Pittsburgh Pirates' Andrew McCutchen watches his RBI single during the first inning of a baseball game against the Athletics Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

After what has been a long and wonderful marriage, the Pittsburgh Pirates and their franchise icon, Andrew McCutchen, are at risk for an acrimonious divorce.

McCutchen — a five-time National League all-star with the Pirates from the 2011 through 2015 seasons — was the person most singularly responsible for bringing back to the Pirates a semblance of their long-ago glory days during his fabulous first stretch with the club that began with his call-up to the major leagues in 2009 and ended with his trade to the San Francisco Giants early in 2018.

Cutch earned the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award in 2013, leading the Pirates to their first playoff appearance after a 20-year drought that season, and their first of three straight.

In his fabulous 17-year career that has included two separate stints with the Pirates — including one-year, $5 million contracts in each of the last three seasons — Cutch became the newest face of what had once been a very proud and accomplished franchise.

Widely considered one of the greatest players in the Pirates’ storied history that has now spanned three centuries, McCutchen ranks among the top 10 all-time players in nearly every major offensive category for the franchise. Of the 325 career home runs that he has hit in his service with five major league teams, 248 have been accomplished as a Pirate, which ranks him third on the all-time franchise list in that category behind only two late Hall of Famers — Willie Stargell (475 homers) and Ralph Kiner (301).

McCutchen may very likely become a Major League Baseball Hall of Famer himself someday. Off the field, he’s a Hall of Famer as well. The father of five and 2015 winner of the Roberto Clemente Award that is presented annually to the player who best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, and philanthropy, has been an inspiration to many and a clubhouse role model and leader for nearly a decade and a half.

Nonetheless, the 39-year-old McCutchen entered this month of February without a contract for the upcoming season for the first time in his Pirates’ career, and he recently met with team owner and longtime McCutchen supporter Bob Nutting to discuss his future with the Pirates after Cutch had publicly expressed his displeasure at not getting an invite to the Pirates annual Fan Fest event in late January at the D.L. Lawrence Convention Center.

The biggest sticking point concerning McCutchen and another contract with the Pirates appears to be that general manager Ben Cherington views McCutchen strictly as a designated hitter, which is a role that is currently expected to be filled by several players during the 2026 season, but primarily by new acquisition Ryan O’Hearn.

McCutchen, meanwhile, believes that he can still also contribute as an outfielder, where the Pirates are still somewhat thin, despite their offseason acquisition of Jake Mangum in a three-team trade.

It’s a sticky situation on both sides for the Pirates and McCutchen. Cherington has steadfastly maintained that his top priority all winter has been to improve the club’s offense, which finished last in the National League in most key categories in both of the past two years.

After falling short in their bids to acquire free-agent sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Eugenio Suarez, who belted 56 and 49 home runs last season with the Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners, respectively, the Pirates are still looking for a power bat on offense despite adding O’Hearn and Brandon Lowe – two players who accounted for 49 home runs combined in 2025.

The availability of a veteran free-agent slugger like Marcell Ozuna, who hit 21 homers as a designated hitter last season with the Atlanta Braves after belting 40 in 2023 and 39 in 2024, could provide a huge opportunity for the Pirates.

If the Bucs were to sign Ozuna, though, it would also effectively end any possibility of McCutchen getting another contract in Pittsburgh, where it would be poetic justice if he could help the Bucs to their first postseason appearance in 2026, after a 10-year drought.

A very difficult decision awaits the Bucs, and not just because McCutchen is one of the most popular players in franchise history. He can also still contribute, as evidenced by his 21 homers just two seasons ago, and his signing again would be more than just filling a roster spot as a courtesy to an all-time Pirates’ great.

The McCutchen saga, if it is to end, could very well also put a further damper on the Pirates’ relationship with their fan base, which, during this 10-year playoff drought, has been acrimonious in and of itself.

With each passing day, however, not to mention each passing week, McCutchen’s future in Pittsburgh looks more and more tenuous.

The Pirates, by their own admission, should have been more transparent in their dealings this offseason with McCutchen, which adds to his frustration about, and the heretofore regrettable awkwardness of, what could be his swan song in Pittsburgh.

Professional baseball is still a business at its core, and Major League Baseball is a very big business. The bottom line is fundamentally a matter of survival for teams, but this situation could, and perhaps even should, provide a notable exception.

The next month should be extremely interesting for the Pirates, and not just because spring training is right around the corner.

John Hartsock can be reached at jhartsock@altoonamirror.com