The Blue Jays have “kicked around” Andrew McCutchen’s name as they attempt to address their outfield, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reports (all Twitter links). Pirates GM Neal Huntington recently said the team was likely to keep McCutchen after trade negotiations with the Nationals fell through. But, Crasnick writes, the Jays are one of several teams who are still interested in the Pirates’ star.
The Blue Jays have Kevin Pillar, an exceptional defender, in center field, so McCutchen would likely move to a corner if he were to be traded to Toronto. That might be best anyway, since McCutchen’s declining speed helped result in dreadful defensive numbers in center last season, leading to talk about him moving to a corner even if he stays in Pittsburgh. (His positioning might also have been a factor in his poor defensive stats.)
McCutchen posted a .256/.336/.430 line last season, with all three figures representing career lows. Still, the Pirates’ price to move him will be high — he’s still just 30 and has two years of relatively cheap control remaining, and his outstanding pre-2016 performances and strong hitting over the last two months last season inspire hope for his future. The discussions with the Nationals reportedly included top pitching prospect Lucas Giolito as well as another good prospect, Dane Dunning, both of whom later went to the White Sox in the Adam Eaton deal.
Since then, though, the Pirates have agreed to re-sign Ivan Nova, and been connected in trade talks to star White Sox lefty Jose Quintana. Their outlook now might be somewhat different than it was a month ago, as they now might be more focused on contending. Last week, Fan Rag’s Jon Heyman wrote that the Pirates wanted MLB-ready talent in return if they were to trade McCutchen.
The Jays, of course, recently lost Edwin Encarnacion to the Indians via free agency. It remains unclear which players they might use to lure the Pirates to trade McCutchen — their farm system, headed by shortstop Richard Urena, righty Sean Reid-Foley and outfielder Anthony Alford, is decent but not outstanding. The Jays acquired two of their other top prospects, catcher Reese McGuire and outfielder Harold Ramirez, with Francisco Liriano in a summer trade with the Pirates seemingly designed to help the Bucs shed Liriano’s salary.
PLEASE DO THIS JAYS
And you would like them to do this how? You have no prospects of any real value and you are obviously trying to compete now.
Two words: Marcus Stroman.
I bet they can get Meadows and Bell along with McCutchen on the cheap.
and just what do the Jays have to offer that could land them anything like that, let alone just McCutchen?
It was a joke based on the Liriano deal.
ah damn, i’ve spent a lot of time trying to forget that that trade happened. then i read this and see “Reese McGuire” among the Jays’ top prospects list and got those painful memories back. 🙁
Not a joke. The Jays can trade Bo Schultz to the Pirates for McCutchen, Meadows, and Bell. The Pirates severely value Bo and his ERA. Of course, this will leave a lot of heads scratching, but NH knows what he is doing.
Psst: By the way, I was also annoyed when they got rid of Holt, Broxton, Reese, Ramirez, Supek, Pounders, Tarply, Herrera, and Polo. Frustrating team to watch..
So, you were annoyed when they got Melancon and he was an elite closer for years?
You were annoyed when they got Ivan Nova and he pitched like an ace down the stretch and then resigned him to a very team friendly extension that locked up his prime years?
You were annoyed when Marlon Byrd came in and batted clean up for a team that won 98 games and made the playoffs for the first time in two decades?
Holt has been good, but Melancon and now Rivero have, too. Broxton is a serviceable (at best) player for a rebuilding team that will be a bench piece soon. Herrera is still a prospect being traded for rental players four years later. The rest have done nothing.
Do you have Indianapolis Indians season tickets or something?
Oh so if the Bucs like Bo they will just trade Cutch and Meadows and Bell?? Haha. Hahaha
Broxton and supek went for jason rogers who played all of 10 games? On the pirates. And i was annoyed when herrera and polo went for 3 months of an old byrd and joe or john buck w.e his name was. They did nothing to advance us and herrera will b an everyday 2nd baseman for years
Nothing?
