Andrew McCutchen has indicated in the past that he’d like to spend his entire career with the Pirates. Even after the Bucs nearly traded McCutchen to Washington at the winter meetings, the five-time All-Star center fielder hasn’t done a 180. “That hasn’t changed just because of my name being in trade (talks),” McCutchen said regarding his desire to stay a Pirate for good (via Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review). McCutchen did admit it bothered him that the Pirates placed him on the block, though he doesn’t harbor any ill feelings toward general manager Neal Huntington. “We had a really good conversation and we ended it on good terms,” the 30-year-old said. “I do understand he has a job (to do). I don’t understand what he has to do. I can’t empathize with that, just like he can’t empathize with what I could be going through, the challenges I face.” While it appears McCutchen will remain a Pirate in 2017, his penultimate year of team control, the one-time National League MVP revealed that Huntington hasn’t given him “any assurances” on his future.
Here’s more from the NL:
- Outfielder Adam Eaton has been a well above-average offensive producer in each of his three full major league seasons, but the newest member of the Nationals hasn’t been as consistently productive in the grass. Eaton was among the majors’ best defenders as a right fielder last season, but that came after he logged mixed results in 2014 and 2015 in center – where he’s likely to line up as a Nat. Speaking Saturday to reporters, including Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com, Eaton called his 2015 output in center “very poor,” though he expressed confidence about his general defensive ability. “I don’t like to harp on the negative, either. So I think that I’m definitely the ‘14 player,” he said. “If I’m in right, hopefully I’m the ‘16 player. And when I’m in center, hopefully I’m the ‘14 (player). I think I’m very capable of playing all three (outfield positions).” Eaton finished 2014 with 11 Defensive Runs Saved and plummeted to minus-14 the next season.
- The reliever-needy Diamondbacks have checked in with free agent and longtime D-back Brad Ziegler about a reunion, but a deal is unlikely because the 37-year-old has received far more lucrative offers than the $2.75MM the club gave Fernando Rodney, according to FanRag’s Jack Magruder. In the wake of picking up Rodney, new GM Mike Hazen told Magruder that he’s “very comfortable with the group we have right now.” Only five teams amassed fewer wins than the Diamondbacks’ 69 in 2016, but the team has “a lot of talent,” Hazen said.
- The Pirates, Rockies and Dodgers look like logical landing spots if the White Sox trade highly effective, eminently affordable left-hander Jose Quintana, opines David Schoenfield of ESPN.com. Pittsburgh would likely have to part with at least one top-caliber prospect from the trio of right-hander Tyler Glasnow, outfielder Austin Meadows and first baseman Josh Bell to acquire Quintana, writes Schoenfield. The Rockies could center an offer on young shortstop Brendan Rodgers, suggests Schoenfield, who adds that the Dodgers might be able to secure Quintana with righty Jose De Leon and outfielder Alex Verdugo headlining a package.
Add Puig to the deal. Then you will have 3 Cuban Amigos. Sounds fair for both teams.
Puig could be decent in baltimore.
not really
Well in know of one dodgers fan out there that doesnt want it to happen .lol that being said, i hope its either pirates or rockies. . if its rockies, tapia,pint,and rodgers. if its pirates, meadows,,bell,hayes and meadows.. it could be a huge deal if we include abreu or frazier. Pirates need a good power bat also.
Lol as a Pirates fan thanks but no thanks.
So you are telling me that you have a chance at contending with quintana while keeping your 25 man roster intact and adding a quality high average power bat under cheap team control for 4 years quintana, abreu 3 years. . you would rather loose? Sorry but seeing quite a few pirates games this past year jaso sucked lol. cutch cant do it by himself. You have a young team ready for contention and you have the opportunity to add without breaking the bank and you refuse. wow lol.
Marte Cutch Kang Polanco Bell. The Pirates are fine with bats. Q would be a huge add don’t get me wrong. But Meadows and Bell are the future. Especially after Cutch leaves
Agree
I wouldn’t trade Rodgers straight up for Q
Well all that means is you don’t know crap and once again there will be no shot of the Rockies going anywhere
The pirates can clone players?
Glasnow, Bell for Quintana
Glasnow could potentially be better than quintana and bell is a monster with the bat so yea no. Pirates are a small market team and need a future.
I agree that Glasnow could be better, but Bell also can’t play defense. Hmmm, I wonder if the Pirates had any other “monsters with the bat” who couldn’t play defense…Pedro Alvarez perhaps?
The ONLY thing Pedro had was power. Pedro wasn’t a bright bulb, either.
Bell is a smart kid. He has power, but his patience and plate discipline are already elite. And he’s a good athlete. He’ll learn 1B.
If he doesn’t, then he becomes a trade chip. Only then.
