Financial reasons played a key role in the Nationals’ offseason decision to trade for then-White Sox center fielder Adam Eaton instead of the Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen, reports FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (video link). With his $4MM salary this year, Eaton is much cheaper than McCutchen ($14MM), and acquiring the latter would have forced the Nationals to jettison left-hander Gio Gonzalez and his $12MM price tag in a separate deal, says Rosenthal. In addition to having concerns over how their payroll would have looked with McCutchen, the Nationals had no interest in meeting Pittsburgh’s lofty demands for the five-time All-Star. Washington bought high on Eaton, whose excellent 2016 helped convinced the club to give up high-end pitching prospects Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning for him. McCutchen, on the other hand, had a career-worst season last year, yet the Pirates wanted an even more impressive package for him than the Nationals sent the White Sox, according to Rosenthal. Pittsburgh held out for both pitching prospects and major leaguers, leading the Nats to go in another direction.
More from around the sport:
- Outfielder Coco Crisp said during the winter that he wasn’t ready to retire, and even though he still hasn’t landed a contract, the 37-year-old wants to continue playing, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Crisp hasn’t been able to find work on the heels of a season in which he hit an underwhelming .231/.302/.397 with 13 home runs and 10 stolen bases in a combined 498 plate appearances with the Athletics and Indians. He was worse in the field, accounting for minus-10 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-11.1 Ultimate Zone Rating.
- Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias “might” make his first big league start of 2017 in the coming week, manager Dave Roberts said Saturday (via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com). Urias would step in for Alex Wood, who Gurnick notes would return to the bullpen after making a start in place of the injured Rich Hill on Friday. The 20-year-old Urias tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings and 93 pitches Friday with Triple-A Oklahoma. As for Hill, who has dealt with chronic blister issues since last year, he has “tinkered” with a new grip during his latest DL stint, per Roberts. Hill has also tried to cure his problems with pickle juice and rice, among other methods mentioned by Gurnick. It seems the 37-year-old has made progress in his recovery. “It’s toughened up for sure,” Hill said of the blister.
- Jorge Soler is getting closer to making his Royals debut. The outfielder, on the shelf since March with an oblique injury, began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Friday, relays Dave Sessions of MLB.com. The Royals are unsure when they’ll call up Soler, whom they acquired from the Cubs for closer Wade Davis over the winter. When Soler is healthy enough to return, his bat “could be a big boost,” manager Ned Yost said. Kansas City’s offense entered Saturday dead last in the majors in both runs and wRC+, so its lineup certainly needs a jolt.
- Rangers minor league left-hander Joe Palumbo will undergo Tommy John surgery during the upcoming week, tweets TR Sullivan of MLB.com. Palumbo, one of the Rangers’ 10 best prospects, will now lose a year of development as a result of a torn ulnar collateral ligament. The 22-year-old was extremely impressive this season at the High-A level, where he recorded a 0.66 ERA, 14.49 K/9 and 2.63 BB/9 in 13 2/3 innings.
Pirates wanted even more for mccutchen?! I thought they were looking for the best offer but were sent terrible offers
Yeah if that’s true that’s totally insane and it makes sense he hasn’t been moved.
Unfortunately, Cutch is done. He is picking up this year where he left off last year. He may never be the perennial All Star and MVP candidate.
I wanted the Pirates to get Joe Ross, Lopez and a lotto ticket for Cutch.
I’m glad that any deal involving Giolito did not occur.
Marte might as well have packed up Cutch’s house into a U-Haul with his suspension, but many of the teams that might have been a fit (Jays, Giants, Mariners) have played their way out contention very early.
The whole McCutchen thing has become a mess for the Pirates really. Marte hasn’t helped either. That’s too bad. Never like seeing someone like him end up in such an awkward situation. I feel like at this point, if either the Pirates or him end up in a good situation by July that’s lucky.
And kang situation
To throw more salt in the wound for a messed up season
Always better to deal a player a year too soon than a year too late, sell high, restock your farm system while getting younger. On that note, Chisox straight fleeced Nats this passed off season.
Eaton has been an outstanding player so far so let’s wait for the prospects to come up before declaring anything….
To your point we are 22 days (not even games) into the season.
Eaton also has a track record of being very good though. No reason to believe he’ll be less of a hitter this year
The White Sox only “fleeced” the Nats if you still think Giolito is a legit prospect.
Many do not.
If not, Lopez and Dunning for Eaton is a pretty standard baseball trade.
He might not be a top prospect, but there’s still tons of upside there if he improves his pitch tunnel. And there aren’t many high ceiling high floor pitching prospects out there
I saw a piece on MLB Tonight by Tom Verducci breaking down Giolito using Statcast and it was enough to scare me off of Giolito/make me happy the Nats made the deal with the ChiSox instead, even if we get little for Cutch later.
His spin rate is evidently very low, which means that even if he throws 100 mph it’s a straight line with little movement and it’s easy for MLB hitters to square up.
I don’t know if you can improve that or if that’s just natural to each pitcher’s grip/release/etc. but….yeah.
so far it seems like it’s an inherent thing to grip/mechanics/arm slot.
Is he actually a high floor prospect? He still has questionable command and a meh change up. Right now he’s straight fastball/curveball/meh change pitcher. That might work out of the pen, but you’re not gonna live in a rotation with that kind of stuff. “He often isn’t locating, however, and we’ll need to see a full grade’s worth of progression on the command/control if Giolito is to even remain a starter.’
He’s had arm surgery already and there is of course this, “Despite the occasional 98-plus from Giolito, he generally sat 93-97 in pro looks before the end of 2016 when, even out of the bullpen, he was sitting 92-94 and merely touching 96.” He has a decreased velo, low spin rate fastball that doesn’t generate a lot of swing and miss.
Quotes from fangraphs.com/blogs/top-21-prospects-chicago-white…
Crisp feels like a fit for the Giants unless they’re going to punt on the season after the Bumgarner injury. I doubt Crisp would cost much and 13 homers and 10 steals is probably more than what SF is going to get from their LF situation as currently constructed.
I think the Giants are trying to stay below the tax threshold this season so they aren’t a third time payer next year when the penalties increase and they are right up against it right now. (Over according to cots). I doubt they see crisp as a big enough difference maker to change that approach
That’s a good point. After the Bumgarner injury they’d need a lot more than Crisp to move the needle.
They have equal or better internal options and as bfolls points out, want to stay below the luxury tax.
Pirates could use him and could put Bell in LF.
K. C. got hosed getting Soler!
Soler will become a superstar while Davis is a one and done. KC is the winner here.
Will have to wait until Soler is on the field to determine that. In Chicago, he couldn’t stay on field
He couldn’t stay healthy as a part time player, now you expect him to as an everyday player?
Soler is q China Doll. Cant stay on the field. Even in the minor leagues he is easily hurt and out for months on minor injuries and then there is the issue that he does not like, and does not play well in cold weather
Nah, getting six years of a cost-controlled power hitter is worth a lot more to a rebuilding team than an old and expensive reliever. With the Royals losing Cain, Hosmer, Moustakas and Escobar this offseason (probably), they’re going to be in full rebuilding mode. Soler might be a nice piece to build around; a one-inning reliever isn’t.
Well it’s not 6 years of control as he has 2 years service time and not necessary cheap cost controlled as he can opt into Arb at the end of the year, but yes your point is taken. 4 potential years might mean more than 1.
bollo very well put..Soler is one of the most overhyped prospects ever. The Royals should have demanded Happ if anything!
For one year of Davis? Who is barely getting paid under market rate? You couldn’t get the Cubs to agree to that at gun point
Soler has improved his walk rate and his iso every year he’s been in the majors. He’s only 24. There’s still a lot of growth there. A guy like Wade Davis is who he is. A one-inning reliever. Maybe Soler doesn’t pan out, but he’s a better option for a rebuilding team than an old closer.
davidcoonce74
Don’t disagree with you and agree with respect to Davis being one dimensional but I do’t think the Royals got Soler to walk….they got him to begin producing on that rep he’s got.
And, if he can’t stay healthy, think of all the counter moves the Royals have to make around him during his 6 year stay.
Cost controlled is sometimes a term I read in these blogs being used to justify less than expected results as is “walk rate”! Just my opinion.
What? “Walk rate” is used because the most important thing for a hitter is not making an out. You keep checking “batting average” to see how good a player is.
You don’t follow prospects if you believe a guy with a 106 WRC+ is one of the most over hyped prospects ever.
Potential..age..Potential..age! Keep telling yourself he’ll pan out! You sound like a Cubs fan and not a Cards fan. Meanwhile Happ is tearing it up and has more control..plus Royals could start him at second this season.
and the Cubs wouldn’t have traded Happ for Davis. And Happ is a butcher at 2nd, he either needs to be spending a full year at AAA improving on D or he should be moved to LF if he were to be ready this year
Yeah but there’s no way the Royals were getting Happ for Davis.
He is not a butcher at second
Exactly and can also play the OF. If Soler was so great they’d never have traded him!
If you judged the Myers for shields/Davis trade after a month, you’d have said that was a bust too. This trade will work out well for the Royals in the end. Davis was gone after one more year anyway. Judge this trade after a year or two.
Financial reasons? But then they signed Weiters a couple of months later. And they didn’t jettison Gonzales. There has to be more to this story.
Mccutchen is getting paid about 4 mil more than wieters and they did save a few million by ditching Norris
Meadows will determine when Cutch is traded. The Pirates used to give their prospects about 500 at bats at AAA before bringing them up. Meadows has only had 150 or so. There is no reason to rush him. Not every player is Correa and Bregman is showing that rushing guys can backfire.
But when they finally move Cutch, they need to reallocate the money/assets etc. into a third baseman with power.
How is Bregman showing that rushing guys can backfire? He’s outplaying projections atm.
.258 avg (.692 ops) with 0 HR and 4 RBI in 18 games?
He must have meant at the VERY latest moment…like he got a single his last time up.
I’m sure Bregman will be fine. I just think it’s became a source of shame to many now if a prospect isn’t raking a year and a half after their draft.
Meadows isn’t ready. No problem. That is exactly what AAA is for.
I’ll take Eaton and Gonzalez all day over McCutchen and Giolito