The Texas Rangers have dug into their change pocket again to find more money for a potential right-handed outfield bat, agreeing to a minor league deal with former NL MVP Andrew McCutchen, two people with knowledge of the deal told The Dallas Morning News.
The deal is still subject to a physical.
McCutchen, 39, spent the last three seasons with Pittsburgh, where he also began his career and enjoyed his most success. He was durable last year, playing 135 games almost exclusively as a DH. He slashed .239/.333/.367/.700 with 13 homers. More importantly, McCutchen, a right-handed hitter, had a .799 OPS against left-handed starters last year, making him a viable candidate as a platoon DH.
The move comes a day after it was revealed that Atlanta’s Jurickson Profar had been suspended for the full season for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. It had been rumored that McCutchen might end up with the Braves as a replacement.
The Rangers already have signed one veteran right-handed hitter as a potential part-time DH: Mark Canha. The 37-year-old is 4 for 14 in spring training, with all four hits being singles. Joc Pederson, the primary DH, is a left-handed hitter coming off a poor year. Pederson is 3 for 12 this spring, all singles.