Phillies Sign McCutchen

2019 Chachi New Additions #5

The annual Winter Meetings came to a close on Friday, and the biggest move made by the Phillies was signing free agent Andrew McCutchen to a 3-year deal.  The $50 million contract could keep McCutchen in Philadelphia through the 2021 season, and there's a $15 million club option for 2022 with a $3 million buyout.  The former National League MVP is expected to inherit a corner outfield position, with left field being his likely landing spot.

A 10-year veteran, McCutchen split 2018 between the Giants and Yankees, his first season away from Pittsburgh.  With the Pirates, he was a five-time All-Star and the 2013 N.L. MVP.  His baseball cards are readily available and he started appearing on mainstream releases in 2005.  His first official Phillies card is already available in the Topps Now Offseason set.

I've always been a fan of McCutchen's and seeing him in red pinstripes in 2019 should be exciting.  He also seems energized about coming to Philly as evidenced by his Instagram post:

View this post on Instagram

I am so pumped for this opportunity with the @phillies! Can’t wait to rock that Philly uni and go to battle with my teammates! S/O to @genies for this vid!🔥 Let’s Gooo! 🏃🏾‍♂️💨

A post shared by Andrew McCutchen (@cutchtwenty2) on Dec 13, 2018 at 5:11am PST

As of this writing, the Phillies remain in the hunt for the biggest free agents available - Bryce Harper and Manny Machado - and they continue to court more reliable relief pitching in the form of Andrew Miller or Zach Britton.

Moving On - 2018-2019 Offseason

• Trevor Plouffe - inf (10/4/18) - Elected free agency.
• Jose Bautista - of (10/29/18) - Elected free agency.
• Asdrubal Cabrera - inf (10/29/18) - Elected free agency.
• Aaron Loup - lhp (10/29/18) - Elected free agency.
• Wilson Ramos - c (10/29/18) - Elected free agency.
• Pedro Beato - rhp (11/2/18) - Elected free agency.
• Jesmuel Valentin - inf (11/2/18) - Elected free agency.
• Pedro Florimon - inf/of (11/3/18) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Atlanta Braves.
• Luis Avilan - lhp (11/30/18) - Non-tendered, becoming a free agent.
• Justin Bour - 1b (11/30/18) - Non-tendered, becoming a free agent.
• Carlos Santana - 1b and J.P. Crawford - ss (12/3/18) - Traded to the Seattle Mariners for James Pazos, Juan Nicasio and Jean Segura.
• Luis Garcia - rhp (12/6/18) - Traded to the Los Angeles Angels for Jose Alvarez.

New Arrivals - 2018-2019 Offseason

• James Pazos - lhp, Juan Nicasio - rhp and Jean Segura - ss (12/3/18) - Acquired from the Seattle Mariners for J.P. Crawford and Carlos Santana.
• Jose Alvarez - lhp (12/6/18) - Acquired from the Los Angeles Angels for Luis Garcia.
• Andrew McCutchen - of (12/12/18) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Yankees.

You can find the updated Virtual Phillies Wall here, showing the team's updated 40-man roster.