Pittsburgh Pirates Wake-Up Call – Waiting for the Shoe to Drop

In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.

This off-season has not been a great one for Pirates fans so far. Sean Rodriguez and Matt Joyce, both key bench players last season, signed deals with other teams. Many wanted at least one of the two back, and now with both gone, the Pirates don’t have two clear internal players to replace them. There’s a good chance Alen Hanson could be one of those guys, but he’s unproven, and there are no clear outfielders to take over for Joyce.

Now, Andrew McCutchen is actively being shopped, and maybe that is putting it lightly. It sounds like he could be traded any day now, and that the Pirates really want to move him. I am in the keep McCutchen camp, as I think he’ll rebound and the Pirates have a chance to compete next season. But if they can get a great return for him, I might be okay with that. However, with the Pirates basically pushing McCutchen out the door, the upper hand may lie with other teams and not with Neal Huntington, so I doubt the return will be great. And the Pirates shouldn’t take less than a great return for the former MVP and a player with such tremendous upside.

More news dropped yesterday that made the worsening off-season, well, even worse. Jung Ho Kang was involved in a DUI accident in Korea, and thankfully nobody was hurt. However, this is another off-the-field incident for a player that’s supposed to be a part of the future for the Pirates. You wonder how the Pirates will handle this incident. Every player makes mistakes, but you don’t want Kang to be a distraction to the team, nor do you want to wait to trade him if more incidents arise, which could make him virtually un-tradeable.

Baseball Talk Around the Web

• Jayson Stark gives a full preview of the Winter Meetings, including a breakdown of many players who could be moved.
• Dayn Perry of CBS Sports ranks all other 29 MLB teams as the best fits for Andrew McCutchen. Check it out here.

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