Byrd hit .318 in the regular season for the Pirates batting 4th giving McCutchen protection in the 3 spot for a team that finished red hot and won 98 games.
Then in the wild card game which ADVANCED them to the NLDS for the first time in 20 years, he went 2 for 4 with a HR and 2 RBI. He was the most valuable player in the game that “advanced” them to their only playoff series in decades.
Oh, and then he hit .333 in the NLDS that went to the full 5 games against a 100 win Cards team.
Nothing.
Not like the whole bunch of something Herrera has done. He’s so good the Mets had to trade for Walker 3 years later and then dumped him off for Bruce.
Some yinzers are mad when the Pirates don’t give David Price $250 million and some yinzers are mad when they trade Tito Freaking Polo and Dilson “Anyday now he’ll be more than a prospect” Herrera.
Can’t win with yinzers.
Yes, 4th highest in wins over last 4 years with low payroll. Obviously don’t know what thay’re doing.
Only cause he did roids
To me the ONLY ones that were highly regarded by knowledgeable fans were Reese McGuire and Stephen Tarpley…Ramirez was blocked by the current outfielders as was Broxton – so trade them and give them a chance to develop and play in Majors …. Holt is a serviceable super utility guy We have one of those in Harrison and another in Adam Frazier
Haha this made me laugh
Not sure how the Jays would get that deal done. Not sure how they could get Cutch, but if it takes prospects I’m okay with that. Try not to subtract from the current roster.
Huh?
Yes, the Pirates have begging for someone to take Bell and Meadows. I think any low-A player should be enough.
I don’t see how they could get it with one top 100 prospect
the Jays would have to move good, young MLB players to make it happen in that case (in my opinion, at least). i’d like to think that McCutchen has higher value in real life than what most posters here think (that includes some Pirates fans like me).
Yes I could see stroman and some lesser prospects getting it done if the pirates are after controllable pitchers
a deal around Stroman would make the most sense if McCutchen were really heading to Toronto IMO. i’d also target prospects like Urena or Alford if Stroman doesn’t do it for the Pirates.
I would hate to see Stroman go
There was talk of a deal centered around Stroman for Charlie Blackmon a few weeks ago, but the Jays didn’t want to do it 1 for 1. I guess it just depends on how highly they value McCutchen as to whether they would do that.
would love to see him in right field for the O’s!
I don’t think they have the pieces to get that done…
Lol cutch isn’t going anywhere… let alone the Jays
Get cutch, meadows, and bell on the cheap????? Yaaaaaa okayyyyyy.. how??
Maybe trade us the bum Pearce? Then we can have a reunion party and sign Bautista
You don’t understand sarcasm?
Or can’t comprehend it apparently
Is that to me? I don’t pay attention much to sarcasm… sarcasm or not… jays don’t have anything to offer for cutch
Jays had a dreadful offseason… lost so much power and their rotation won’t come close to replicating last season… as of right now jays r a 3rd-4th place team in the beast that is the AL East
McCutchen at Rogers Center is a good fit offensively, though the turf may trouble AM’s knee on the defensive side. I’d rather pay McCutchen than Bautista. Also, the Jays should investigate what’s out there were Stroman to become available.
I am surprised Oakland isn’t in on McCutchen??
They wanted Edwin
Pirates want MLB ready players only
As a Toronto fan who is tired of listening to Toronto fans whine about the lack of spending of ownership and the lack of moves by management, I beg you to stop posting articles like this that are only setting up Jays fans for disappointment….cause it ain’t happening.
I swear the Twitter Jays fans are the worst. Talk about not understanding how a baseball team is run or how to play yeeesh
Any package that doesn’t include Stroman is a waste of time, so don’t even bother.
This is tailor made for a 3 way trade. McCutcheon to the Jays. Stroman to a team like the Dodgers or Houston, and plenty of prospects from the Jays and Houston to the Pirates. Or something like that. Who would be the best 3rd team though?
