Brewers to Sign Andrew McCutchen

The Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to sign former 2013 MVP and former Pirate Andrew McCutchen, according to Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. McCutchen spent last season with the Phillies, where he slashed .222/.334/.444 with 27 homers and 80 RBIs in 144 games. His deal is expected to be o one-year pact.

McCutchen returns to the National League Central where he spent nine of his 13 big league seasons with the Pirates from 2009-2017. During his time in the black and gold, McCutchen was a fan favorite, and slashed .291/.379/.487 with 1,463 hits and 203 homers. In additional to his MVP, McCutchen was a five-time All-Star, won four Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove.

The Pirates traded McCutchen to the Giants prior to the 2018 season in a deal that landed the Pirates Bryan Reynolds. McCutchen didn’t last too long in San Francisco and was traded to the Yankees in August of that year. From there, McCutchen signed a three-year $50M in the 2017-18 offseason.

At this point in his career, the 35-year-old does most of his damage against left-handed pitching. While he may spend time in the field, McCutchen rates poorly in defensive metrics and could see a lot of his at-bats come as a designated hitter. The Brewers have a crowded outfield with Christian Yelich, Hunter Renfroe, Tyrone Taylor and Lorenzo Cain all in the mix.

McCutchen will try and help the Brewers defend their 2021 NL Central title. The Pirates will face their former star for the first in 2022 in Milwaukee April 18-20. McCutchen will be back in Pittsburgh for a four game series starting the last day of June.