CLEARWATER, Fla. – Well, Andrew McCutchen wins points for honesty.
Prior to the Pirates’ exhibition opener against the Phillies on Saturday at Spectrum Stadium, McCutchen held court with the assembled Pittsburgh media in Philadelphia’s clubhouse.
I asked him why he decided to sign with the Phillies. He broke into the trademark Cutch grin and answered.
“Did you see what they offered me?” the 2013 National League MVP said. “That’s an easy choice. Yeah.”
McCutchen signed a three-year, $50-million contract in December in his first time as a free agent. The contract stands out in a slow market in which more than 30 players remain unsigned. McCutchen is just one of seven free agents to sign a contract of three or more years.
Even though it worked out for him, the 32-year-old McCutchen found out first-hand how much free agency has changed over the last two years. Teams are no longer throwing crazy money at older players.
“I didn’t know what to expect, because I saw the way last year went,” McCutchen said. “We knew there was a chance of this year being the same, if not worse. You go into it really excited, but at the same time, there’s just a bunch of questions that come with it – not knowing what’s going to be offered, not knowing what you’re going to get, not knowing what teams are going to be interested — pretty much just waiting by the phone, waiting for my agent to call and tell me who’s interested.
“That gets your blood pressure up a little bit, just going through that process – a lot different process than I expected years ago. I always thought the mindset was it’s a very exciting time. I get to choose where I go. Now, leading up to it, you choose, but it’s not necessarily that you’ve got teams coming left and right saying, ‘We want you. We want you.’ It wasn’t like that. I’m very pleased with the way the process went. It went good. The guys here, they were awesome. It went as smooth as it could have possibly gone.”
The Pirates traded McCutchen to the Giants prior to last season. San Francisco then dealt him to the Yankees in August, and he wound up in the postseason for the fourth time in his 10-year career.
However, McCutchen has yet to get past the Division Series round of the playoffs. He is confident that could change this year as the Phillies also signed standout reliever Dave Robertson in free agency and traded for a pair of All-Stars in catcher J.T. Realmuto and shortstop Jean Segura, along with left-handed reliever Jose Alvarez and former Pirates reliever Juan Nicasio.
And, of course, the Phillies are considered the heavy favorites to land Bryce Harper and still have interest in two fellow free agents, left-hander Dallas Keuchel and closer Craig Kimbrel.
“The Phillies were trying to get big-name guys when they signed me and I knew they weren’t done,” McCutchen said. “They are really all-in. You want that as a player, especially when you’ve tasted (the postseason) before. That’s what it’s all about. I want to win a championship and I think this team is capable of that.”
The Pirates, meanwhile, haven’t won a championship since 1979, or even their division since capturing three straight from ‘90-‘92. They acted like the anti-Phillies over the winter, spending little in free agency.
In fact, the Pirates’ projected opening-day payroll of $73 million is expected to be the second-lowest in the major leagues behind the Rays’ $60 million.
McCutchen admits he doesn’t follow the Pirates as closely now that he is more than a year removed from being traded. However, he did know they have a tiny payroll.
“That hasn’t changed. It’s always been that way,” McCutchen said. “They have a different philosophy. It’s making things work without spending a lot of money to get big-name guys. That’s the way it’s always been. They did well for themselves last year. They had an over-.500 season (82-79). That was good. It shows you don’t always need the payroll to win. That’s always been their philosophy.”