Is Andrew McCutchen San Francisco bound?

With Jay Bruce headed to the New York Mets, the on again-off again trade talks between the San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates are said to be back on.

In what the Pirates believe was an attempt to sell Giancarlo Stanton on accepting a trade to San Francisco, the Giants went hard after McCutchen in November and nearly secured a deal for the former MVP but after Stanton spurned San Francisco, the Giants pulled back on pursuing McCutchen to evaluate other options.

Now the Giants [hide] are believed to be looking hard at a McCutchen trade again.

The Pirates ultimate goal is to move both McCutchen and Gerrit Cole this month and have been pushing hard to do so in what would start a re-tool for the roster, but if deals don’t transpire over the next couple weeks, the sense is the Pirates will take Cole off the market in early February for a few months and then revisit trade scenarios closer to the deadline.

The market has been strong for Cole, while not so hot for McCutchen where the Pirates have been met with limited suitors, headlined by the Giants.[/hide]