As the 2025 MLB season inches closer and closer to the All-Star break, one of the biggest questions surrounding the league has been the liveliness of the balls being used by every team from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the New York Yankees.

On paper, the idea is rather sound: After watching MLB hitters flirt with all-time great production year after year, the league has taken action to slow down production by using balls that don't have the same aerodynamic travel as their older counterparts.

After watching Mets beat writer Ben Yoel call out MLB for using “dead balls” in a viral tweet, Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen decided to weigh in on the conversation, letting fans know on social media that he has it on good authority that the 2025 balls are different from those used in the past.

“I was told by a rep for MLB that the balls are indeed different this year. They stated ‘higher seams' which produces more drag on baseball, causing baseballs to not travel as far as they should,” McCutchen wrote.

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“When asked why, I was told ‘every baseball is hand sewn so no ball is the same.' When I asked if there is something that can be done about correcting the current performance of this years baseball, I was told there was ‘nothing” that can be done about it this season BUT, they are ‘working hard on getting to the bottom of why the seams are higher.'”

While McCutchen didn't give away his source, he is one of the most tenured players in professional baseball, with 17 years and counting on his resume. If he noticed enough of a difference to reach out to his contacts to ask about the balls, he can't be the only player to have done so, which could lead to another change in the future to get things back to how they once were.