5. McCutchen gets Benched For An Entire Series
August 2nd – Andrew McCutchen had his worst year as a pro in 2016 both offensively an defensively. McCutchen wore his frustrations on his sleeve by frequently arguing balls and strikes, pouting when calls didn’t go his way, and just not looking generally happy a lot of the time.
On August 2, it was decided that Andrew McCutchen would be benched for the three game series against the Atlanta Braves. Up until that point, McCutchen was slashing .241/.311/.408 with 15 home runs and 18 doubles. He was also up to 107 strikeouts. McCutchen was not in favor of the benching but agreed respected the decision to do so. From the time he returned to the end of the season, Andrew McCutchen’s play improved immensely. In those 56 games, McCutchen slashed .284/.381/.471 with nine home runs and eight doubles.
With all of the talk of Andrew McCutchen’s decline, it seems as though his reemergence over the final two months of the season were largely ignored in part because his year end statistics did not look good. Whether it was coincidental or not, Andrew McCutchen found a spark after being benched in Atlanta. The question of the offseason has been, “will Andrew McCutchen return to form?” I don’t think he will ever win another MVP but I surely don’t think he will never make another All-Star Game. If Andrew McCutchen hits the way he did over the final two months of 2016 in 2017, it will provide a nice boost to an already potent Pirates offense.
4. Melancon gets Dealt
July 30th – During trade deadline time in 2016, it wasn’t clear if the Pirates were going to be buyers or sellers. They were well out of the division race but still holding their own in the Wild Card race. A day before the trade deadline, closer Mark Melancon was dealt to the Washington Nationals for reliever Felipe Rivero and minor league flamethrower Taylor Hearn.
It was a good deal for the Pirates. Felipe Rivero is great and will anchor the back end of the bullpen for years to come. Taylor Hearn projects as a hard throwing left handed starting pitcher but could also be a useful bullpen arm. This deal was logical but it was still sad to see Mark the Shark go. He had been a pivotal key in the Pirates success of making the playoffs for three straight seasons. Over four seasons, Mark Melancon held a 1.80 ERA while collecting 130 saves. He is arguably the greatest closer in Pirates history.
In the end though, Melancon left the Nationals by signing a four year, $64 million deal with the San Francisco Giants this offseason. That is a contract the Pirates never would have given him so dealing him for the future value of Rivero and Hearn really made sense. It also didn’t have a huge impact on the 2016 season for the Pirates as they still wouldn’t have made the playoffs with Melancon on the team.
3. Liriano gets Dumped
August 1st – About an hour after the 2016 trade deadline passed, it was announced that starting pitcher Francisco Liriano had been dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays for starting pitcher Drew Hutchinson. Another hour later, it was announced that prospects Reese McGuire and Harold Ramirez would also be headed to the Blue Jays organization.
This was a clear salary dump. Francisco Liriano struggled in 2016. He was on the books for $13.66 million in both 2016 and 2017. Neal Huntingdon had the idea that that money could be used elsewhere and even coined the now popular phrase, “financial flexibility” when describing the reasoning for the deal.
Pirates fans were outraged. Not only did they clear space for salary but they traded prospects to do so. Why would they trade prospects to dump salary but not trade them for high end talent? Luckily, the financial flexibility was put to good use. This offseason, the Pirates were able to bring back starting pitcher Ivan Nova on a three year, $26 million deal. They were also able to sign relief pitcher, Daniel Hudson to a two year, $10 million deal. What will those two combine to make in 2017? $13.66 million.
Sometimes forgotten in this deal is Drew Hutchinson. A move to the NL might be what this guy needs. He will have his chances in 2017 and will probably round out the back half of the Pirates starting rotation. If he performs well, it makes Huntingdon look like a genius. If not, it will cement this deal for what it truly was, a salary dump.
Our top two moments that mattered signified renewed hope for the future.
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