Signing Andrew McCutchen makes no sense for St. Louis Cardinals

One outlet thinks the St. Louis Cardinals should sign Andrew McCutchen. Here’s why it makes no sense and will not happen.

Of all the positions on the St. Louis Cardinals roster, the outfield seems like the one position that feels solidified. Tyler O’Neill, Harrison Bader and Dylan Carlson give them a strong, youthful trio that should head the group for the next few seasons while Lars Nootbaar provides solid depth as the No. 4 outfielder.

So it was a surprise to read Sportsnaut opine that the Cardinals should pursue veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen, reasoning that the team “shouldn’t bank on all three outfielders replicating and/or building on their 2021 campaigns.”

The Cardinals, actually, should bank on better production from Carlson, who enters his second full season in the majors. Bader is a question mark considering his injury history, of course, but showed vast improvements at the plate. Then there is O’Neill, who established himself as one of the games top young outfielders last season, and is a betting favorite as a sneaky MVP candidate in the National League.

So signing McCutchen, who Sportsnaut viewed as the Cardinals’ No. 4 outfielder and designated hitter, makes no sense. He’s going to command a decently priced one- or two-year contract and the Cardinals want to use that money on the bullpen. They also want to give the DH spot to their young players such as Juan Yepez, Nolan Gorman and Nootbaar.

It’s why the Cardinals are not signing Kyle Schwarber or Nelson Cruz. Sure, McCutchen won’t command the same kind of contracts as either player, but he’s even more of a longshot to end up in St. Louis as they are.

Maybe the Cardinals look for cheaper options in the outfield, but I even doubt that. Adding another outfielder isn’t on my radar for president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. That’s truly the one position they *don’t* need to add.