Andrew McCutchen has accomplished a lot during his 17 Major League seasons — 12 of which have been with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He’s amassed over 2,000 hits, smashed 330 home runs, won an MVP award and been named to five All-Star teams, cementing his legacy as one of the best players in franchise history.
One thing he still hasn’t achieved yet is winning a World Series, which has motivated him to keep playing in recent seasons. But with the 38-year-old headed for free agency this winter, he’ll have some decisions to make about if and where he wants to play in 2026.
McCutchen recently opened up about his uncertain future and the state of the Pirates in an interview with José Negron of DK Pittsburgh Sports.
“There’s a couple things that I have to talk to myself about and ask myself. So, I don’t know (if I’ll play next year),” McCutchen told Negron. “I’m still sitting here going through it and thinking about it right now. Just trying to do my part here, finish the season strong and feel like I should have an opportunity.”
The four-time Silver Slugger winner has remained solid at the plate this year, batting .243 with 11 home runs, 41 RBI and a .707 OPS in 105 games. He’s smacked double-digit homers in every year of his career and still has a good batting eye, making him a serviceable designated hitter.
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While McCutchen has spent the past three seasons with Pittsburgh on one-year deals, he said this season has felt different, although he couldn’t pinpoint why.
McCutchen also expressed some frustration about the Pirates’ lack of progress over the last few years. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2015 (during his first stint with the team) and are on pace for a seventh straight losing season.
While he’s encouraged by Pittsburgh’s young talent (especially on the pitching side), he’d like to see the front office be more aggressive in trying to build around it.
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“It’s there, but there obviously has to be some sacrifice on both ends to solidify that and to really get to that point where it’s like, ‘Yeah, this is a good squad,” he said. “There can’t just be the shot in the dark of ‘We hope this happens.’ We gotta go out there and make a push.”
Rebuilds take time, but time’s a luxury McCutchen doesn’t have at this stage of his career.
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