Andrew McCutchen is presently unsigned for 2026, but the former NL MVP is still miffed that the Pirates did not invite him to their annual preseason fan fest.
McCutchen, who has played 12 of his 17 MLB seasons in Pittsburgh over two stints, took to social media Saturday night to express his unhappiness.
He cited Albert Pujols, Clayton Kershaw, Miguel Cabrera and others as examples of longtime stars who attended team functions in the past despite not being under contract for that upcoming season.
“I wonder, did the Cards do this [to Adam] Wainwright/Pujols/Yadi [Molina]? Dodgers to Kershaw? Tigers to Miggy? The list goes on and on,” McCutchen wrote on X. “If this is my last year, it would have been nice to meet the fans one last time as a player.”
Pirates GM Ben Cherington gave vague answers Saturday about why McCutchen — a five-time All-Star outfielder and the 2013 NL MVP — was not in attendance.
“Andrew has meant a ton to the team. He’s had an incredible run at two different times. Certainly, his legacy as a Pirate is secure,” Cherington said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Everybody with the Pirates, it’s our desire to maintain a really good relationship with Andrew well into the future.”
The 39-year-old McCutchen, who appeared in 25 games for the Yankees in 2018, batted just .239 with 13 home runs, 57 RBIs and a .700 OPS in 135 games — 120 as a designated hitter — for the Pirates last season.
“Then we come back to our team. What is the job? The job is to build a team that gives us the best chance to win games when you’re at the ballpark in June and July,” Cherington added. “Our approach this offseason has been laser-focused on what gives us the best chance to win more baseball games in Pittsburgh than we have in the past seasons. That’s gonna continue to guide our decisions. So much respect for Andrew. That relationship is really important to us.
“We’ll continue to communicate with him directly as the team comes together. We have more work to do.”
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