After missing out on ace Chris Sale, who went to the Red Sox in a blockbuster deal this afternoon, the Nationals are shifting their focus back to Pirates star Andrew McCutchen, reports FanRag’s Jon Heyman. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post writes that the Nationals hadn’t shut down talks with the Pirates as of this afternoon, and Byron Kerr of MASNsports.com tweets that the Nats and Bucs are set to have another meeting this afternoon.
At one point, it was reported that the Nationals felt they had the prospect capital to acquire both Sale and McCutchen, so the fact that they didn’t win the Sale sweepstakes technically gives them ample talent to pry McCutchen away from Pittsburgh. However, the Bucs reportedly asked for both Lucas Giolito and Victor Robles when talking with the Nationals, and that level of expenditure would be difficult to stomach, considering McCutchen is coming off his worst full season as a regular. He’s owed a reasonable $28MM over the next two seasons, but if last year was the beginning of a trend, then that figure may not be much of a bargain.
The Nats were said to have a real chance at landing Sale last night before the Red Sox swooped in, but as Janes reports, the Nationals never showed any willingness to part with Trea Turner, which ultimately proved to be the sticking point in negotiations. That’s consistent with everything that’s been reported when it comes to the Nationals’ trade efforts, as GM Mike Rizzo (understandably) seems to be steadfastly averse to trading his blossoming star.
That said, it’s been a frustrating Winter Meetings for the Nats so far, who have also lost out on Mark Melancon, as their now-former closer signed a four-year, $62MM deal with the Giants. Nonetheless, there are plenty of high-profile upgrades to pursue, and Joel Sherman of the New York Post points (on Twitter) out that if the Nats want to engage with the ChiSox on their other top lefty, Jose Quintana (and possibly closer David Robertson), a good deal of groundwork could be accelerated, as the Nats and White Sox are already quite familiar with each others’ organizations after the extensive Sale talks, though that observation seems to be more speculation than anything else. For the time being, it seems that the Nats’ focus is McCutchen, although the two sides have been in talks since last week and also talked this past summer but have seemingly never come close to making a swap.
That’s good, they needed a big outfield bat and closer more than Sale anyway.
Agreed for sure, if we can get Jansen for cheaper than chapman That should be the main focus
Any smart fan/person knows this was a blessing in disguise for the Nats. They don’t need Sale. They don’t need an ace. They need to improve on offense and late relief. Bunch of options there.
Ya it really is, especially with sale’s funky delivery. You never know when a pitchers arms going to explode, and his seems like a ticking time bomb
Yea you need a Clean motion like Strasburg or Mark Prior
Touché comebacktrail28
Haha nice. Unfortunately one of Prior’s ultimate downfalls was arguably his being over-used by Dusty Baker (same as Kerry Wood). I will never forget how Prior and Wood always seemed to dominate the Astros
Hard to imagine this deal getting done. Pirates aren’t going to like the deal Nats put on the table.
mccutchen is only owed 15 million over one year. team option for 2018.
If he’s bad enough not to exercise the option, that’s even worse.
I think the Nats should focus on getting a closer before worrying about getting McCutchen. He’s probably going to be around for awhile with the asking price on his head. Several teams have already shied away initially after hearing what they want in return.
Nats come back empty handed and they are going to look silly. They were in the running for Sale and Cutch and walk away with nothing and lose your closer??
Cutch and Watson would make a lot of sense for the Nats.
Yep, a lot of sense indeed. What about the following:
Cutch & Watson for Ross, Lopez, Glover + another 5-10 prospect. Avoid Giolito and Robles but still get value back to the Bucs while sending a potential closer to the Nats.
Pirates need sure fire rotation arm for 17 so Ross may fit the bill. I really like Roark but not sure if he is touchable.
They might be able to work out something without Giolito and Robles for just McCutchen, but for Watson as well they’d probably have to at least include Robles, who the Pirates apparently like.
I don’t understand the Pirate’s focus on Robles unless they are going to spin him in a deal for another pitcher like Archer. Pirates focus should be on fixing the rotation that totally screwed the 2016 season.
