Andrew McCutchen. Photo via USA Today.

Andrew McCutchen

Position: OF

Bats/Throws: R/R

Age: 36 (10/10/1986)

2022 Traditional Stats: 134 G, 580 PA, .237/.316/.384, 17 HR, 25 2B, 69 RBI, 122 H

2022 Advanced Stats: 99 OPS+, 98 wRC+, 1.1 rWAR, 0.3 fWAR, .278 BABiP, 9.8% BB%, 21.4% K%, .325 xwOBA, 4 DRS, 0 OAA

Rundown

Andrew McCutchen has had a storied career. Though, the 36-year-old outfielder had the worst year of it in almost every metric last season.

He posted career lows in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, ISO, xSLG, wOBA, xwOBA, and xwOBACON. As a result, McCutchen had his first below-average season in OPS+ and wRC+. Additionally, while his walk rate remained solid, it dropped from 14.8% in 2021 to 9.8% in 2022, which is the lowest it’s been over the course of a full season.

However, it wasn’t an entirely lost season for McCutchen. His strikeout rate dropped from 23% to 21.4% and his whiff rate dropped from 25.9% to 24.2%. Additionally, his hard-hit rate and average exit velocity both increased. Lastly, he still hit fastballs well, turning in a plus-7 run value against heaters.

McCutchen also improved defensively. He went from a negative-7 DRS to plus-4 DRS and from negative-7 OAA to 0 OAA. This despite playing fewer innings in the field.

As for his splits, while his numbers against lefties took a step back this past season, McCutchen is a career .300/.394/.542 hitter against southpaws. This is something the New York Mets can desperately benefit from. An area they seemingly struggle in.

Interestingly enough, despite the overall struggles, McCutchen was at his best with two outs and runners in scoring position. He slashed a strong .323/.389/.600 in those situations, which would be another immediate boost to a Mets’ team that can always get better with runners in scoring position.

Andrew McCutchen. Photo by USA Today.

Contract

Spotrac.com has McCutchen projected to sign a one-year contract worth $7.6 million. He earned a similar contract in 2022 from the Brewers, making $8.5 million.

Going into his age-36 season, McCutchen is nearing the end of his career, but it’s not as if he’s entirely ineffective. Most teams, especially contenders, could use an extra right-handed bat off the bench and he can still play the field at an average-to-above-average level.

Unless he’s actively looking for a multi-year offer, it’s very likely McCutchen ends up signing a one-year deal with a club.

Recommendation

The Mets have made it clear they want to sign a fourth outfielder, and with how badly Darin Ruf struggled down the stretch, the team could use a right-handed designated hitter. While his days of being an MVP are in the rear-view mirror, McCutchen could be a useful weapon as a platoon bat who can occasionally give rest to Mark Canha or Starling Marte in the corner-outfield positions.