September 21, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates’ designated hitter Andrew McCutchen (22) hit a hit against the Athletics in the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Outfielder Andrew McCutchen signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers on Thursday.
McCutchen, 39, is a candidate for the designated hitter platoon along with Joc Pederson, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Multiple reports suggest that McCutchen’s base salary would be around $1.5 million if he is added to the 40-man roster. ESPN reports that the deal is awaiting actual completion.
He appeared in 135 games (120 as a designated hitter) for the Pirates last season, recording a batting average of 0.239, 13 home runs, 22 doubles, and 57 RBI. McCutchen has been working on a return to Pittsburgh, but the franchise that drafted him out of high school in the first round in 2005 has shown little interest in bringing him back.
An All-Star for five consecutive seasons and the 2013 National League MVP, McCutchen played the first nine seasons of his MLB career and the last three seasons with the Pirates. He was traded to the Giants in 2018 and finished that season with the Yankees, followed by three seasons with the Phillies and one season with Milwaukee.
This offseason, the Pirates signed Marcell Ozuna to play the designated hitter position.
In a now-deleted social media post in January, McCutchen mused aloud why Pittsburgh didn’t extend a contract offer the way other franchises have done with the team’s one-time pillars late in their careers.
“I wonder if the Cards did this to Wainwright/Pujols/Yadi? The Dodgers to Kershaw? The Tigers to Miggy? The list goes on,” McCutchen wrote. “If this year was my last, it would have been nice to meet my fans one last time as a player.”
McCutchen played in 2,262 games and posted a career .271 batting average, the most of any active player.
–Field level media