Certainly a possibility as they checked on Archer at the deadline (when the price was insane–basically the Dodgers top 5 prospects). There also is the chance that they use the money they save from McCutchen to then sign Ivan Nova–who I’d prefer them to sign regardless of what happens with Cutch.
A creative approach would be for PIT to send McCutchen to WAS for Giolito and Werth with the Nats eating a large portion of his 2017 salary.
except Pittsburgh has no need for Werth.
A creative option for Washington perhaps, but a terrible option for Pittsburgh.
creative is one word for that. idiotic would be another word.
If you are serious, be advised that Werth has a full no-trade clause in his contract.
Love how a single season of AVG play from a guy who has produced like a metronome year after year and the so called pundits act like its a trend only to get worse. smh
Especially when he had a thumb injury all season and showed vast improvement batting in the second half. His fielding is bad but he’s probably just not a CF anymore. He’ll return to mashing this year and the only people who doubt that are the people who overvalue their teams prospects.
Kind of what happen to bat-speed-dependent guys who enter their 30’s. This is not out of the blue sky, it’s normal. Teams have models for aging of different kinds of players and they’re pretty accurate.
lol how about a pitcher that has thrown 195 innings the past 4 years finished top 6 in AL Cy young all those years and he’s injury prone and regressing but the Nats gave 150 to Strasburg and he’s had surgery twice
I think the pirates should ask for Ross and Robles if they’re trading cutch. The way the nationals value elite pitching giolito would probably stay. Unless they wanna offer up their boy marte and get giolito. He’s signed till 2021 and they’re gonna need someone out there once Harper is gone.
Trading Marte along with Cutch would make Huntington the dumbest GM of all time. Just Saying
No way marte is leaving lol. The guy is one of the most underrated players in the league.
With one of the best contracts in the game.
I’m not saying both. I mean it’s pretty dumb on their part to be like let’s trade cutch cause he’s stinking it up and hope we get back some great prospects. If they want to strike gold trade better talent. With their logic I hope I can trade Jake peavy for their top prospect cause remember when he was great?
Difference is Peavy has been trash for awhile now, Cutch got MVP votes in 2015. Any team trading for him clearly believes he can get back to something like that thus he has value.
Cutch had one half of a bad year; look at his second half stats…. worst argument I’ve seen in here in quite a while.
Declining steadily defensive metrics sliding. Wouldn’t want him on my team if I had to give up decent prospects
Good thing you aren’t a GM
They arent trading him because he’s “stinking it up,” they may trade him because they lose him in 2 years and a small market team must constantly retool so they don’t have to do a total rebuild.
Glad they didn’t make the Sale trade and I don’t understand the hard on for Cutch. I think they should try to work out a trade with the White Sox for Eaton and Robertson. Don’t mind giving up Giolito and some other prospects but I would hold onto Robles who will be a star and a replacement for Harper. In fact I would trade Harper now since the Nats won’t be keeping him when he is a free agent
Somebody swoop in and deny them Andrew as well please! haha
Yes! Please! I love watching them suffer lol
The Bucs are going to have to lower their price if they want to move Cutch, Turner, Giolitto, are out on him. A package of Robles, Cole, and Glover would be fair. A good trade is one that is good for both teams. The Bucs are trying to sell Cutch low and they have to realize that or just take him off the talbe. They have already trashed him to the point of no return, he was the franchise not too long ago.
I’m not sure who trashed Cutch. He had a sub-par year but the club was very supportive of him the entire time, giving him breaks but also giving him every opportunity to play his way out of the slump (which he did). Offering him up in trades isn’t trashing him, its business.
Every great player has a down year, the difference is the Bucs trying to trade him! They could have improved the team the last 2 years when they won 97, but they didn’t. They just don’t get it. They should have been like the Cubs and they should have gone for it 2 years ago.
A team like the Pirates either needs to look to do these things as they get near the end of the contract. I’m all for trading Cutch now or trying to extend him on the cheap. And I understand the people who want to wait until the deadline, etc…But that is really risking it with injury and whatnot.
I understand the sentiment around wanting to keep Cutch, I wish they could. But to let him walk in two years would be beyond foolish.
Yes just get a few 25M a year players, no problem. LOL You must live in NY, LA or Chi.