Pedro had a 3.7 GPA at Vanderbilt. That’s a pretty bright bulb.
Jose Quintana would be the difference between the Pirates having a 2% chance to win instead of a 1% chance to win. Not the right deal for them. Besides….
I wouldn’t trade Glasnow or Bell. The only way I’d trade Meadows is if they extended McCutchen. Speaking of which….
If the Pirates believe Cutch’s season was a one off instead of a decline, they should call his bluff….offer him a 4 year/$60 million extension. That would take him to his age 35 season and is basically his current salary.
I’d trade meadows in a heart beat if he was the main piece of a trade for Q. I feel like he’s gonna be a bust. Bell? Tallion? And Glasnow? They’re gonna be around for awhile.
As a Pirates fan I’m the opposite. I think Glasnow is more likely to bust than Meadows
Then why leave it to chance of prospects when you have a sure thing coming with quintana and it opens up a championship window for 4 years at least for cheap..Abreu can do for your line up what cespedes did for the mets lineup. also.
What makes u believe meadows will be a bust he’s had only hit at every level he’s played and has the speed and power to at minimum be a MLB regular
Bell will be around a long time…IF he can play some defense somewhere. If not, he’s an AL player. The bat and the approach are terrific.
Glasnow is not a sure thing, but his ceiling is as high as anyone’s in baseball. If he puts it all together, he’s Syndergaard. If he fails as a starter, he could still be a Chapman-esque reliever.
The upside of Taillon is one of the biggest hopes for the Pirates. Great stuff. Great mental makeup. I really like him. He could be their best pitcher as soon as this year.
I see no reason Meadows would be a bust, but having Marte and Polanco signed long term makes any other OF’s potentially expendable.
No one is a Chapman-esque reliever but Chapman. Even then I’m not sure.
We all need to acknowledge how good the photoshops are. Goodness
Why the hell would the Pirates be in this. The pirates window starts when the players that they get in the Cutch trade arrive…. Trade Cutch…
The Pirates planned years ago to trade Cutch this winter. The slump messed those plans up.
If Huntingdon is smart (he is) he’ll plan on trading Gerrit Cole next winter.
And then, yes, whatever return they get for Cutch and Cole joins Taillon, Glasnow, Bell, Marte, Polanco, Meadows and soon, Newman, as the Pirates real core to push for contention.
I have a couple of questions I’m going to post in a couple of separate posts. The first is a Dodgers-Rays question (side question involving Quintana-Robertson, and what I assume would be a slightly lesser package). Would Bellinger, De Leon, Yusniel Diaz, Brock Stewart, and Will Smith be enough to get Odorizzi and Colome from the Rays for the Dodgers? I doubt they could get Archer and Colome with something like that, but maybe I’m wrong…
I’ve heard a couple of people say they dont think the Dodgers would trade Bellinger, but they’d still have other guys close to the big leagues in that scenario, as well as obviously the guys they already have in the big leagues….unless they are done with Puig? I might still be valuing him higher than I should be. Or unless they’re eventually planning on using Bellinger to replace Adrian Gonzalez at 1b, but dude is a good enough athlete to play in the OF, and you can figure out 1b another way IMO. or does the new CBA and their debt situation mean they’re trying to save money, by having their young guys, and then to help them keep Kershaw in 2018? I just think you can always figure out something at 1b if you’re a team like the Dodgers
As for the Rays, I figure they’re likely to trade only 1 of their SPs. I might be wrong. I’d assume they’re more willing to part with Odorizzi and/or Cobb, than both Odorizzi and Archer, considering the amount of control they have over them, whereas Cobb is a free agent after the season (although I’d also assume they’d prefer to deal Cobb during the season, so he could possibly rebound some value after his injuries the last couple of years)
But I could see them pairing Colome with one of them to get a really big haul, and the Dodgers could use a guy that can pitch near the top of their rotation, behind Kershaw/Hill, and obviously a backend guy in their bullpen
Second is a Colorado Rockies scenario with either the White Sox or Rays. Tapia, McMahon, German Marquez, Antonio Senzatela, Forest Wall, Dom Nunez for Quintana, Abreu, and Robertson?
or would it not be possible to get Quintana and Abreu without Dahl, Rodgers, Pint, or Hoffman? Was wondering if Rodgers would be necessary, considering the White Sox seem to like their middle infield situation with Anderson and Moncada, and also, I figured the White Sox are looking more for closer to the big leagues guys, and Rodgers played 2016 in A ball The quantity here is admittedly interesting for the White Sox though, considering the number of positions and wants it covers for them (heard they’re looking for OF and Catching) and I figure McMahon can help at 3b/1b assuming they still move Frazier. Rockies would still have plenty of prospects in their system, and McMahon, Tapia, and Nunez are arguably currently blocked.
