Before the 2018 MLB season ends, expect the San Francisco Giants to employ Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen, according to recent Giants Rumors.
San Francisco Giants Rumors.
One way or another, the San Francisco Giants will end up with Andrew McCutchen on their roster at some point in 2018. You heard it here first. The fit is just too perfect for it not to happen.
This offseason may not be the best time to make a trade for the 2013 National League MVP. That’s why we need to remain open about McCutchen joining the Giants in July 2018.
McCutchen is in the last year of his contract with the Pirates. Although his free agency stock has dwindled down in recent years, a strong year in 2017 and the possibility of a better one in 2018 would help.
McCutchen is unlikely to compete for another MVP, but can certainly help a team like the Giants trounce the rest of the division.
Many of the Pirates’ offseason rumors have centered on the possibility of trading pitcher Gerrit Cole to the New York Yankees. If it happens, McCutchen is a logical piece to follow.
McCutchen makes sense on the Giants for many reasons. Beyond their need, the asking price is something I see the Giants being able to afford.
He’s at the point in his career where he won’t command a massive haul of prospects. The expiring contract will inevitably lower Pittsburgh’s asking price, making him far more available to the Giants.
This still doesn’t mean the Pirates are ready to move McCutchen at a bargain. Even with diminishing value, McCutchen is someone who can help turn around a franchise’s fortunes in a heartbeat.
Add him to the Giants’ lineup, and suddenly they go from hopeful to good.
San Francisco Giants rumors: When will Andrew McCutchen arrive in San-Fran?
As much as we should keep the “anything can happen” mentality, there are far too many other options out there for the Giants to consider first.
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
Many of them would cost them lesser prospects. Billy Hamilton and Juan Lagares are two examples of this.
The scenario I envision that offers the most practicality is the Giants sign one of the available free agents to either play center field or left field.
They would then plug the other position with an internal option. Later, they upgrade at the trade deadline with McCutchen.
At that stage, the Pirates would have McCutchen locked up for only two more months.
Rather than lose him and only gain a supplemental draft pick, trading him for some minor league talent would benefit them more.
The only way McCutchen isn’t traded from the Pirates by July 31, 2018, as if they are in contention. This is doubtful with the way the franchise is going. They are in the midst of a retooling phase, preparing for life after McCutchen.
Next: MLB Hall of Fame: Breaking down the ballot
To fulfill these Giant rumors, we need the San Francisco Giants to have a playoff-bound team and the Pittsburgh Pirates to find their familiar spot in the rearview mirror. Odds are, those stars line up.