'It's a win': Andrew McCutchen applauds Pirates for locking up Bryan Reynolds long term

If anyone can relate to the Pittsburgh Pirates signing star outfielder Bryan Reynolds to a contract that makes him the face of the franchise, it’s Andrew McCutchen. The most popular Pirate of the PNC Park era, McCutchen knows the pressure that comes with a contract that can be best described as life-changing.

Where McCutchen signed a six-year, $51.5 million deal with the Pirates in March 2012, three years after finishing fourth in NL rookie of the year voting and one year after making his first All-Star appearance, Reynolds agreed to an eight-year, $106.75 million deal with the Pirates on Tuesday, four years after finishing fourth in NL rookie of the year voting and two years after making his first All-Star appearance.

“You play this game 1) because you love it, but 2) to hopefully have the opportunity to be able to take care of yourself and your family financially for the rest of yours and their lives, and the lives to come after you,” McCutchen said after the Pirates’ 8-7 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. “You get that opportunity, and I can’t speak for anyone else, but when I was able to sign that deal, it was a weight lifted off of me. I knew that coming to the ballpark I didn’t have anything to worry about, with my performance or what’s going to happen tomorrow. It was more like, ‘I’m locked down and I’m here. Now I can just go and enjoy the game and play it freely and not have to think about what my performance is going to lead to for me and my future.”

After signing his deal, McCutchen was named an All-Star, won Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards and finished third in MVP voting. The following year, McCutchen won NL MVP honors after serving as the catalyst for the Pirates ending two decades of losing seasons with 94 wins, clinching a wild-card berth and reaching the divisional series.

“Hopefully for Bryan, it’s able to help him and now he knows he can take care of his family and just play the game freely and not have to worry about it,” McCutchen said. “Hopefully, it’s able to propel him to have great years like it was able to do for me.”

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They will be forever bonded by another connection, as Reynolds was part of the return package when the Pirates traded McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants in January 2018. That was the first step in a total teardown of the Pirates’ three consecutive wild-card teams, one that caused fans to be unforgiving toward owner Bob Nutting.

Now, after McCutchen signed a one-year, $5 million free-agent deal in January to return, they are teammates leading the club to another resurgence. The Pirates (16-8) are in first place in the NL Central, boosted by general manager Ben Cherington spending $30 million on six veterans in free agency and hot starts by Reynolds and McCutchen.

“It’s moving in that direction,” McCutchen said. “I think we’re starting to see the fruits of our labor here with how ownership is going about their business. It’s nice to see.”

The Pirates made their first move before Opening Day in April 2022, agreeing to an eight-year, $70 million deal with third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes. Out of frustration when the sides were $50 million apart, Reynolds requested a trade last fall. Instead, they continued to work on a deal until they found common ground and met in the middle.

With both Hayes and Reynolds locked up through the 2029 season, the Pirates have a couple cornerstones for their rebuild in much the same way they had by signing McCutchen and fellow outfielders Jose Tabata, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco to long-term deals.

“In order to have a successful ballclub, you have to build around your core guys,” McCutchen said. “Some of those guys, that means being able to lock them down and have them here for years to come. They’ve done that with Bryan. They’ve done that with Ke’Bryan. It’s great to see. It shows the direction that this ballclub is going. It shows the direction that this franchise is going. It sparks this place up a bit to know that there had to be sacrifices made on both ends. They had to come up with a compromise. It’s good for both sides. It’s a win, and it’s nice to be part of that here.”