Prospects alone won’t do it for Cutch based on the fact that the Bucs need to win now with their core under control for 3-4 more years. I think he would need to return Stroman +. I prefer he be used in a three way together Quintana.
the pirates don’t need prospects ,they need players who are going to preform now.Prospects is the least they are thinking of landing
The question isn’t whether the Pirates like any of the Jays prospects, it is whether the White Sox like them.
Trade Cutch, flip the return (with a bit of extra from the Pirates farm) to Chicago for Quintana.
Although, for the record, the Jays took a 6’7″ pitcher named TJ Zeuch from the University of Pittsburgh in the first round last year right before the Pirates drafted. Bucs are said to have liked him. Getting him into the Pirates system could make it easier to trade a Tyler Glasnow or Mitch Keller if one of them needs to be in a Quintana deal.
Nobody bc cutch will be pirates opening day CF… corner outfield if he agrees to a move in ST
Not surprised something like this is leaked. Shapiro and Atkins are being vilified in Toronto for their handling of Encarnacion and they really need some good news to make up for that.
Any links on that? I’m curious what the reasoning was in the Toronto front office for their approach to EE. I can understand Bautista better.
Jays wanted EE and offered 4 years and 80 million. Not shabby. Once he said no they went after the closest replacement Morales and got him for a reasonable 3/33.. The Toronto media does not understand baseball or that Toronto is a medium sized market. Strohman for Cutch I would do if I were the Jays but I would not add a top minor prospect to it. Cutch is not cheap at 14 million a year.
Cutch for Stroman. Done. Call the league office. Someone let Huntindon and Shapiro know.
Just one leak in a long list of leaks from Shapkins.
McCutchen to the Jays for Reese McGuire and Harold Ramirez. Make it happen Neal!
They shouldn’t waste their future on Cutch(not saying it isn’t worth it but the Jays don’t have the deepest farm system and their players aren’t getting any younger so might as well keep them) I say give Ramirez a shot along with Alford in the OF the only given starting role in their OF right now is Pillar but other than that it is open season
I considered buying the playboy mansion but they laughed at my offer of 50 dollars
I think Toronto would trade Stroman in the right deal. I think Stroman would dominate in the NL with his 6 pitch repertoire. I also think that the Jays would use that trade as a platform to make Biagini as a starter. They are really enamored with that possibility.
Sending McCutchen to the Jays is not going to happen. The two teams just do not match up in any way. Even though Ramirez and McGuire were considered, by some, to be top ten prospects in the Pirates farm system, the management team in Pittsburgh viewed them differently.- overrated. Time will only tell which team’s assessment of their projected talents is correct. The Jays would have to trade what they just do not have, controllable MLB ready talent.
Even if the management finds them overrated, they are supposed to be a salesman and present the player as the best thing on earth so you can get more in return. Ramirez alone should have yielded Drew Hutchison if NH was able to talk a good game. NH needs to learn to talk to the other GM’s and managers as if his prospects are untouchable.
Pirates management signed both Hudson AND Nova for almost what it would have cost them to retain Liriano’s burdensome contract alone. They felt, and rightfully so, that most National League teams had Liriano figured out. From Neil Huntington”s point of view, he traded a bad contract and two prospects that his management team viewed as being “fringe” for Hudson, Nova, and Hutchison. Huntington has taken a lot of flak for the Liriano trade, but it sure does seem that he is taking the team into the proper direction.
You should also take into effect the two that were dealt for Nova
Also have to consider it cost us two prospects to obtain Nova also
Well there are guys like pillar and Travis who fit that bill but trading them for cutch would just be a lateral move
Kevin pillar with his elevated trade value might be a starting point here. Obviously upton, who undoubtedly has greater offensive potential than pillar anyways, would move to centrefield
That’s not a good idea Upton would do terrible vs RHP and isn’t good enough to start full time in CF.
Devon Travis,Smoak and others for Him and then sign like Trumbo or so on to play 1B.
