Phillies, McCutchen agree to 3-year, $50M deal
The Philadelphia Phillies and free-agent outfielder Andrew McCutchen agreed to a three-year contract on Tuesday.
OFFICIAL: #Phillies and outfielder Andrew McCutchen have agreed to terms on a three-year contract. The deal includes a fourth-year club option for the 2022 season.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) December 13, 2018
Welcome to Philadelphia, @TheCUTCH22! pic.twitter.com/LdlSpYQI71
The deal is worth $50 million, according to Fancred Sports' Jon Heyman.
Philadelphia back-loaded the deal, paying McCutchen $10 million in 2019, $17 million in 2020, $20 million in 2021, plus a $15-million club option with a $3-million buyout for 2022, a source told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
McCutchen was originally seeking a five-year contract in the $80-million range, according to Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan.
He's joining a crowded outfield in Philadelphia that already includes Odubel Herrera, Nick Williams, Aaron Altherr, and Roman Quinn.
Herrera and Williams are now potential trade candidates, The Athletic's Matt Gelb reports.
The 32-year-old McCutchen split his 2018 campaign between the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees, hitting .255/.368/.424 with 20 home runs and 65 RBIs across 155 games.
He should now help fortify a Phillies lineup that finished last in team batting average among NL clubs in 2018.
2019 Projected Phillies Lineup:
| ORDER | PLAYER | POS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cesar Hernandez | 2B |
| 2 | Jean Segura | SS |
| 3 | Andrew McCutchen | RF |
| 4 | Rhys Hoskins | 1B |
| 5 | Nick Williams | LF |
| 6 | Maikel Franco | 3B |
| 7 | Odubel Herrera | CF |
| 8 | Jorge Alfaro | C |
The 2013 NL MVP Award winner is also returning to the state of Pennsylvania after spending his first nine MLB seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
During his 10-year career, McCutchen's been worth 48.6 WAR and owns a slash line of .287/.378/.481 with 223 home runs and 790 RBIs.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia's acquisition of McCutchen won't change its pursuit of star free agent Bryce Harper, according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports.