Expendable. Obsolete. Overrated.
When teams scouted Andrew McCutchen before being drafted with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 entry year draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, these definitely were not the words used to describe the man who would become a start in centerfield.
Eleven years later, these words were used to describe why McCutchen was viewed as a bargain trade target to the rest of the league.
By balking at any offers that may have been on the table, the Pittsburgh Pirates put themselves in an awkward spot having to tell a player, who is just 30 years old, he is no longer capable of playing at a level worthy of patrolling his current position. They may have also put them in a position to dramatically reduce the value of any trade later this season, next offseason, or even during McCutchen’s option year if the 2016 campaign was not an outlier from the norm. More importantly, it may be what the Pirates managed to avoid by not dealing McCutchen during the winter meetings.
Heart. Soul. Determined. Inspirational. Leader. Legend. Role Model.
For years, fans have sung the praises of Pittsburgh’s most well-known and popular baseball star. He has been the heart and soul of the team’s offense, brought fans to their feet with his outstanding defensive plays and clutch hits on the offensive side, and, recently, brought them to tears when confronted with the possibility of losing him.
Who could blame them? Even after a disappointing 2016 season, Andrew McCutchen is the lifeblood of this franchise. You can take your Stargell, Bonds, Van Slyke, Bonilla, Mazeroski, and Wagner. McCutchen has done more than enough to add his likeness to the Pirates’ Mount Rushmore. In one of baseball’s most storied franchises, Andrew McCutchen still managed to stand out. He is the face of the franchise and has remade the identity of the Pittsburgh baseball club. Just one of two players remaining on the roster from the club’s starting lineup in the 2013 NLDS game 5, McCutchen started, preserved, and, at times, kept the hopes of the team alive, which makes rumors of dealing him that much more difficult to swallow.
Assuming any move would have done anything to help the team aside from dump salary, the Pirates would have still entered 2017 facing a very strong group of National League powerhouses. If the Pirates had managed to overcome all of the adversity lined up before them and done what the Indians failed to do, it would never have felt right. For the Pirates to win without McCutchen would feel hollow, much like if the Yankees had dealt Jeter or the Penguins had dealt Crosby. If they win with him, it will make the accomplishment that much more satisfying to bookend his Pirates career, should 2017 or 2018 be the end of his time wearing a Pirates’ uniform.
When all the dust had settled, Adam Eaton filled the Nationals’ need for a center fielder, the Red Sox had another ace, and the White Sox now own the top of the prospect rankings. Andrew McCutchen was still a Pirate, albeit a likely embittered and emboldened one at that. In truth, Neal Huntington should have learned from his mistake in 2014 when Neil Walker was involved in similar trade rumors. It’s said it never hurts to ask, but that rule never seems to apply to sports trade rumors.
Keep Working
McCutchen has begun a trend on Twitter since the rumors died down posting an emoticon indicating he is keeping his mouth closed regarding the fiasco. No player likes to be involved in trade discussions, and, hopefully, McCutchen’s attitude towards the Pirates has not been soured. It’s difficult to say the possibility of losing McCutchen wasn’t appreciated in the past few days, but it was.
McCutchen is a once in a generation player, and, arguably, second only to Roberto Clemente in the impact he has had on the franchise. Even though his time with the Bucs survived this scare, appreciate the memories, past, present, and future, his days with the Pirates are numbered and at no point has that been more apparent than this past week.
Image Credit – Daniel Decker Photography
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