Many fans want the Pittsburgh Pirates to re-sign Andrew McCutchen (including himself from what it looks like). Cutch is one of the best players in franchise history, and a beloved figure in Pittsburgh in general. Some may be weary of re-signing McCutchen for another year, given his age and his numbers in 2025, but bringing him back in for another year wouldn’t just be for pure nostalgia. Cutch still has some gas left in the tank.
On the surface, McCutchen’s .239/.333/.367 triple-slash, .309 wOBA, and 95 wRC+ over 551 plate appearances looks like 2025 may have been the end of his career. His .128 isolated slugging percentage was the lowest of his career, and both his .700 OPS and .309 wOBA were tied for career-lows. However, you have to look below the surface stats to appreciate what Cutch is capable of doing.
Despite his low wOBA, his expected wOBA (xwOBA) was .333, which was in the 66th percentile of batters in 2025. The 24 point difference was the 16th biggest gap between wOBA and xwOBA last year. McCutchen still has solid raw power as well. He put up an 89.5 MPH exit velocity and 8.3% barrel rate, when the league average is 89.4 MPH and 8.7%, respectively. Cutch’s .415 xSLG% The 48-point difference was the 12th largest among qualified batters in 2025, and was slightly better than average as well (.411). McCutchen’s expected batting average (xBA) was also solid at .258, and in the 64th percentile. One again, he experienced some bad luck in this area, with a 19-point difference. This was the 11th biggest gap.
There’s no question McCutchen still has an excellent eye at the dish. His 20.7% chase rate was in the 92nd percentile of hitters, and was the 11th highest overall. He was swinging outside the zone less than Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Kyle Schwarber, and Aaron Judge. That led to an outstanding 12.2% walk rate, which was the 22nd best in baseball last year. McCutchen also wasn’t prone to striking out, with a 21.2% K%.
Most of these numbers are just as good, or even an improvement from 2023-2024, his first two years in his return to Pittsburgh. Between these two seasons, McCutchen had a .337 xwOBA, with a .414 xSLG%. His 9.5% barrel rate was only a slight improvement from ‘25, and his 89 MPH exit velocity was relatively similar to last season. During these two seasons, McCutchen had a 110 wRC+, which could be very useful to the Pirates in 2026.
Sure, McCutchen may not be the MVP-caliber hitter he was during the early-to-mid-2010s, but that doesn’t mean he still can’t be productive. He showed last year that he has the potential to still be a decent hitter in 2026. The Pirates have the opportunity to add a bat with the capacity to give them a 110 wRC+ who gets on base at a high rate, and slugs 15-20 home runs. Any team would take that opportunity to add to their lineup.
