Pittsburgh Pirates: Andrew McCutchen is playing like an MVP, so does that mean he is he back on the trade block?
By Jason Burke
After an offseason filled with rumors that the Pittsburgh Pirates would looking to trade the face of their franchise in Andrew McCutchen, followed by a slow start to the season, Cutch has returned to his previous MVP-level form since the start of June.
Andrew McCutchen was batting an even .200 on May 23. That average began to rise before the month closed out, reaching .223, but since the beginning of June he is batting .412 with eight homers, 25 RBI and an on-base percentage hovering around .500. The Pittsburgh Pirates must be pretty happy they kept him at this point.
According to Baseball Reference’s Play Index, this is the second month that McCutchen has had where he has hit above .400 in his career, with the first being in July of 2012 when he hit .446. He is also the last Pirate with at least 50 at-bats to hit over .400 in a given month. Before his 2012 occurrence, Ryan Doumit also achieved the feat in September/October of 2011 when he hit .404.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
What’s great about this burst by McCutchen is that he is an easy guy to root for. He helped bring the Pirates back to relevance and has been the face of their operation for years now. The one downside of his recent performance is that this could be the boost the Bucs were looking for to up his trade value.
Whether or not Pittsburgh decides to ultimately move McCutchen is anyone’s guess. Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal talked about his trade value during the offseason as “not high enough to get an acceptable offer” and compares that to his value currently, which is “too high.” Rosenthal goes on to explain that the Pirates will want “an appropriate return for their franchise player, and most teams are set in the outfield.”
Trading away a franchise player is never an easy task, unless you’re the Oakland Athletics. With McCutchen signed through next season for just under $15 million, he’s a valuable player at that price, especially with the production he has shown over the last month.
Next: Bird the target of an unfair, anonymous jab
Unless there is a key injury to a contending team’s outfield, it’s unlikely that the Pirates will find a partner that will be willing to give up enough to force Pittsburgh’s hand and make a deal for one of their most popular players.