It could be the end of the line for a former SF Giants outfielder

Amid the flurry of trade deadline activity, there was one move that seemingly went unnoticed. Former SF Giants outfielder Andrew McCutchen was released by the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A affiliate, the Gwinnett Stripers, per the team's transaction log.

Presumably, McCutchen triggered his opt-out clause, and the Braves decided not to add him to the roster. That Triple-A club has one of the more seasoned rosters I can remember. McCutchen was playing alongside Carlos Santana, Rowdy Tellez, and Sandy León. Plus, nine-year major league veteran Ben Gamel also occupied a spot on the roster for a period of time.

In particular, Santana is in his age-40 season, and McCutchen will be turning 40 later this year. That is a lot of veteran major league players on one minor league roster. This was likely by design, as the Braves hope that some of those players can help them down the stretch.

McCutchen will not be one of those players. He joined the Braves organization on a minor league deal in July. This came after he was released by the Texas Rangers earlier in the year.

Former SF Giants outfielder Andrew McCutchen is now a free agent after parting ways with the Braves

With Gwinnett, the veteran hitter posted a respectable .908 OPS with one home run and five RBI in 32 plate appearances. Another team may give him an opportunity before the season concludes, but he also struggled to a .537 OPS in 87 plate appearances with Texas.

McCutchen has more baseball behind him than ahead of him. He was a first-round pick in the 2005 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of Fort Meade High School in Fort Meade, Florida.

This proved to be a monumental pick for the Pirates, as McCutchen helped lead an organization that had struggled to make the playoffs since Barry Bonds departed after the 1992 season. McCutchen was an instant star, earning the 2013 NL MVP Award and finishing in the top five in three other seasons.

The right-handed hitter was traded to the Giants before the 2018 season, as the club looked to retool after a disastrous 2017 campaign. Things did not go much better from there, and he was traded to the New York Yankees before the end of that year.

McCutchen also made stops with the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers before returning to the Pirates for a three-year run. For now, his last major league stop has been with the Rangers.

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