Defender Andrew McCutchen agrees to a deal with Brewers, El ExtraBase’s Daniel Álvarez Montes reports (on Twitter). Kane Rosenthal of Athletic mentioned This afternoon the parties were in discussions.
McCutchen, 35, has 13 MLB league seasons under his belt at this point, having broken into the league as a pirate in 2009. From that season to 2019, WRC+ scored at least 120 in every season except for a slight drop to 105 in 2016. In 2013 he hit 21 home runs, stole 27 bases and put up an astonishing streak of .317/404/.508, WRC+ of 156. Along with his excellent field defense, he deserved an amazing 8.1 fWAR on the year, winning the Player of the Year award in the National League and helping the Buccaneers achieve their first postseason since 1992.
In 2018, one year left to the extension he signed with the Buccaneers in 2012. The Bucs sent him to the Giants in exchange Brian ReynoldsAnd the Kyle Crick and international rewards funds. The Giants, in turn, sent McCutchen to the Yankees on the August exemption deadline. After hitting free agency for the first time, he signed a three-year, $50 million deal with the Phillies ahead of the 2019 season.
His production naturally decreased somewhat over the years, as his elite field defense gradually became below the left level. He hasn’t hit double-digit steals since 2018. However, he’s still a lot more useful off the bat, especially against the left pitch. Over the past two seasons, he’s made 37 home runs and cuts .232/.331/.441, wRC+ from 106. But when he has a platoon advantage, his streak jumps to .290/.402/.603, wRC+ from 164.
For the Brewers, they went 95-67 last year and won NL Central, despite a somewhat tepid attack. The entire team’s hitting streak was .233/.317/.396, adding up to a WRC+ of just 91, placing them 23rd out of 30 teams in the league. Their moves this season have been largely about trying to complement their impressive display with some increased firepower in the squad. To this end, they traded for Renfro hunter And the Mike Brusseau Before closing, and we’ve now added McCutchen to the mix, too.
McCutchen will join Renfrew in an outdoor group that also includes Christian WillichAnd the Lorenzo Cain And the Tyrone Taylor. This is a slightly crowded mix, but with the recent implementation of the designated hitter in the National League, they should be able to spread bats around any part of this group that needs a day of rest on their feet. McCutchen and Kane are both 35 years old, with Kane turning 36 in less than a month, making them particularly fit for some time in the DH slot, in order to stay healthy and in the squad all season.
However manager Craig Consell Deciding to build the squad, it looks like he’ll be able to get more firepower than last year’s edition, as they try to defend their league title and make the postseason for the fifth season in a row.