Forget that a good trade is when you make someone overpay for your product.
Pirates need to maintain a high ask for Cutch. It doesn’t necessarily have to be Robles + Giolito but it needs to include a current rotation piece and another arm extremely close to being one. What about Ross + Lopez? Include Watson and make the return Ross/Lopez/Glover/another prospect in the 7-15 range.
Cutch had a down year last year but he rebounded nicely at the end and is only a year away from posting multiple MVP-worthy seasons. Sure, there is some risk for the trading team but all signs point to Cutch being much closer to his prior production than where he was for most of 2016. Besides, he is finally healthy after playing at least somewhat hurt last year.
I agree, Ross and Robles would make sense along with another piece!
I can’t see the Nationals doing that. Ross may be more valuable than McCutchen at this point alone with 5 years of control. Obviously McCutchen has some amount of value to the Pirates beyond his production, but from a pure baseball perspective, that deal strikes me as quite one-sided
Agreed, and i’m a Pirate fan. Ross and Lopez, or one of those and Fedde.
No I don’t believe you are a fan. But you do overvalue prospects.
Rizzo just wants to trade a bunch of random spare parts for the face of the franchise of either the ChiSox or Pirates. That’s why he lost out on Sale and why the Pirates are much better off dealing with either the Giants, Rangers, Mariners or Indians.
Huntington needs to tell him to take his Robles/Giolito-less offers and have fun trying to win a WS in Lerner’s lifetime before Bryce Harper becomes a Yankee in two years.
No need for the Pirates to reach to make a deal here.
Cutch and Watson for Ross, Robles and Lopez.
Or both teams could just go for broke and include Gerrit Cole.
Cole, Cutch and Watson for Ross, Giolito, Robles, Lopez, Fedde and two more prospects.
Moving cole and cutch in the same deal is going to require turner , so that will never happen
I don’t think it would. I think a promising young MLB pitcher with 6 years of control and 6 top prospects is a nice return.
Cole is not Sale. Very very good, but not great.
That deal would check every box on the National’s needs and it would set the Pirates (who still have Meadows, Bell, Glasnow, Newman, etc.) up as a future juggernaut.
This is a tough call depending on the price. If it is something like Robles, Ross and some middling prospects I can see the Nats doing it. The big problem is McCutchen has stopped running and he has been fighting nagging knee injuries the last two years. For the next year or two it should be worth it. If you have to give up a few great prospects; Turner, Giolito, Robles, etc…. It is most likely going to look like a very bad deal starting in 2019.
Cole and Cutch for Robles, Ross, Voth and a AA of your choice. Sound fair? Nats get right now. Bucs get future.
You are delusional, that package might get you McCutchen. The Pirates don’t have to trade McCutchen. He still has 2 more seasons of team control. The Pirates aren’t going to unload McCutchen just to get rid of him. If anything they hold onto to him until the trading deadline were his value will be much higher.
As to Cole, the only way the Pirates even entertain the idea of trading Cole is a Shelby Miller type offer. And that ain’t happen.
You say I’m delusional and suggest that we can get those four players from Washington for McCutchen? It is to laugh.
Ha thats a delusional trade if ive ever seen one. If cole is involved your top prospect is going to be coming to the pirates. Would be more like this robles, giolito, ross, lopez, and keiboom. Would probably include a coulpe more lesser peices that would be more lottery ticket type deals with each team but if you want cole along with cutch rizzo is gonna have to pay up big time.
I wish the Cardinals GM would be more involved in obtaining theses same players!!! Difference is, the Nationals “will” actually obtain some of these players, the Cardinals GM will just preach empty words with no follow through. Year after year—- same thing! ——–so disgusting!
Be happy with your past years of world series titles and be done with it. Pirates fans have suffered way more than cards fans but all o hear is the cards fans complaining about not trading for top teir talent. Probably becuase they already make it in their farm system.
The Pirates should include Watson in he deal. Reliable lefty in the late innings
How bout the Orioles offer a package of Brach, Walker, Harvey, McFarland for Cutch and Bastardo. Let’s Pirates clear 20 mil of payroll while still reloading for a playoff run this year with a strengthened bullpen and a roll of the dice with a possible future ace Harvey.