Also, obviously the Rockies would have to trade an OFer or 2 for pitching, and hopefully still sign a free agent or 2, as they’d still need a couple of bullpen arms and another SP. They’d have Quintana, Jon Gray, Tyler Chatwood, and Tyler Anderson true, but they could still use another couple of arms there, as I’d assume they still want to monitor young guys’ innings, especially the guys that are still not that far removed from injury. Hoffman could probably make it less important for multiple arms, but he doesnt miss as many bats as he probably should, and thats not good in Colorado when your command is a little suspect. Then, obviously their bullpen was terrible outside Ottovino off his injury. Add a backend guy like Robertson, maybe McGee bounces back, and another bullpen arm or 2 in free agency possibly makes that a much better situation, allowing there to be a little less pressure on their younger arms
Or could they possibly try to get Odorizzi and Colome from the Rays?
That package wouldn’t even get quintana alone. I highly doubt the sox would package 3 guys in 1 trade and they definitely aren’t trading all 3 and not even getting any of a teams top 3 prospects. The sox are looking for top prospecs back.
Lets not act like that isnt a good package though. 5 of their top 9, including 3 of their top 6, and all of them, with the exception of Wall and Nunez, are big league ready/close to the big leagues. It also includes the White Sox positional wants. I considered whether or not the White Sox would be willing to trade all 3 in one trade. I figured that you see stuff like that all the time, even though you could speculate that it makes more sense to try to move them separately. I also took into consideration that Robertson is coming off a slightly down year and is owed $25 million over the next 2 years,
But ya, that was pretty much the question. I would assume the White Sox would want one of Dahl, Hoffman, or Pint. I just think Tapia, McMahon, and Marquez at least makes it interesting. I could even speculate that maybe 1 more arm in A-High A ball might be able to convince the White Sox, considering the high volume of good-top prospects that would net them, as well as other things we’ve heard in the last couple of days from talks with the Astros, as well as what John Mozeliak of St Louis mentioned about quantity without giving up Reyes for significant upgrades. Of course, they could use the Rockies desperation for arms against them, and obviously, they dont actually have to trade Quintana or Abreu right now
Pirates get quintana. White sox get glasnow, will craig, cole tucker and one of either dovydas neverauskas or edgar santana.
Quintanas appeal is obvious, no explanation necessary.
On the white sox side, adding glasnow to giolito, reynaldo lopez, carlos rodon and carson fulmer with kopech and dunning coming up sooner than later is quite the stockpile of good, young arms. Simply plug in free agent veterans on an as needed basis for the next 6 years. Will Craig can be an in house abreu replacement or if they extend abreu as his deal is about to expire the two can split 1b and DH duties. Tucker, like Craig, is a couple years away from the bigs but can handle short and can make a solid middle infield combo with moncada in a couple years. Then Neverauskas/Santana adds another piece thats on the cusp of the bigs and adds a power arm for the back of the bullpen. Then the Sox trade robertson and frazier for outfield and corner infield prospects and theyre all but guaranteed to win the semi-meaningless “best farm system” award.
Looks like a pretty fair deal for both sides
That’s probably about what it would cost to get Quintana, but why would the Pirates do that?
They won 78 games last year. The Cubs won, like, 839 games last year. The Pirates are not a Jose Quintana away from contention.
The Pirates hope for contention is a young core of Bell, Newman, Meadows and maybe Hayes joining Marte and Polanco to form a great group of position players AND Glasnow and Taillon both reaching their potential.
Even that is not enough, they’ll need to add some premium young arms in the trades that send Cutch and Cole out of town.
The Root Sports local TV deal expires in 2019. The next deal will be much bigger. The idea is to get a young core in place and then actually be able to keep them. Cutch and Cole (Cole could if he weren’t a Boras guy, but he is, so…) don’t fit that timeline.
First and foremost, dont start thinking theres going to be a windfall of new money in the new tv deal. Coonelly is still in charge of the business operations and he was the one who signed off on the current deal too so lets wait and see there. Beyond that, by the time meadows, newman, bell and especially hayes start reaching their ceiling one of marte and polanco will probably be gone via trade to restock the farm which is why I think Huntington was trying to get robles in a Cutch trade from the Nats as opposed to say a joe ross and reynaldo lopez led package.
I’ve never liked the Cole Tucker pick and they have Newman coming, so he’s certainly expendable.
But, the Craig pick is the wild card. Some scouts liken Craig to Schwarber with the bat, but it seems he’d be limited to 1B as his position.
Not sure how you keep both Bell and Craig (assuming both pan out) on an NL team.