Andrew McCutchen is reportedly back in the ‘Burgh!
Named the 2013 National League MVP with the Pittsburgh Pirates, big-name outfielder Andrew McCutchen is going back home after agreeing on a one-year-deal with the franchise that he began his career with, according to a report from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The deal is pending a physical examination.
This is perfect timing for the Pirates, and this because McCutchen is headed towards a summer of milestones. In order to accomplish 2,000 career hits, he needs 52 more, and he’s just eight doubles away from a career 400 tally. On top of that, he can also join the 300 home run club with just 13 to go, according to ESPN.
The signing of McCutchen comes as Pittsburgh is listening to offers for their young star outfielder Bryan Reynolds, who recently demanded a trade from the team.
Sources: Andrew McCutchen returning to the Pirates. One-year deal pending physical.
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) January 13, 2023
Yeah, the Pirates are abysmal and a cheap ass organization, but it’s still nice to see Andrew McCutchen back in Pittsburgh.
I covered the Pittsburgh Pirates professionally back in my newspaper days — as a matter of fact, I worked for two different newspapers that were owned by Pirates ownership — so I’ll always have an attachment to both the franchise and city, but it also gave me some insight on how exactly cheap the team is (and that showed with flying colors recently with their recent contract offer to Bryan Reynolds).
I do like the Pirates strategy here though. They’ll go ahead and get some value for Reynolds when they do trade him (and they will), and already have a quick fix for him with Andrew McCutchen. And they also kill two birds with one stone by bringing him back, letting him rack up his milestones in those swagged out Pittsburgh jerseys — and they do swag out, despite how I feel about ownership.
But honestly, they wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place with losing a young rising star in Bryan Reynolds and being forced to quickly replace him with a 36-year-old veteran heading towards retirement if they weren’t cheap. If they would actually invest some money into the team, they’d have both Reynolds and possibly McCutchen, and who knows, they might actually have a winning baseball team. All they did was set their team back for two years. (RELATED: Oakland Athletics Move Step Closer To Relocating To Las Vegas, Eyeing $1 Billion Dome Stadium On Strip)
Basically what I’m saying: I like the McCutchen deal, but I still can’t help but to take a swipe at the Pirates. Quite frankly, the contract they offered Reynolds was a thoroughbred insult, so I don’t blame him whatsoever for wanting to get out of town — it’s just more cheap shit that I’ve seen from Pittsburgh for years now. I like the Pirates brand, so personally, I’d love to see them become a winning team for the ‘Burgh, but the current ownership isn’t giving them that.
I’m happy to see you back in Pittsburgh, Andrew McCutchen … but that owner of yours?
He needs to sell the team. Yeah, I’m talking to you, Bob Nutting (what a name).