Veteran bat Andrew McCutchen is heading to the Braves on a minor league agreement, according to multiple reports, including from Jon Heyman of the New York Post. McCutchen opened the season with the Rangers. He was DFAed and released in late May.
Atlanta collects another seasoned hitter after adding Carlos Santana last week. The club has missed Sean Murphy and Ronald Acuna Jr. for an extended stretch, which has thinned the depth on the offensive side. The Braves also moved on from Rowdy Tellez yesterday. McCutchen will head to the Florida Complex League to work his way into playing shape.
Embarking on his 18th season, McCutchen posted a 55 wRC+ in 83 plate appearances with the Rangers. He played 13 games in the outfield with Texas, which was more than he had totaled in his last two years with the Pirates. Pittsburgh’s willingness to play McCutchen in the field was a point of contention during his tenure. The club signed Marcell Ozuna to handle DH this winter, signaling the end of the 2013 MVP’s time in Pittsburgh.
The metrics didn’t look great for the 39-year-old McCutchen over a small sample in Texas. His bat speed was down about half a tick from last season and more than 2 mph from 2024. McCutchen had a paltry 28.8% hard-hit rate and a 5.8% barrel rate. The veteran was striking out at a career-worst 26.5% clip.
McCutchen has been an above-average hitter as recently as 2024. He slashed .232/.328/.411 with 20 home runs as a near-everyday player for the Pirates that year. McCutchen delivered a 95 wRC+ last season. He reached 135 games played for the first time since 2021.
Photo courtesy of Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images
