The Pittsburgh Pirates have two important decisions to make regarding two veteran free agents this offseason.

Outfielder/designated hitter and longtime face of the franchise Andrew McCutchen and relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman are both set to hit the open market. Pirates insiders Noah Hiles and Andrew Destin explained the two players’ situations and predicted that McCutchen would re-sign with the franchise while Chapman would choose to sign elsewhere.

“As the Pirates have stated numerous times, they would like McCutchen to retire with the Pirates, and there has been no public indication to suggest that his tenure as a great player is coming to an imminent end.” writes Destiny. “Maybe 2025 will be McCutchen’s last season, but it will almost assuredly be with the Pirates.”

McCutchen, 38, was one of the Pirates’ best hitters last season, hitting 20 homers and driving in 50 runs while slashing .232/.328/.411 and had a .739 OPS. Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz were the only players to hit more home runs than McCutchen in 2024.

The only thing that could seemingly keep the former MVP and five-time All-Star away from the Pirates is the desire to play for a true contender in an effort to win the first World Series of his career. If McCutchen wants to return to Pittsburgh, there should be nothing standing in the way of that happening.

Chapman’s situation is much more complicated than McCutchen’s. After signing a one-year, $10.5 million contract with Pittsburgh last offseason, he struck out 98 batters in 61.2 innings pitched, had a 5- 5 with a 3.79 ERA and had 14 saves. While the 36-yard lefty could still be a solid arm for a Pirates bullpen ranked 27th in ERA, Hiles thinks Pittsburgh could get several relievers for the same price as Chapman.

“Chapman would be a good player to bring back if they could get him at a cheaper price. While he ended up being a decent investment, the Pirates can probably get two leverage arms for the price they got him paid ($10.5 million) last season If he wanted the same deal for 2025, I might consider it.”

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