The Philadelphia Phillies have quite a few holes to fill at the trade deadline. Starting pitching depth and late-inning relievers are all the talk right now, but the club’s five-year search for a competent right-handed bat has turned up nothing to this point. Unfortunately, they missed a prime opportunity to pick up another low-cost option in old friend Andrew McCutchen.
Phillies fans are familiar with the lovable McCutchen from his three years in red pinstripes. Former Phils general manager Matt Klentak signed the Floridian outfielder to a three-year, $50 million pact ahead of the 2019 season in an effort to get the club out of an ill-fated rebuild.
Unfortunately, a brutal ACL tear robbed the Phillies and McCutchen of the majority of his first season in town, and the COVID-19 pandemic cut short his second campaign. All told, McCutchen worked to a rock solid .237/.343/.444 slash line over 260 games with the Phillies before departing in free agency ahead of the 2022 season.
The 18-year veteran has a long and storied playing career, best known for his dozen seasons in a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform. The 39-year-old boasts an overflowing trophy case filled with an MVP Award, four Silver Sluggers, a Gold Glove and five All-Star selections.
Now in the twilight of his career, McCutchen is far from a big league regular, but still offers a bit of upside at the plate. Just last year he posted a decent .700 OPS across 551 trips to the plate, and was even better the year before with a .739 mark in 120 games.
However, this season has been a steep drop off for the veteran outfielder, as he put up a miserable .537 OPS in 37 games with the Texas Rangers before they cut him loose at the end of May. That release opened up an opportunity for the Phillies, who can certainly use another experienced bat to add to their outfield mix.
It would've been nice to see Cutch back in a Phillies uniform
The Phils entered this year with an outfield alignment of Brandon Marsh, Justin Crawford and Adolis García. While Marsh has broken out with an All-Star-caliber showing, Crawford has struggled to tread water in his rookie season while García was a complete flop before undergoing season-ending surgery. The Phillies’ right field mix now consists of scuffling prospect Gabriel Rincones Jr. and journeyman Derek Hill.
Well-traveled mercenary Tommy Pham was brought in on a minor league pact last week to stash a bit of depth at Triple-A, and McCutchen could’ve served much the same role had the Phillies signed him. Considering how little they’ve gotten from two-thirds of their outfield this season, it would've been wise to buy as many lottery tickets as possible.
Unfortunately, the division-rival Atlanta Braves beat the Phils to the punch, reeling in Cutch on a minor league pact of their own on Friday. Seeing as former MVP right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. is out with a hamstring injury, it’s a good bit of business for Atlanta to bring in a low-cost veteran.
It would’ve been nice to see a beloved player give it one more shot with the Phillies, but alas it was not meant to be. Hopefully Rincones, Hill, or some future addition will lock down right field and make Phillies fans forget all about Andrew McCutchen.
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