiles,” Rowntree posted.
Andrew McCutchen finished the 2025 season with a .239 batting average, 13 home runs, and 57 RBIs.
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