Former MVP Andrew McCutchen has inked a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers, giving the 39-year-old veteran a chance to earn a roster spot during spring training. The five-time All-Star would earn $1.5 million if promoted to the major league roster after spending recent years with Pittsburgh.
Veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen has signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers, according to a source familiar with the agreement who spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday.
The source, who requested anonymity since the contract hasn’t been completed and McCutchen still must pass a physical examination, revealed that the 39-year-old would earn $1.5 million this season if promoted to the major league roster.
McCutchen faces a three-week audition during spring training to prove he deserves a roster spot with Texas. The Rangers appear set in their outfield with emerging talents Wyatt Langford manning left field and Evan Carter patrolling center, plus veteran addition Brandon Nimmo taking over right field duties.
However, Carter’s injury troubles limited him to just 63 games in 2025, creating a need for additional outfield depth that McCutchen could provide. The veteran’s right-handed swing could also offer balance at designated hitter, where left-handed batter Joc Pederson is expected to see most of the action.
The past three seasons saw McCutchen return to Pittsburgh, the organization that selected him in the opening round of the 2005 draft and brought him to the majors in 2009. McCutchen spent his first nine big league campaigns with the Pirates, earning five consecutive All-Star selections and capturing the 2013 National League MVP trophy while establishing himself as one of the franchise’s most beloved figures.
From 2018 to 2022, McCutchen played for four different organizations before his Pittsburgh reunion. Last season, he appeared in 135 contests, posting 13 home runs, 57 RBIs and a .700 OPS. When Pittsburgh began spring training activities last month, general manager Ben Cherington left open the possibility of McCutchen’s return, but the team’s acquisition of veteran Marcell Ozuna essentially closed the door on a roster spot.
“No matter what, Andrew’s a Pirate and certainly our desire will be to continue to have a really strong relationship with him into the future, whatever that looks like,” Cherington said at the time.