Andrew McCutchen has a Case to Return to the Phillies

With Pitchers and Catchers reporting on Wednesday, teams are starting to cement the general blueprint for what their Major League roster will look like. With this being said, there are still several players left in free agency waiting to be signed, who, for one reason or another, could provide teams with various forms of value.

The Phillies are a team that many, including myself, should look for another player to add to the roster through what’s left in free agency. The general consensus is that the team should add a starting pitcher, whether it’s John Means, Walker Buehler, Max Scherzer, or any of the other several pitchers left.

But one player that I want to argue the Phillies should look into bringing in is actually a former Phillie, that being Andrew McCutchen. Here’s why:

Open Slot On the Bench

As the Phillies look to cement the general blueprint of their roster, there is one spot that seems to be pretty open for the taking, and that position is the final outfield bench bat spot. The team, for the most part, is very well set up for their Opening Day bench: Edmundo Sosa manning the infield, Garrett Stubbs/Rafael Marchan backing up J.T. Realmuto, and then Otto Kemp or Brandon Marsh depending on whether a lefty or righty is on the mound that day. But what gives the Phillies the chance to make an out-of-organization move is the fact that the Phillies really don’t have a super satisfactory answer for their final outfield bench bat.

They don’t have an answer there because the solution can’t be whoever isn’t in the starting lineup between Marsh and Kemp, because what happens when you need to pinch hit one for the other? What happens when Adolis Garcia or Justin Crawford gets hurt in-game or, for some other reason need to be subbed for? The bench platoon bat can’t be the answer there. So you need to bring someone else into the fold, but maybe the team has good enough bench outfielders already?

Well, I wouldn’t trust it. The main bench option to bring up right now is Johan Rojas, really good defensively, super fast, but has yet to show he can sufficiently hit at the Major League level, and even with being super talented defensively, there were several times last year when he made a bad defensive error. If he could hit well enough in the Majors, he would be in the starting lineup, but he can’t, so he’s not.

Another option is Dylan Moore. Moore is a utility player, so more options to put him in the game. He’s signed to a Minor League contract, which tells you the level of play he most likely will bring in, but also makes just under $2 million if in the majors, so he is a cheap option. He would be the most likely option, given he has the most experience out of the options, by many reports, is the projected bench bat there, but I don’t think those reasons are good enough.

You could do Nick Castellanos, but his situation seems totally doomed and almost certainly will be off the team come full roster training next week.

Finally is Gabriel Rincones Jr., who will probably get a lot of at-bats this spring and is well beloved by Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies front office. The problem, though, is Rincones has no Major League experience, and is pretty much Marsh with potentially more power but way worse numbers versus left-handed pitching.

This is where McCutchen comes in. He is being left in the dust by the Pittsburgh Pirates after they signed Marcell Ozuna from the Atlanta Braves to a one-year deal to take over the designated hitter position. But that does not mean McCutchen should not be looked at, and for several reasons, including the fact that they lack a better option on the team.

Justin Crawford’s Development

The Phillies have a very veteran-oriented team; it seems like every spot on the team has some star who’s well into his 30s, so why would McCutchen be needed for veteran leadership? Well, because you don’t have veteran leadership in the outfield specifically. Kyle Schwarber is good, but mainly a DH, and can’t really provide defensive value. Bryce Harper is good and was a corner outfielder for most of his career, but now he is manning first base. Garcia is brand new to the team, so mentoring a rookie is not a responsibility that should be forced on him. Marsh is still a younger guy and has enough questions to his game that it doesn’t seem as fruitful to give him a much younger kid to mentor.

McCutchen, however, would be perfect to mentor Crawford. McCutchen has experience as a top-of-the-line defensive outfielder, and has played at every outfield position, success and flexibility shown there. He was a stellar baserunner in his prime, and the MLB player is definitely more difficult to run on, whether stealing a base or just extending hits. There is an art and rhythm to it, one that McCutchen mastered. Finally, for a several-year stretch back in the early-mid 2010s, McCutchen was one of, possibly the best hitter in the Majors, definitely to be argued in the National League, culminating in a 2013 NL MVP, where he hit .317 with 21 home runs and a .912 OPS. Safe to say he has good hitting abilities to talk about.

To put this section simply. Crawford is a rookie who, no matter what, needs to continue his development. And players like McCutchen have had enough success in every facet of the game to bring valuable knowledge for Crawford to learn from.

He’s Still Got It A Bit

While McCutchen is not the same hitter he was back in those mid-2010s, even during the 2019-2021 time he spent in Philadelphia. But he still has some fuel left in the tank.

McCutchen this past season hit to a .292 average and .822 OPS in 21 games in April, and an .852 OPS in August over 22 games, a decent .742 OPS and .267 average against lefties. For a 39-year old, those are numbers that occurred over a long enough stretch of time last year that show he still can produce to an extent. Those are numbers that certainly can translate to a bench role, and numbers that are more than likely better than what guys like Rojas, Moore, or Rincones would give you. He also has an abundant amount of experience in all three outfield spots, so while he’s not in his heyday athletically anymore, he certainly can replace any of the starters if need be and give serviceable defense.

Overall, McCutchen is an old player who is coming to the end of his career; he’s a legend of the game. But I don’t think he is done yet, and I think the reasons given above show there is certainly value to bring him in. The final reason? It’s fun. It would be very fun and enjoyable to see a Phillies lineup come out and see #22, left fielder, Andrew McCutchen. He was an enjoyable piece of those initial years of Harper’s Philly tenure and brought a swagger to the team during that time. It would certainly be fun to see him and that swagger back in the Phillies dugout this season.

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