McCutchen on the Move
The Andrew McCutchen situation hasn’t changed from 10-14 days ago.
The Pirates are trading him and the return is going to be more of a prospect-type return.
The question now is just whether the deal happens before the Winter Meetings next week.
Odds are it will.
Word out of the Pirates organization is the Pirates have relayed [hide] the message to interested teams they are prepared to do a deal this week before the Winter Meetings and get a jump on things.
More speculation is pointing to the Nationals being the front runner to land McCutchen.
From ESPN’s Jayson Stark:
[“The Pirates and Nationals have ramped up discussions about a trade that would send Andrew McCutchen to Washington, according to sources who have spoken with both teams. The Nationals, according to one exec, would like to make this deal today, because the ripple effect of trading for McCutchen would likely be a move to nontender shortstop Danny Espinosa before tomorrow’s tender date. The Nationals have been looking for a center fielder. So if they can trade for McCutchen, he would play center, which would bounce Trea Turner to short and leave no spot for Espinosa. The Pirates are looking for controllable starting pitching. So names like Joe Ross and Reynaldo Lopez would fit that shopping list.]
The Pirates have amped up their effort to move McCutchen in the past 48 hours since Yoenis Cespedes signed and took the Mets out of the mix for McCutchen.
The Pirates, though, haven’t just been targeting teams in trade talks that were also pursuing Cespedes and have looked at McCutchen as a plan B. Pittsburgh offered McCutchen to rebuilding teams with deep farm systems too, the Atlanta Braves one of the teams but a deal has been complicated because of the Braves desire for the Pirates to take outfielder Nick Markakis in return, per a source.
More Buzz
— Anyone with a big salary, the Pirates are willing to move. However, what’s been an interesting dynamic is Pirate manager Clint Hurdle has had no issue with the Pirates desire to trade Andrew McCutchen but is said to be furious with the Pirates dangling Josh Harrison in trade talks in a reported attempt to move his salary.
Harrison is viewed by the staff as the heart and soul of the club.
— The Pirates have been trying to include Antonio Bastardo in any McCutchen deal to dump his salary, per sources. [/hide]
The Pirates blow it up before Yoda tells them to. Great organization! What’s Benny think?
Kung arrested in Korea for fleeing the scene of a DUI accident.
Gotta give him credit for the lack of rape this time.
So, do you think D actually posted the instant buzz at 7:06 or did he edit the time stamp so it looks like he posted it 1 minute before I did?
Gotta think they’ll keep Harrison now.
drug ho kang
I really don’t get Robles being the centerpiece unless they flip him for a pitcher. To me it sounds like they’re getting a guy who won’t be up for a few years until they go through this same with Marte when Robles comes up.
He hasn’t even played a game of Double A ball yet, either, right?
Nope. It’s really hard to justify the centerpiece of a deal for McCutchen being a 19-year-old outfielder who has never played above A-ball unless they use him to get a Chris Archer.
Maybe they’ll just trade him, Kevin Newman and Mitch Keller for Danny Espinosa and get financial flexibility.
It does and it doesn’t, many of the reports I’ve seen having been saying Robles plus a top pitcher that is close to MLB ready. If those reports are true then it makes a lot of sense to be getting a young player that fills a void now and another that will fill a void in a few years, if it’s Robles and a throw-in or 2 then it’s a horrible trade.
That’s what I’m thinking. If they get him and a competitive pitcher I’ll love it.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzz
I find it funny that D basically exposes himself as a fraud by reporting that the Pirates are telling teams they want to deal quickly right before posting a quote from a reliable reporter that clearly says that the Nats are the ones pushing to deal quickly because of the ripples it causes. A good lesson in how to be a top notch fraud, he must be taking lessons from Yoda.
Wouldn’t it be possible that both teams do?
Including Bastardo is such a horrible idea. Way to drive your return for him down.
Rather get the Nats young 5-tool OF Victor Robles; give them Jaso to sweeten the deal..
I dont think Jaso sweetens any deal ever
I think that’s the point. Throw in Jaso, and give them two prospects – they’re doing the Pirates a favor.
the pirates are going to lose 100 games next year. it’s going to suck. like i always said, be a fair weathered fan with that joke orzigization.
How much do you want to bet they don’t lose 100 games?
Awesome news for Pirate fans, Yoda just guaranteed a playoff berth and maybe even a WS berth by prophecizing 100 loses. There isn’t a person alive that’s wrong more than this fraud.