The youth movement of the Minnesota Twins will be a pivotal development in 2026.
You could easily make the argument that the season hinges on major steps forward for guys like Brooks Lee, Royce Lewis, and Matt Wallner. That’s before considering the emergence of the next class of top prospects, such as Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, and Connor Prielipp.
With that in mind, it would make a ton of sense for the club to bring in a savvy veteran who can support that development as a teammate on the field and as a positive clubhouse presence.
That leader might be Andrew McCutchen.
The Pittsburgh Pirates legend is certainly in the twilight years of his illustrious career, but I’m willing to bet he still has plenty to give for a team that needs more “been there, done that” attitude. Don’t get me wrong, current veterans on the Twins, like Byron Buxton and Pablo López, are incredible contributors and efficacious, positive role models for their teammates. Their contributions and health are certainly foundational to the team’s overall success.
But with Carlos Correa and Christian Vázquez gone from their corner lockers in the Target Field clubhouse, the Twins could use someone of McCutchen’s caliber as their replacement.
The 39-year-old has spent 18 years in the major leagues, with a long track record of getting on base and controlling the strike zone. Even in the coming year when McCutchen will be sniffing 40 years old, he is still projected to have a 12% walk rate, and an on-base average around .330. That would have been better than Byron Buxton, Matt Wallner, and Royce Lewis in 2025.
If McCutchen’s last three years of performance with the Pirates are any indication of what to expect in 2026 — which, granted, may be a stretch given his age — then it would be a solid get for a Twins outfield corps that is desperate for some production from the right side of the plate. Since the start of the 2023 season, the veteran has a combined .242/.345/.391 clip, which is about five percent better than league average production.
Andrew McCutchen would essentially be a right-handed version of Trevor Larnach, who he’d likely have to replace in this scenario. That’s been something Twins fans have pondered for the last three years. How different would the roster look if Larnach could magically have similar production, just from the right side of the plate?
That could be a suitable platoon with someone like Alan Roden or Matt Wallner, while not blocking significant playing time when they eventually call up the young prospects. So, if the Twins could make this happen for a reasonable one-year contract, even for the same $4.4 million price tag, plus whatever they could get for Larnach in a trade, then why wouldn’t they?
McCutchen’s numbers against left-handed pitching have been solid enough to be a sizable improvement over Larnach, Josh Bell, Kody Clemens, and Victor Caratini, who are all pegged to get most of the action at designated hitter. McCutchen has been league-average or better in every season since 2017 when it comes to hitting southpaws, and he was well-above average as recently as 2023 when he had a .793 OPS.
McCutchen’s on-field value to the Twins would likely come as a platoon with the designated hitter, and possibly some limited time in left field. He was mostly relegated to DH duties last year. Still, ask him yourself, and you’ll find out that he believes there’s certainly a willingness and an ability to flash the leather in the outfield grass.
Take a look at this post on Twitter/X from a few weeks ago, where ‘Cutch lets off some steam on his frustrations with his doubters.
It is really funny how so many ppl say I “Can’t(key word) play defense.” I haven’t played much defense because they haven’t asked that of me. The only reason I played a few games last year is because Reynolds needed rest from a minor injury and I ASKED to play defense to get in…
— Andrew McCutchen (@TheCUTCH22) January 19, 2026
Now, he’ll have to back that up with good play to silence his detractors. Still, it’s reasonable to suggest he can be at least occasionally passable. He still has sprint speed just under league average and an arm that isn’t a complete noodle. But I digress, because I won’t win the argument for bringing Andrew McCutchen on a defense sticking point, but on his veteran presence and his ability to hit left-handed pitching, two areas where the Twins could use a boost.
Signing a 39-year-old mostly-DH is by no means a Plan A for an offseason addition. It’s a potential improvement on the margins over what they currently have in stock, and the investment would reflect that. Still, it would pay off with the intangible benefit of having a respected veteran voice, a former top prospect and MVP, and someone who isn’t afraid to play for a team that is seeking redemption after a couple of difficult years.
After the Pirates signed Marcell Ozuna to replace him on the roster, maybe ‘Cutch is looking for some redemption of his own.