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MLB Trade Rumors: Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen ‘Most Likely’ To Get Traded This Offseason, Per GM Survey

By Matt Couden
Published on: 14:19 PST, Nov 13, 2017

It’s expected that the MLB trade rumors involving Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Andrew McCutchen will heat up again this baseball offseason. McCutchen has been mentioned before and a recent poll of various baseball personnel believes he’s “most likely” to be traded when asked about him. He started off struggling but turned things around a bit as the season moved on which may have increased his value on the trade market. McCutchen is also set to be a free agent within a year. Will the Pittsburgh Pirates decide to cut ties with their former MLB All-Star in order to start the rebuilding process or will he remain a part of the team as they look towards the future?

In a recent report on a survey conducted by ESPN, various baseball executives and personnel including general managers, baseball operations people, and scouts were polled. They were asked a variety of questions on “hot stove” topics involving the MLB offseason. One of the questions given to them involved which player out of three was most likely to be traded: Andrew McCutchen, Josh Donaldson, or Manny Machado. Out of the 40 individuals surveyed, 37 responded with 26 of them choosing McCutchen. Donaldson had the other 11 votes while Machado had zero votes as unlikely to be traded.

Pittsburgh Pirates Andrew McCutchen likely to be traded
The Pittsburgh Pirates Andrew McCutchen finished the 2017 season with a.279 average, 28 home runs, and 88 RBIs. [Image by Keith Srakocic/AP Images]

One of the National League “evaluators” gave thoughts on the reason McCutchen could be dealt to a new team.

“I would expect it to be really hard to trade Cutch, and I’m sure the price would be high, but it could be a good opportunity for the Pirates to help transition that roster fairly quickly assuming they get a good return.”

McCutchen has now been in the league for eight years and posted a.279 average to go with 28 home runs and 88 RBI this past season. For his career, he’s a.291 batter with 203 home runs and 725 RBI as well as 171 stolen bases. In addition, McCutchen has been consistent in terms of being available for the season. The most games he missed was 54 in his first season with the Pirates. Since then, the most he’s missed is 16 in 2014, and he’s missed only 20 games over the past three seasons combined.

The Pirates went 75-87 this past season and failed to get near the MLB’s postseason. They had reached the playoffs for three-straight years from 2013 through 2015, and were even considered a top contender from the National League. However, they’re now looking like they may need to change things up. In 2018, McCutchen is due $14.5 million for his contract and as ESPN‘s Buster Olney wrote yesterday, “McCutchen is a nice, cost-efficient alternative for clubs to consider.” If he chooses to walk with free agency, the team that acquired him could also “recoup draft pick consideration,” Olney notes.

The strength of other National League teams including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and Washington Nationals is apparent after the past season. The Dodgers may have lost the World Series but already lead the future odds to win next year’s title. Due to that, as well as the potential for Giancarlo Stanton to join the Cardinals or another NL team, McCutchen may be a smart, inexpensive asset for another contender to acquire.

[Featured Image by Nick Wass/AP Images]

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