Andrew McCutchen: “The Pirates screwed up.”

This offseason has been positive for the Pittsburgh Pirates, especially compared to previous years, as they have acquired Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn, among others.

But not everything is rosy this winter for the Steel City's representatives. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, there is an awkward contract dispute with Andrew McCutchen, who wants to return, but the Pirates do not want to bring him back.

The Pirates screwed up. They know they made a mistake, according to several people within the organization who requested anonymity. But if they had been as direct as they should have been with McCutchen, informing him last season or even last winter that 2025 would be his last year with the club, he probably wouldn't have reacted well.

However, it seems there is still a chance McCutchen could return to Pittsburgh.

Perhaps owner Bob Nutting will step in and order general manager Ben Cherington to sign McCutchen, fearing another public relations nightmare if the team's relationship with a franchise legend falls apart. Nutting met with McCutchen personally last Thursday. The Pirates have not ruled out the return of the 17-year veteran.

Regardless of how this saga ends, it doesn't change the fact that this whole situation could have been avoided with better communication from the Pirates about their plan with the player himself. No surprises here.

Things are awkward between Andrew McCutchen and the Pirates. But conflict might have been unavoidable. Column: https://t.co/KR1xYOcIZ8

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 3, 2026

The fact that the Pirates are moving on from McCutchen is not a big surprise, but the lack of communication with their legend has made things much worse than they should be, and no one comes out of this situation a winner.

Time will tell if Pittsburgh will ultimately offer McCutchen another contract.

This content was created with the help of AI.