Washington Nationals Shifting Attention Back to Andrew McCutchen

With Chris Sale now with the Boston Red Sox, the Washington Nationals will now turn their attention back to seeking a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates for Andrew McCutchen.

Following the blockbuster trade that sent Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox, the Washington Nationals will now return their focus to acquiring Andrew McCutchen from the Pittsburgh Pirates, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag Sports.  Just days ago, it seemed as if the Nationals had a deal in place to acquire the 2013 National League MVP winner, but the deal fell through.

Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reported that trade talks between the Nationals and Pirates had never entirely shut down, and it looks like the teams met at some point today.

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Last week, the deal reportedly fell through after Pittsburgh asked for both Lucas Giolito and Victor Robles.  While McCutchen is a proven superstar, his 2016 season was arguably the worst of his career.  The 30-year-old slashed .256/.336/.430 with 24 home runs and 79 RBI, but struggled to find his footing early in the season. McCutchen hit just .247 in the first half of the season, but saw that number improve to .267 in the second half – which is still a far cry from his typical numbers.

But given his star power and potential to rebound next season, Washington seems poised to take a chance on him, even with the $28 million he’s owed over the next two years.

The Nationals likely could have acquired Sale if they were willing to part with Trea Turner, but his breakout rookie season proved he’s too valuable to trade away.  Side note: it’s worth wondering if the Red Sox would have parted with Yoan Moncada if he was dominant in his first stint in the majors.

After losing out on Sale and closer Mark Melancon, who signed with the San Francisco Giants, the Nationals seem desperate to make a splashy move.  After acquiring Derek Norris to replace Wilson Ramos at catcher, adding McCutchen seems to be a necessary move to keep the team’s offense afloat.

Turner performed admirably in center field after shifting from the infield, so it’s easy to see McCutchen slotting into left field to replace the aging Jayson Werth.  What’s more likely, however, is the team moving Turner to shortstop to replace the offensively inept Danny Espinosa, and keeping Werth for another season.

If Washington is unable to strike a deal for McCutchen, seeing that the Pirates likely won’t budge on their demands for Giolito and Robles, the team could pursue Jose Quintana of the Chicago White Sox.  Joel Sherman of the New York Post noted that the team has the frame of a deal in place for Quintana and closer David Robertson, which, if completed, would fill the Nats two biggest needs.

Quintana was almost equally effective as Sale last season, posting a 3.20 ERA and 7.83 K/9 ratio to 2.16 BB/9.  Meanwhile, Robertson racked up 37 saves on a mediocre White Sox team, and could be dominant at the back of Washington’s bullpen.

Next: Nationals Willing to Move Giolito

Despite whiffing on a few big deals thus far, Washington has several options to stay competitive going forward.