McCutchen, confident he can be difference maker, returns to Pirates

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Andrew McCutchen can sense the end of his baseball career coming. It's not quite here yet. The five-time All-Star agreed to a $5 million, one-year deal on Monday to stay in Pittsburgh for the 2025 season, confident he can still be a difference-maker for a team trying to get back toward postseason contention. "I think the biggest thing for me is knowing I can still compete and can still be able to produce," the 38-year-old said. "I still feel like there's a way that I can be better and I know that it's still in there." When that hard-to-define "it" disappears, McCutchen will know it's time to move on. The 2013 National League MVP realizes that day will come soon enough. It's not here yet. For now, he's eager for a 17th season in the big leagues, including 12 in his adopted hometown. McCutchen has made no secret of his desire to finish his career in Pittsburgh, which drafted him in 2005 and where he spent the first nine seasons of his career before returning in 2023. General manager Ben Cherington repeatedly said toward the end of last season the team wanted to find a way to keep the outfielder-turned-designated hitter who hit .232 with 20 home runs and 53 RBIs in 120 games last season. The man who signs the checks felt the same way. "It was important for me and for everyone within our organization that Andrew remain in a Pirates uniform. It is where he belongs," Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement. "In my conversations with Andrew, he made clear his strong desire to help the team in every way he can, both on the field and in the clubhouse. I am glad he is back." So is McCutchen, building a resume that could merit Hall of Fame consideration whenever he retires. He will enter 2025 with 2,127 hits and 319 home runs. He's also in the top 10 in most major offensive categories for a franchise that's been around for over 137 years and counting. While McCutchen allowed there are certain aspects of getting ready for the season he doesn't quite enjoy — like finding a rental home for his wife Maria and their four children during a two-month stay in Bradenton, Florida, Pittsburgh's spring-training home — the drive that made him one of the biggest stars in the game while leading the club to three straight playoff berths from 20013-15 remains vibrant. "I always wanted to be in a position to where I would be able to ... play for as long as I want or as long as my body would let me," he said. McCutchen was shut down in September 2023 due to an Achilles injury and had dealt with hamstring issues last season, though that didn't stop him from reaching the 20-homer plateau for the 10th time. He's spent some of the offseason trying to get down to 190 pounds, about 10 pounds lighter than in 2024. "I do think that's going to help me a lot and help my legs out a lot," he said. "And learning when I need to turn it off and turn it on. If I can do that I do think it can keep me on the field and I can be in the lineup for 120-plus games, because I do feel like I can produce." The Pirates are coming off a second straight 76-86 season and have a starting rotation that features NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes. McCutchen remains bullish on the near future, though Pittsburgh has been relatively quiet in terms of acquiring talent to supplement a lineup that finished near the bottom of the NL in runs, batting average and homers. The only significant acquisition so far has been trading for first baseman Spencer Horwitz. Yet McCutchen isn't necessarily married to the idea that the Pirates need to splurge to contend. He was the centerpiece of Pittsburgh teams with modest payrolls a decade ago that reached the playoffs for three straight seasons from 2013-15. "There are things you can't look on paper and see it," he said. "You just go out there and do it. We got to do those small things, a lot of small things. It's what I'm here for." ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB