What’s McCutchen’s Role Here in 2024?

10-7-23 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on X

There are things you’re not supposed to do as a fan.

You’re never supposed to admit that guys like Sidney Crosby are no longer capable of doing some things they did with ease in their 20’s. When their contract comes up and they still want to play, you’re not supposed to want the team to even entertain letting that happen elsewhere.

You’re not supposed to look at Andrew McCutchen and talk to his ability being limited to primarily DH. You’re certainly not supposed to mention that’s not exactly ideal for how this roster is shaping up.

Yeah, yeah, all the stuff you’re yelling at the screen are true too. He is an icon. This team made a deal with him and it’s very very likely he’s coming back. Both sides should and do want this. Hey, I do too!

I knew when he came back last year he wasn’t going to be MVP Cutch, we all did, but I think it’s fair to say, I did expect him to play in the outfield 15 times or so, you know, when you wanna rest a guy or you want to work in a different bat here and there. That simple fact, he has a bat you want to see play, but it has to be in this one spot makes this roster hard to put together, especially if you see Cutch getting over 350 at bats or so.

He only had 390 at bats in 2023, so I’m not trying to act like he’s just never gonna play, I’m just saying they may need to think about working in a lefty DH at times. If they choose to keep a guy like Andujar around, he really isn’t more than a DH and emergency level capable corner outfielder. That would make two spots taken up for really no more than a half to three-quarter workload. I can’t see it.

I’ve kinda done this before, but folks you get 13 position players. OK, you can have more, but let’s just say at some point when you need the arms 13 is where it’ll settle in to.

Real quick,
The Locks (5)
Bryan Reynolds LF, CF, DH
Jack Suwinski CF, LF, RF, DH
Ke’Bryan Hayes 3B
Oneil Cruz SS, DH
Endy Rodriguez C

Almost For Sure (5)
Liover Peguero 2B, SS (SS is why he’s almost for sure)
Jared Triolo 3B, 2B, 1B (Needing all three of those positions is why he is likely in)
Henry Davis C, RF, DH (The bat makes teaching him to catch in AAA stupid and he’s a big reason I think Cutch will need to sacrifice some at bats)
Conner Joe LF, RF, 1B (You can question his value, but the Pirates gave him 4th most ABs on the club, he’ll be here)
Jason Delay C (He’ll be the backup catcher, even if Henry takes off back there)

Signings (2)
First Baseman – You don’t need the name to know they have to fill it and leave a spot.
Andrew McCutchen DH – He walks back in cause he was always going to.

In a Fight for 1 Spot
Miguel Andujar DH, LF, RF (you can use him in the OF, but you’d really prefer to have a hole at DH, we’ll know by December on this one as they’ll have to tender him to keep him)
Joshua Palacios OF (Great pinch hitter, unexpected and timely pop, decent defender and gives you the lefty platoon for the OF)
Nick Gonzales 2B, SS, 3B (This one might come down to Nick having to outplay Jared Triolo and even then, he’ll never match his glove)
Ji-hwan Bae CF, 2B (The backup CF won’t be enough, he has to win it outright I believe, Palacios, Jack and Reynolds all have the ability to play out there in relief, and defensively he’s behind the competition at 2B)

My guess is out of these 4, you cringed a time or two about either losing them or starting them in AAA.

Andrew McCutchen has to come back, his return to the team meant a lot to him, the room and the fans. To the credit to everyone involved they communicated before last season that they all understood to start this conversation is to commit to not screwing it up.

All that said, this likely has last hurrah written all over it, and if that’s not where Cutch’s head is, the Pirates are going to have an honest to god baseball problem on their hands because I can’t see this continuing into 2025.

In 2024, first, my hope would be that Andrew can play a little more outfield. Nothing crazy, but if he can take on 15-20 games out there, it makes a lot of other things fall together. If he can’t, and he’s just a DH, I personally can’t roster Miguel Andujar. It was cute with 28 roster spots, but with 26, I can’t have two DH/maybe we can play them types.

This also presumes Cutch and a first baseman, let’s call him Sarlos Cantana, represents all they bring in.

What if they decide they need a vet SS backup with Cruz having some questions pre-injury? I find this unlikely because if defense is your main concern there, and it likely would be, you have Williams in the minors you could go to.

They could ultimately want to make all the kids fight over 2B in the minors and go outside to up the baseline there a bit.

How about a better corner outfielder or a top notch centerfielder, what happens then?

If you can’t look at this roster and see why Andrew McCutchen should be welcomed back, but encouraged not to linger, you’re probably looking with your heart.

He has a role, it’s 250-350 at bats in 2024.

I’ll go a step further, if by the end of 2024 Andrew McCutchen is even seen as the 5th best hitter on the team this whole thing is in a heap of trouble, especially considering we’re starting out with him firmly in the top 5 as we speak.

Like it or don’t, Andrew is now a legend that needs pushed aside as the season plays out and it’s on the development team to ensure DH doesn’t become the only place to stick some of these prospects we’re still messing around with defensively like Henry Davis.

Ask yourself, if Andrew McCutchen had decided 2023 was it, would you be trying to fill his position in free agency or would you be campaigning for one of those 4 fighting for a spot? Maybe you would want to go outside, truth is if you did, wouldn’t you want someone who can help you in the field too? Maybe a bit more power? Maybe some more average? From a DH, probably, IF your honest.

McCutchen’s name tends to make that last part hard.

Because I honestly want him back, the fan in me can’t even mentally process that falling through, but the roster builder in me, yeah, I’ve told that guy to shut up more than once thinking about this.