Andrew McCutchen’s second tour of duty with the Pirates is over.
The 2013 National League Most Valuable Player has agreed to a minor league deal with the Rangers, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed.
McCutchen’s deal, first reported by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, is worth $1.25 million if he makes the major league squad, and can max out at $2.5 million if he reaches all of his incentives.
He wasted no time embracing his new team, donning a cowboy hat in a brief X video posted hours after news of the deal broke.
The 39-year-old returned to Pittsburgh ahead of the 2023 season for what appeared to be a fitting late-career swan song after spending his first nine seasons with the organization.
While his performance was a far cry from his MVP peak, McCutchen still offered pop as a veteran right-handed hitter, averaging 15 home runs and 50 RBIs the past three campaigns.
In 135 games last season, McCutchen slashed .239/.333/.367 with 13 homers and 57 RBIs (95 wRC+).
Primarily a designated hitter at this juncture, the former Yankee maintained he wanted to continue his career in 2026 — but the Pirates did not commit to a reunion.
The Pirates’ busy offseason, which included the acquisitions of veteran slugger Marcell Ozuna and first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, complicated McCutchen’s potential fit on the roster.
Ozuna, O’Hearn and incumbent first baseman Spencer Horowitz are expected to assume a majority of DH duties — but general manager Ben Cherington said the team would “continue to communicate” with McCutchen about a possible reunion.
“Andrew has meant a ton to the team,” Cherington said in late January, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He’s had an incredible run at two different times. Certainly, his legacy as a Pirate is secure. Everybody with the Pirates, it’s our desire to maintain a really good relationship with Andrew well into the future. Then we come back to our team. What is the job? The job is to build a team that gives us the best chance to win games when you’re at the ballpark in June and July.
“Our approach this offseason has been laser-focused on what gives us the best chance to win more baseball games in Pittsburgh than we have in the past seasons. That’s gonna continue to guide our decisions.”
McCutchen — despite being unsigned — also voiced his displeasure at not being invited to the team’s annual preseason fan fest in late January.
“I wonder, did the Cards do this [to Adam] Wainwright/ [Albert] Pujols/Yadi [Yadier Molina]?” the five-time All-Star fumed in a since-deleted X post. “Dodgers to [Clayton] Kershaw? Tigers to Miggy [Miguel Cabrera]? The list goes on and on.
“If this is my last year, it would have been nice to meet the fans one last time as a player. Talk to them about my appreciation for them over the years. Shake that little kid’s hand or hug the fan that’s been a fan since [Roberto] Clemente. You see, this is bigger than baseball! Bigger than looking at a 40-man roster and cherry picking numbers that fit your agenda or prove why your opinion matters.
“The fans deserved at the very least to get that opportunity.”
He doubled down on his desire to play with a hype video posted to his Instagram story, which showed him taking practice swings with an overlay of negative social media comments about his ability.
“You can’t do it anymore Cutch,” a series of text in the video said. “You can’t get better at 39.”
For his career, he sports a .271/.365/.447 slash line with 332 homers, 1,152 RBIs and 2,266 hits with the Pirates, Giants, Yankees, Phillies and Brewers.
McCutchen will now fight for a spot on the Rangers’ bench as he seeks to play in an 18th major league campaign.
