{"id":152679,"date":"2026-02-14T17:03:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T17:03:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679"},"modified":"2026-02-14T17:03:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T17:03:26","slug":"cubs-eye-andrew-mccutchen-to-fill-one-last-key-roster-spot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679","title":{"rendered":"Cubs Eye Andrew McCutchen to Fill One Last Key Roster Spot"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

IMAGE: Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen (22) stands in the dugout before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. \/ James A. Pittman \/ Imagn Images<\/div>\n
\n

The Chicago Cubs are heading into the 2026 season with a roster that looks, on paper, impressively well-rounded. They’ve made smart moves, built depth, and have a strong mix of youth and experience. But even good rosters can use a little fine-tuning – and that\u2019s where a name like Andrew McCutchen enters the conversation.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s be clear: this isn\u2019t about filling a glaring hole. The Cubs aren\u2019t desperate. But when you zoom in on the details – especially at the designated hitter spot – there\u2019s room to add a veteran right-handed bat who can complement what they already have.<\/p>\n

Moises Ballesteros is one of the more intriguing young hitters in the organization. A catcher by trade, but one whose bat is clearly ahead of his glove at this stage.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s a lefty with real upside, and the Cubs are likely to lean on his offense more than his defense this year. That\u2019s where the idea of a platoon comes in – someone who can take some of the load off Ballesteros, especially against tough left-handed pitching.<\/p>\n

Enter McCutchen.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s no stranger to the NL Central – and while he\u2019s spent the bulk of his career with the Pirates, Pittsburgh chose not to bring him back this offseason. That opens the door for a team like Chicago to step in and offer him a role that makes sense for both sides.<\/p>\n

McCutchen isn\u2019t the MVP-caliber player he once was, but he\u2019s still got value – especially in a limited role. He brings experience, professionalism, and a right-handed bat that can still do damage in the right matchups. He\u2019s been through playoff races, knows how to handle the big moments, and could be the kind of steady presence that benefits a clubhouse over the long haul.<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s not overlook the fit. The Cubs don\u2019t need him to play center field thanks to the emergence and durability of Pete Crow-Armstrong. That flexibility means McCutchen could slot in as a corner outfielder or DH without complicating the defensive picture.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t about making a splashy move. It\u2019s about rounding out a roster that\u2019s already in good shape. Think of McCutchen as the final brushstroke on a painting that\u2019s nearly finished – a savvy veteran addition who can contribute both on the field and in the clubhouse.<\/p>\n

If the Cubs want to make a deep October run, having someone like McCutchen on the bench – ready for a big pinch-hit at-bat or a spot start against a lefty – could be a subtle but significant advantage. It\u2019s not a necessity, but it sure feels like a smart move waiting to happen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  IMAGE: Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen (22) stands in the dugout before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Oriole Park… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":152670,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-152679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nCubs Eye Andrew McCutchen to Fill One Last Key Roster Spot - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cubs Eye Andrew McCutchen to Fill One Last Key Roster Spot - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  IMAGE: Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen (22) stands in the dugout before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Oriole Park...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-14T17:03:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rinrin-12-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"XuanTan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"XuanTan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679\",\"name\":\"Cubs Eye Andrew McCutchen to Fill One Last Key Roster Spot - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rinrin-12-2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-14T17:03:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-14T17:03:26+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rinrin-12-2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rinrin-12-2.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Cubs Eye Andrew McCutchen to Fill One Last Key Roster Spot\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06\",\"name\":\"XuanTan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"XuanTan\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cubs Eye Andrew McCutchen to Fill One Last Key Roster Spot - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cubs Eye Andrew McCutchen to Fill One Last Key Roster Spot - NEWS USA","og_description":"  IMAGE: Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen (22) stands in the dugout before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Oriole Park...","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2026-02-14T17:03:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":1000,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rinrin-12-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"XuanTan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"XuanTan","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679","name":"Cubs Eye Andrew McCutchen to Fill One Last Key Roster Spot - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rinrin-12-2.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-14T17:03:26+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-14T17:03:26+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rinrin-12-2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Rinrin-12-2.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152679#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Cubs Eye Andrew McCutchen to Fill One Last Key Roster Spot"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06","name":"XuanTan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"XuanTan"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=152679"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":152680,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152679\/revisions\/152680"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/152670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=152679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=152679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=152679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}