The Jays don’t even want Smoak!
No team in baseball does.
How about I trade you 100 Brien Taylor rookie cards for your one Jeter rookie card. 100 is more than one right?
forget Cutch and go after Puig . Start with travis and go from there. He would be a fan favorite in no time. Toronto veterans would put him on the straight and narrow,
might as well do it. Jays have made a lot of moves in recent years and it’s paid off. go for it jays, Andrew is a hellova player. plus he was teammates with Martin and happ.
McCutchen to Blue Jays. Jays prospects to the White Sox. Jose Quintana to the Pirates.
The Pirates would probably have to also send a prospect to the White Sox to make that happen, but the deals works for each team.
You have to name the prospects. If the Jays don’t have the prospects for McCutchen, they definitely don’t have enough to get Quintana.
Ain’t nothing big like Mccutch gonna happen. Shapiro the Builder more concerned long range and won’t give up viable prospects. Sad.
Cutch for Stroman?
Cutch for Stroman plus ____?
Cutch plus ____ for Stroman?
Which is fair? I don’t know the details of Stroman’s contract or how many years of control he has left.
Stroman has 4 years of control left(Cot’s has him at 2.148 years for service). He’s Arb eligible this off season as a Super 2(I believe) and MLBTR has him projected for $2.6 million IIRC.
Hard to say who’d have more value but personally, I’d value Stroman more due to the extra 2 years of control. His biggest weaknesses are his emotions which can sometimes get the best of him, causing him to get out of sync and rush himself, leading to flat pitches that get crushed. But when he’s on, he’s the 2nd best arm in the Jays rotation.
I don’t see a Stroman for Cutch trade making much sense for the Jays. Any arm on the FA market is a significantly worse option in the rotation.
its about time the pirates put together a team on the field that plays everyday.this garbage of a guy playing 2 games and then putting in someone else the 3rd day is getting old.most successful teams have a steady starting lineup and not using 3 different combinations all the time,so they need players and not prospects,and they have not had a real first baseman in maybe 4 or 5 years,so they either put Bell there for good or go get somebody.they have too many infielders and im sure they can trade one or two and fill a position that is open and then the guys they kept put them around the diamond at a steady position.I like Bell at ist,frazier at 2nd,mercer at short and kung at 3rd,and if not Bell at first then put freese at first.Catching is a issue also as cervelli gets hurt too much and Stewart is nothing but a backup so either bring diaz up or go get one.If we don’t keep a steady group on the field most of the time then there is no chemestry to win.
Love to see the pirates do stroman for cutch. And then work on glasnow/bell for Quintana.
Gerrit Cole
Jose Quintana
Marcus Stroman
Would be a nice under control 1 2 3 in the national league.
If the Jays are to lose Stroman than it better be for Votto. This is the only trade that will improve this team tenfold. If Stroman is included in a deal for Votto, the Reds will pick up 1/2 his salary. Now you get Votto for 10 mil a year and he far surpasses Edwin’s production. The Jays NEED guys that get on base. Votto is the best at that. Then go out and sign Bautista for 1 year, 18 mil. Then you have Joey and Joey for a combined 28 mil. Start Pompey or Zek in Left and this team is great again. Use remaining funds in bullpen and backup catcher. Oh and I don’t mean Stroman straight up. Add a Conor Greene and maybe a Tellez. That deal gets the Reds to pay half. Which softens the prospect and Stroman blow.
Not happening, If the reds wanted to eat half vottos salary and trade him as a 10 million per player they would get ALOT more than stroman. Tons of teams would be in on votto for 10 mil.
And no Greene and telez as throw ins would not change anything. A team like the redsox for example would love to have votto. They reds would want eduardo Rodriguez, Jason groome, and Rafael devers for votto and they still might not make him a 10 mil per player. They could make him a 13 mil per year player and still get that
Work out a deal with the Sox for Melky. Cost a lot less then what the Bucks are asking for Cutch
There’s a reason for that. He’s not very good.
