Pirates finally add Andrew McCutchen to roster after disrespecting him at PiratesFest

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Pittsburgh Pirates v New York Yankees | Jim McIsaac/GettyImages

Nearly a month after re-signing him to a one-year, $5 million contract in free agency, the Pittsburgh Pirates have formally added Andrew McCutchen to their 40-man roster. It's the least they could do after the horrible gaffe they made during his autograph session at PiratesFest over the weekend – but more on that later.

McCutchen's addition to the 40-man roster now makes him officially eligible to be named to the 26-man Opening Day roster. The Pirates designated infielder Tristan Gray, whom they claimed off of waivers from the Oakland Athletics on Oct. 31, for assignment in a corresponding move.

McCutchen served primarily as a designated hitter for the Pirates last season, appearing in 120 games and racking 104 hits, 18 doubles, 20 home runs and 50 RBI while slashing .232/.328/.411 in his age-37 season. He is expected to fill a similar role for the club in 2025.

The Pirates selected McCutchen with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 MLB Draft; the 2025 campaign will mark his 17th Major League season and his 12th with the Pirates. Over his 11 seasons in Pittsburgh, he has slashed .284/.375/.475 with 235 home runs and 818 RBI. McCutchen ranks among the franchise's all-time greats, ranking in the top-10 in games played, at-bats, home runs, RBI, hits, doubles and total bases.

Pirates finally add Andrew McCutchen to roster after disrespecting him at PiratesFest

With McCutchen being the Pirates' most iconic player of this century, you'd think they would show him the most basic level of respect. However, at the team's annual PiratesFest fan event over the weekend, they couldn't even manage to spell his name correctly.

That's right – during the player autograph session, McCutchen's name plate clearly read "Andrew McCutcen" in a photo posted to the Pirates' Instagram account.

Not only did the Pirates misspell their franchise icon's name; no one caught it before they proudly displayed it on social media. The photo has since been deleted by the Pirates account, but not before plenty of screenshots were taken for proof.

Sadly, this lack of attention to detail should not come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the Pirates' front office and its tendency to cut corners. If gaffes like this one are any indication, Pirates fans could be in for another long season in 2025.

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