Perrotto: The Intangible Andrew McCutchen Adds to Pirates

The calendar has flipped to 2025, and the Pittsburgh Pirates have done little to improve their roster.

General manager Ben Cherington acquired Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Spencer Horwitz via the Cleveland Guardians in a three-way trade. The Pirates paid the significant price of three pitchers – promising right-hander Luis Ortiz and lefty prospects Michael Kennedy and Josh Hartle.

The Pirates also re-signed designated hitter/outfielder/franchise icon Andrew McCutchen to a one-year, $5-million contract. That was a formality, in essence, because the 38-year-old indicated at the end of last season that he wanted to keep playing. He also agreed to the same contract terms the previous two winters.

There is not much to get excited about after the Pirates finished with a 76-86 record each of the past two seasons. Yet McCutchen believes the Pirates can take the step forward in 2025 that management hoped for in 2024.

“There are things you can’t look on paper and see it,” McCutchen said. “You just go out there and do it. We got to do those small things, a lot of small things. It’s what I’m here for. That’s what I try to do and try to bring to the team on top of what I can do on the field.”

McCutchen is unquestionably respected in the Pirates’ clubhouse. He has a National League MVP award, five All-Star Game appearances, 2,000 hits and 300 home runs on his resume.

In 2024, McCutchen showed he could contribute as he was third on the team with 20 home runs while slashing .232/.328/.411 in 120 games.

So, McCutchen has done some big things during his 16 major-league seasons. But what are the little things he talks about?

“Having a veteran presence,” McCutchen said. “It’s one thing to be a veteran on the team but it’s also being able to give insight on just the game in itself. Being able to lead in any way that I can. That’s the small things that you do when the game is going on and I’m watching the game and I’m watching how a pitcher is pitching. It’s how I go to the next guy and I go ‘Hey, this is what I’m seeing’ and then it’s up to that guy or that teammate to shake his head yes and take that and go with it and be able to carry that to the next person. It’s small stuff like that.”

McCutchen gave an example of when he was 19 and in major-league spring training camp as a non-roster invitee in 2006. McCutchen was ready to lead off during a Grapefruit League game when veteran shortstop Jack Wilson gave him a tip that still resonates.

“I’m just as nervous as anyone can be and the guy’s warming up on the mound. I’m really just warming up and Jack comes up to me and he goes ‘His second pitch that he calls is going to be his second-best pitch.’ And I go ‘Oh, OK cool.’ I never thought of that,” McCutchen recalled. “I just see a pitcher go fastball, go sinker and then I’ll be like then maybe go changeup and then slider. So, what it was telling me was he’s going to go changeup over slider. And I didn’t know that until he told me, and I’ve been able to take that and been able to use it my whole career and I’ve been able to help the next person, the next guy and talk about that so it’s little stuff like that.”

The Pirates are fortunate that a player with McCutchen’s wisdom wants to play for a franchise with 28 losing seasons in the last 32 years. They should consider returning the favor by surrounding him with better players.