Hmm, Cutch to the Jays, Quintana to the Pirates, Stroman Pillar Alford and Urena to the White Sox?
Jays aren’t doing that.
Jays give up 4 players for McCutchen including 2 off their ML roster? That’s a joke.
Not only that but why do the pirates get all of that then give it away to the sox? Makes no sense the entire way around.
The Tribe has a significant championship window with its core hitters and pitching under team control for a number of seasons to come. Even after last summer’s Miller trade, they still have a good farm system. After the Edwin Encarnacion signing, it’s time to shock the world again Cleveland.
Cutch for Bobby Bradley, Brady Aiken, Nolan Jones and Tyler Naquin.
All a free agent costs is money, why trade for someone ?
No way the Pirates should trade Cutch if the idea is to contend and possibly bring in Quintana. Especially to a team that is offering you nothinh
On the other hand, if they acquire Quintana and give up 2 or 3 top prospects to make the deal, it might be worth trading Cutch if we can replenish our minor league system again by getting 2 or 3 good prospects from Toronto. Yes, the Bucs would prefer major-league ready p.layers, but they don’t have an endless supply of prospects either.
Let’s face it: Cutch was their 3rd best OF’er last year. I think and hope that he can come back strong this year, but I’m not certain of that and neither is anyone else. It’s also been suggested that the relationship between Cutch and the front office and coaching staff has gotten strained over the last year or so.
I love the guy as a player and ambassador for the Pirates, but I’m OK with him being traded for the right return. If the Pirates somehow can get Quintana, I’m OK with a (slightly) less major-league ready return if they decide to then deal McCutchen. One thing I would say is that I’m not sure if Toronto would be the best place for Andrew to land, only because I’m not sure if playing on turf wouldn’t accelerate his occasional knee problems.
Nova and Hudson equal Liriano’s money almost to the dollar.
They might want to check out Cutch’s salary vs. Quintana’s. Bucs aren’t going to pay both.
Yeah, sadly, you’re probably right
It’s not that I’m a huge Cutch fan but most MLB teams want to steal him from Neil. Look at the Nationals. Guy is only under control for two years and it dictates pay-back
Meanwhile, Quintana would mean the team is serious but they can’t arrange a patchwork outfield and hope to compete.
I can take or leave Cutch. I knew they’d be trading him (trying at least) in 2016 when I saw his contract. That’s when his value as an asset exceeded his value as a player to them.
But, when you have Polanco in LF and Marte in CF, the RF’er would have to be pretty awful for it to not be a good outfield. Even if they moved Josh Harrison to RF and played Frazier at 2B, that would be a solid outfield.
If they traded a puck to the Mets for Bruce….Polanco Marte Bruce is very good.
They need to dump CUTCH before spring training he will be a cancer with all the trade talk bouncing around
The Jays should trade melvin upton and retain the remaining salary as well to get Cutch. Along with prospects.
It baffles me how so many dumb baseball fans post on here. Saying the Jays farm system is bad is pretty ignorant. There is a lack of MLB level talent but we are a top ten system again according to Heyman.
Also it’s hilarious for a Pirates fan to say the Jays had a bad offseason. Still bitter over an absolutely brutal Liriano trade? Who cares what you think about McGuire and Ramirez, they’re assets along with Liriano for nothing (Hutch). Pearce has a 1.000 ops against RHP. Morales is great with RISP. And we get two comp picks. What did the Bucs do?
Lol your farm system is utter trash.
It makes no sense for the Jays to trade a good, young, controllable pitcher like Stroman for two years of McCutchen at 14m a year when they could sign Bautista for 18m-20m. production wise, there isn’t a big enough difference between Bautista and McCutchen to justify essentially giving Stroman away to save 4m-6m. I think the Jays are better off signing Bautista and/or working out a deal with Detroit for J.D. Martinez to fill out their outfield. I bet a package involving Pompey could net them Martinez