Andrew McCutchen Trade Rumors: Latest on Pirates Star After Gerrit Cole Deal
The Pittsburgh Pirates already announced they traded pitcher Gerrit Cole to the Houston Astros and reportedly could move outfielder Andrew McCutchen as well.
On Sunday, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reported he spoke with some teams that believe Pirates general manager Neal Huntington will "be more receptive to trade offers" for McCutchen. Crasnick noted the San Francisco Giants are one of several teams that have discussed a potential McCutchen trade with the Pirates.
The Giants' interest makes sense considering they were last in the league in home runs in 2017 on the way to a 64-98 record. It was a significant fall after they reached the playoffs in 2016, and McCutchen would give them a power bat to insert into the lineup in an effort to avoid another long-ball shortage in 2018.
Elsewhere, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported earlier this month the New York Mets had also talked with the Pirates about McCutchen.
As for Pittsburgh, moving McCutchen—who has been a franchise cornerstone in recent years—would further signal a rebuild after it traded Cole.
The National League Central figures to be competitive in the immediate future with the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers, and landing additional young pieces for McCutchen would help the Pirates retool for down the road after missing the playoffs two straight years.
McCutchen would be a significant addition for any team considering he was the 2013 National League MVP and a five-time All-Star. He has topped the 20-homer mark in each of the last seven years and played well in 2017 with a .279/.363/.486 slash line to go with 28 long balls and 88 RBI.
