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As many of you know, the Pittsburgh Pirates have had plenty of trade discussions this offseason revolving around star center fielder Andrew McCutchen. The Washington Nationals were their main suitor, but they were unable to offer up enough to acquire McCutchen.
When the Washington Nationals traded some of their top prospects to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Adam Eaton, a lot people, including myself, believed that the rumors and speculation surrounding McCutchen were over at least for the time being. However, it looks like that isn’t exactly the case.
According to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, the Pirates and New York Mets have had “off and on” discussions about the former National League MVP, but talks have not gained momentum.
Throughout this entire offseason, I’ve been a very strong believer in the fact that the Pirates should listen to offers, but shouldn’t settle for just any deal. Don’t trade McCutchen just to trade him. If keeping him in a Pirates uniform is what it comes down to, then do it.
McCutchen, despite having a down 2016 season, should be regarded as a player with a high trade stock. It’s very much possible that he could turn things around in 2017, so keeping him around could benefit the Bucs.
While the Nationals might have had the pieces to make a trade for McCutchen a possibility, the Mets may not. Though McCutchen may be an upgrade from their current center field situation, I don’t think the Mets would be able to come up with a package of players that would be enticing enough for the Pirates to accept.
At this point in the offseason, I think that keeping McCutchen in Pittsburgh, at least for the time being, is the right call. The Pirates front office did what they said they were going to do and they listened to offers. Now, it’s time to close the door on McCutchen trade talk, for now, and focus on 2017 with expectations of Cutch being in the outfield on Opening Day.
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