MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – SEPTEMBER 10: Andrew McCutchen #24 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrates a two run home run during the eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field on September 10, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
These three Milwaukee Brewers free agents won’t be back next year and this is where we can expect them to sign.
The Milwaukee Brewers just missed making it to the postseason this year. Struggles midseason pulled them out of the National League Central race. Losses piled up and the team found itself slipping out of the wild card picture quickly before a final push late in the season.
We would have to imagine the Brewers would, like most clubs, make such changes between now and the start of the 2023 campaign. They’re going to add players. They’re also going to lose some, too.
It’s these three players we should already assume won’t be back with the Brewers next year. Where could they end up?
3. Brewers DH Andrew McCutchen is in the twilight of his career and headed home
When the Brewers signed Andrew McCutchen to be their DH this year, we all knew the drill. It was a more affordable option than some of the other choices out there. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out so well.
McCutchen is in the twilight of his career. For many former stars, it usually means diminished returns in certain aspects of their game. For McCutchen, he is now a low-average hitter with weaker fielding skills. All that’s left is some power which he had enough of in 2022 to intrigue teams next year.
There won’t be a whole lot of teams looking to sign McCutchen this winter, though. Limited to DH duties almost entirely, a return to the Pittsburgh Pirates is what will happen for this former MVP.
The Pirates won’t be splashy in free agency or pull off some sort of a mega-trade to lift the team in the standings. They’re building slowly. For the sake of the fans, hopefully, it leads somewhere.
McCutchen, on a one-year deal with Pittsburgh, would give fans something to be excited about. He’d also be a good guide for the younger players. The Pirates could always even turn him into a midseason trade piece if a landing spot opened up.
Because right-handed sluggers who can’t do much else are in abundance, McCutchen will have limited options. A cheap one-year contract with the Pirates to possibly even finish out his career makes sense.