Pirates nightmare grows as Andrew McCutchen heats up in Texas

The most controversial action the Pittsburgh Pirates took this offseason may have been the move that they didn't make.

Andrew McCutchen wanted to finish his career where it started — and the fans wanted it, too — but the organization had other plans. Botching the McCutchen send-off was bad, but what comes next might be worse.

The biggest gamble the Pirates took was signing declining veteran slugger Marcell Ozuna to take over McCutchen's spot. Since he was coming off a down year, Pittsburgh hedged its bet by loading Ozuna's contract with incentives, but a $12 million base salary for a player who can only provide value in the batter's box is still a hefty price.

So far, that decision seems to have aged poorly. It's only been a few games, but McCutchen's off to a hot start with a .455/.455/.909 line through four games with the Texas Rangers, while Ozuna has managed a putrid .083/.214/.083 performance through three games with Pittsburgh.

The stark difference between Andrew McCutchen and Marcell Ozuna's starts could prove the Pirates bet on the wrong old guy

In reality, the chances of either of these guys having a tremendous impact in 2026 are slim. McCutchen's 95 wRC+ a year ago made him essentially a replacement-level player thanks to having next to no defensive value. Ozuna's 114 wRC+ was better last year, but he's been a net-negative WAR player in both 2021 and 2022.

Without the glove to fall back on, both of these guys have to hit in order to have any tangible value. And in this case, the devil you know might be better than the devil you don't.

When it comes to McCutchen, you know what you're going to get. He'll play his heart out and give whatever he has left in the tank. He'll be a mentor for the younger players. He'll integrate himself into the community.

With Ozuna, those intangibles are in question, and his off-field issues are ripe for causing a distraction. Once you factor that in, it starts to seem like Ozuna will have a higher bar to clear for offensive production in order for the total package offered to be worthwhile.

That could still happen. Comparatively, the 35-year-old Ozuna is still a spring chicken compared to the 39-year-old McCutchen, so it's far too soon to write this off as a loss yet.

After all McCutchen has meant to the Pirates over the years, fans will be keeping a close eye on how he's playing in Texas, and these comparisons aren't going to go away unless Ozuna reverts to his 2024 form. Even then, we'll still look back wistfully, wondering what would've happened had the modern-day Pirates legend gotten the opportunity to finish his career where it all began.