Face of the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise
When he was rumored to be on the block the last offseason McCutchen was coming off the worst year of his career, so his value was as low as it had ever been. He bounced back with a better season in 2017, but still not to where he had been previously.
There’s still a good chance the Pirates will trade him, especially if they trade Cole and go into a major rebuild.
But with just one year left on his contract, McCutchen won’t bring as much back as he might have if the team had dealt him earlier. Last year’s All-Star Break, for example, may have been the time to pull the trigger.
Cole is in a similar spot as McCutchen was the last offseason. He’s also well-liked by fans, having spent his entire career in Pittsburgh after being the number one overall pick in 2011. He was at his very best in 2015, when he had a 2.60 ERA (2.66 FIP) in 208 innings.
That was the year the Pirates won 98 games but lost in the playoffs for the third year in a row. They’ve had two straight losing seasons since.