If you’re a Pirates fan, you already know - Andrew McCutchen isn’t just a player. He’s a chapter in the franchise’s story.
His name still echoes through PNC Park like a familiar anthem, and even now, when he steps into the batter’s box, there’s that flicker of hope - that feeling that something might happen. He’s more than a veteran presence.
He’s a symbol.
But baseball, for all its nostalgia, doesn’t wait around for sentiment. Time moves on, and so do rosters.
The Pirates are staring down the reality that the McCutchen era may finally be winding to a close. That’s tough to swallow, but it also opens the door for some practical decisions - and that’s where Miguel Andújar re-enters the picture.
Now, let’s be clear: nobody’s replacing McCutchen in the hearts of fans. That’s not what this is about.
But from a roster construction standpoint, Andújar checks some important boxes. He’s a right-handed bat with pop, a capable DH, and someone who can plug in at the corners when injuries inevitably hit.
And perhaps most importantly - he’s not new to this clubhouse. He’s worn the black and gold before, logging time with the Pirates in 2022 and 2023.
That familiarity matters.
Andújar’s 2025 season didn’t make national headlines, but it should’ve caught the attention of front offices. Splitting time between Oakland and Cincinnati, he quietly posted a .318 batting average, a .352 on-base percentage, and a .470 slugging mark.
Add in 10 homers, 44 RBI, and an .822 OPS over 341 plate appearances, and you’ve got a guy who knows how to keep an offense moving. He’s not a centerpiece, but he’s a stabilizer - and that’s exactly what Pittsburgh needs.
The Pirates have already started shopping in this tier of the market. They brought in Brandon Lowe.
They added Ryan O’Hearn. The message is clear: they’re trying to raise the offensive floor around their core of Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, and a pitching staff that’s now fronted by phenom Paul Skenes.
If you’re serious about making the most of Skenes’ starts, you can’t keep rolling out lineups that struggle to scratch across two runs. That’s how you waste elite pitching.
Andújar fits the Pirates' typical mold - a cost-effective upgrade who’s coming off a productive year but isn’t going to break the bank. He’s the kind of player who hits free agency with solid numbers but just enough flaws to keep the price tag in check. For a team like Pittsburgh, that’s a sweet spot.
Defensively, he’s more of a “break glass in case of emergency” option than someone you pencil in all over the field. His value isn’t going to pop on a WAR leaderboard.
But that’s not the point. The Pirates don’t need a star to replace McCutchen - they need competent, consistent big-league bats who can lengthen the lineup and make opposing pitchers work.
If the Pirates do move on from Cutch, the goal has to be building a lineup that gives this team a real shot - especially on nights when Skenes is on the mound dealing. Miguel Andújar won’t fix everything, but he might be the kind of under-the-radar addition that helps Pittsburgh stop letting winnable games slip away. And in a division that’s always up for grabs, that kind of bat can make a real difference.