Pittsburgh Pirates' Andrew McCutchen celebrates in the dugout with his teammates after hitting a three-run home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
The Texas Rangers have dug into their change pocket again to find some more money to spare 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.
McCutchen would earn $1.5 million in base salary if he makes the team. He could push it up to $2.5 million with performance bonuses.
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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 then 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 swinger coming off a poor year. Pederson is 3 for 12 this spring, all singles.
At the very least, McCutchen provides a little more competition and some depth from which the Rangers can choose.
As the Rangers reach the midpoint of spring training in Surprise, it’s time to give out some camp superlatives from the first half of Cactus League play.
Texas’ third baseman has been sidelined with the injury for the last week.
Seager, for the first time since he’s been in Texas, was not the highest-ranked Ranger on the list.
Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Evan has covered the Rangers since 1997. He has twice been named one of the top 10 beat writers in the country by the AP Sports Editors. His passions outside of covering baseball are his wife, Gina, his two step kids, two crazy dogs & barbecue. Let's not discuss the cat. Evan graduated from Georgia State University, but oddly is a Georgia fan.
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