outfielder Andrew McCutcheon is in a deal with the brewers, according to El ExtraBase’s Daniel Alvarez Montes (on twitter). Ken Rosenthal of Athletic informed this afternoon the parties were in discussions.
McCutcheon, 35, now has 13 seasons in MLB under his belt, breaking into the league as a pirate in 2009. From that season to 2019, he posted at least 120 in wRC+ every season, with the exception of a small drop to 105 in 2016. In 2013, he hit 21 home runs, stole 27 bases, and hit an incredible .317/404/.508 line, wRC+ 156. Combined with his excellent defense in center field, he cost an incredible 8.1 fWAR for the year, winning National League MVP and assisting.” Pirates” to reach the playoffs for the first time since 1992.
In 2018, he had one year left on his extension, which he signed with the Pirates back in 2012. Buck sent him to the Giants in exchange for Brian Reynolds, Kyle Creek and international bonus money. The Giants, in turn, sent McCutchen to the Yankees at the August withdrawal deadline. After reaching freedom for the first time, he signed a three-year, $50 million contract with the Phillies ahead of the 2019 season.
His performance has naturally declined somewhat over the years, and his elite midfield defense has gradually become a subpar left field defense. He has not achieved double-digit interceptions since 2018. However, he is still very useful with the bat, especially against the left hand serve. Over the past two seasons, he’s hit 37 home runs and cut .232/.331/.441 wRC+ out of 106. But when he has a platoon lead, his line jumps to .290/.402/.603, wRC+ out of 164.
As for the Brewers, they went 95-67 last year and won the NL Central despite a rather tepid offense. The points line for the entire team was .233/.317/.396 for a total wRC+ of 91, placing them 23rd out of 30 teams in the league. Their moves this off-season have mostly been about trying to complement their excellent serve with some firepower boosts in the roster. For this they exchanged Hunter Renfro as well as Mike Broso before the lockout, and now McCutcheon has been added.
McCutcheon will join Renfro on the field team, which also includes Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain as well as Tyrone Taylor. It’s a bit of an overcrowded mix, but with the recent introduction of the designated hitter in the National League, they should be able to spread bats around the part of this group that needs a day off. McCutchen and Kain are both 35 and Kain will be turning 36 in less than a month, making them especially suited for some time in the DH slot to keep them healthy and stay in the lineup throughout the season.
However, the manager Craig Counsell decides to put together a roster that looks like it will be capable of more firepower than last year’s version as they attempt to defend their division title and reach the postseason for the fifth straight season.