Andrew McCutchen is signed through the 2018 season to a very team-friendly contract that the Pittsburgh Pirates gave him prior to the 2012 season and his super stardom.

The deal erased McCutchen's first three years of free agency and allowed Pittsburgh to keep the outfielder into his prime.

"We truly hope Andrew McCutchen retires as a Pirate. That is going to be incredibly challenging to do, but that is our long-term goal," Neal Huntington said. "The contracts are always a challenge. If a player gets hurt or under-performs, there is no recourse for the club, but when the player drastically out-performs the contract, there is a lot of heat and attention. 'Why don't you extend him longer?' I'm sure there will come a point in time for us to revisit it as it will with other players we signed to multi-year deals."

McCutchen will be 32 when he hits the open market.