Pirates announce Andrew McCutchen's long-awaited return in epic fashion

After a big Monday morning of moves across the league, the Pirates got in on the action by announcing that their face of the franchise would be returning to Pittsburgh. The Pirates have re-signed fan favorite Andrew McCutchen to a one-year contract worth $5 million.

There were rumors across X for a while that McCutchen was returning to the Pirates, but they were never confirmed until now. Many fans knew that this deal could happen at any minute, but right before Christmas, the team made it official, dropping the news themselves on their official account.

Pirates are bringing back Andrew McCutchen and immediately announce it.

Given the historical import of a guy like McCutchen, it is wonderful to see the team break the news themselves instead of waiting a week for everyone to find out whether everything's official. Additionally, what a way to get back into the holiday spirit by bringing a fan favorite back.

McCutchen will serve primarily as the Pirates' designated hitter in 2025, as that was his role in 2024. He was one of the best hitters in Pittsburgh's lineup, even given his advanced age of 38 years old. He won't play the field that much next season, but keeping him in the lineup as much as they can will benefit them a lot.

Last season, McCutchen belted 20 home runs, 18 doubles, and a triple to generate a .411 slugging percentage. That paired with an on-base percentage of .328 to generate an OPS of .739. His wRC+ reached 105, which is five points above the league average. He did strike out at a career-high 25.8% rate, though that's acceptable based on recent whiff levels across MLB.

His home run total ranked third on the team, making his power very beneficial to the organization. It is great to see the Pirates bringing back their former MVP once again. Since being traded from the Pirates before the 2018 season, he has signed three separate one-year deals to play in Pittsburgh. He wants to be here, and it is very exciting to see a Pirates legend (and a still effective one, at that) return once again.