Pittsburgh Pirates: Possible Andrew McCutchen Trade Destinations
By Tim Boyle
Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers have a big decision facing them for the 2018 season. Do they begin a rebuild or simply retool?
Most likely, it’s the latter. One of those steps would involve adding an outfielder to replace 2017 center fielder Carlos Gomez. Is McCutchen the man for the job?
The Rangers may always move Delino DeShields from left field into center field, which is perfectly fine. McCutchen belongs in the corner outfield at this stage of his career. So, there is a match in more places than one.
A right-handed bat with power is also a need for the Rangers. Mike Napoli is unlikely to return and there’s no telling how well Adrian Beltre will hold up through the season. This leaves them with a lot of left-handed hitters and some very unbalanced lineups. In the interim, McCutchen solves this problem.
The biggest hurdle for the Rangers is they don’t have the amazing farm system they did a few years ago. Prying McCutchen away from the Pirates isn’t easy. Considering he may have even more suitors at next year’s trade deadline, the Pirates have every reason to hold onto him until someone blows them away. At this stage, the Rangers may have some difficulty doing so.