Speaking with Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and other reporters on Saturday, the Pirates’ Neal Huntington didn’t sound like a general manager who expects center fielder Andrew McCutchen to remain in the fold for the long haul. Although Huntington said the Pirates “would love” for the 31-year-old McCutchen to be a careerlong member of the organization, he noted that keeping the five-time All-Star and trying to win championships “are contradictory goals” at times for the small-market club.
McCutchen is set to make $14.5MM in 2018, his last year of team control, and Huntington suggested that a contract extension isn’t on the way. The Bucs’ “belief is that the fanbase would rather cheer for a championship team than one really popular player,” according to Huntington, who continued, “If you look around the game and you look at second extensions for most clubs who either, it was the face of their franchise or their best player at the current time, history is not kind to those extensions.”
With the Winter Meetings set to begin, we’re approaching a year since the Pirates nearly traded McCutchen to the Nationals at the 2016 festivities. McCutchen ultimately stayed with the Pirates, of course, and enjoyed a bounce-back year at the plate. Since last season ended, the Giants have shown reported interest in acquiring McCutchen, who has been a member of the Pittsburgh organization since it selected him 11th overall in the 2005 draft.
More from Pittsburgh:
- While Huntington said that getting infielder Jung Ho Kang back in 2018 “would be huge,” the Pirates don’t expect it to happen (via Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). Kang still hasn’t secured a work visa to return to the United States since he received his third drunk driving conviction in his native South Korea last offseason, thus forcing him to sit out the 2017 campaign. During his most recent game action, Kang struggled so mightily as a member of Aguilas Cibaenas of the Dominic Winter League that the club released him last month. Speculatively, Kang’s status could affect the Bucs’ offseason plans, though in-house options David Freese, Josh Harrison, Jordy Mercer and Sean Rodriguez bring plenty of experience at one or both of his positions (third base, shortstop).
- Closer Felipe Rivero is coming off his first full year in Pittsburgh, during which he was among the premier relievers in the game. Now entering his first of four arbitration-eligible years, Rivero is already under Bucs control for the foreseeable future, but he’s open to signing an extension with the club (per Elizabeth Bloom of the Post-Gazette). “I wanna stay here for a little bit,” Rivero said. “It’s a good city to stay. Clean, very good people. So that’s the main reason. You know, I feel comfortable being here, so I want to be here a couple of years.” The 26-year-old Rivero’s agent will meet with the Pirates on Monday, Bloom reports. Interestingly, Rivero revealed that it was his sister’s advice to change representation earlier this offseason. Rivero’s now a Magnus Sports client, and he had been in touch with the agency for roughly a year before its hiring.
give kang a six pack of ic light and he’ll be good to go ..
The criticism of Kang is so unfair. Everyone knows they don’t sell Sapporo in the Dominican, thus the slump. Lol
I don’t get it. Kang is Korean and Sapporo is Japanese….so….??
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
And… another dig against Scott Boras, listing him as Rivero’s former representation, even though this is never done with any other agency updates on here — only listing the player’s new agent and not their former agent (unless it’s Boras).
settle down, Scottie. you’re an MLB agent. you’ll be fine fanning yourself off with Benjamins later.
If they’re gonna mention him why not mention the other agent when they lose a player?
Exactly. When a player signs with Scott Boras, they NEVER list who the former agent was, but if Scott Boras LOSES a client, we’ll always read about it.
What if a former Scott Boras client specifically states in an article why he dropped Boras?
Then the agent who lost the player is no more relevant than it is any other time a player changes agents.
I think something even stranger than that is a person responding to his own question and agreeing with the point – but just using a different user name. (The capitalization and intense focus on this issue nobody cares about, btw, are the dead giveaway)
I don’t know if you are talking to me, but if you are, this is my only account.
Yes I am and no it isn’t.
Haha believe what you want bro. It wouldn’t be the first time you were horribly wrong about something. Or even the second.
Yes, it’s much easier to just downvote than it is to make a relevant, well thought out reply isn’t it?
Lmfaooooo!!! Wtf
I’ll take Asinine Things to Get Upset About for $400, Alex
Not asinine at all. The agency that lost the player is just as relevant as the agency that gained the player and others agree with me.
Go read the article, or have someone read it to you.
I did read it and it doesn’t change a thing. So you can spare us the snide “Have someone read it to you” remarks.
If you really want to show how much of a big deal this fiasco is and how greatly it has inconvenienced you, do so by not logging into MLBTR anymore! It will be the ultimate revenge, they’ll never see it coming.
Have you ever thought of the fact that it might be in other agents contracts that specifically state they don’t want it to be mentioned? That it might be the way they do business? I know it’s a long shot, but you never know
and what’s the big deal anyway? Why does it matter? It doesn’t to everyone!
I’m really curious what happens when McCutchen hits FA. He loves Pittsburgh (not too many others would name their kid after a city), and is a type of guy who values where he plays over money.
You know a guy loves the steel city when he names his first born son Steel.
Why are you interrupting this HIGHLY interesting debate about sports agents, with questions about dull athletes? Everyone knows ppl only watch sports to find out about the exciting lives sports agents live!
Sorry man, I just couldn’t take it any more. NO ONE cares about Boras, or rather he’s being treated unfairly by the sports media.
But to your question about Cutch, I think it could effect his decisions after he becomes a FA. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to sign with a team close to Pittsburgh. Washington, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Philadelphia.
Lol they still only mention the former agent when a player changes agents if it’s Boras
That’s because he is the only agent people know. So it’s a back-handed compliment
Define “people.” I certainly know other agents. And whether or not you have heard of the player’s old agent doesn’t make that info any less relevant.
Go read the article. Lol.
I did read it and it doesn’t change anything.
In this specific instance it’s very relevant to mention that Rivero dropped Boras and is open to signing an extension with the Pirates. There isn’t a single Boras client that the Pirates gave an extension to in my 30 years of Pirates fandom knowledge. As a Pirate fan were in year three of “is now the time to trade Gerrit Cole because we know he won’t sign a long term deal with Boras as his agent” and the clock starts for those discussions about Josh Bell on Opening Day.
Forgot the disclaimer that there hasn’t been very many Boras clients to play in Pittsburgh (20 year losing streak and whatnot) but it’s still a very real and well understood principle among serious Pirates fans.
It’s ALWAYS relevant to mention the dropped agent.
No it’s NOT!
Personally I don’t find it relevant to know about who negotiates on who’s behalf or even how much money somebody else makes but in this industry all of that type of stuff is public knowledge if you know how to use the internet. You know this well as you post the agent who lost a client whenever its not mentioned.
Yes, but there’s no good reason not to post it if they are posting that a player switched agents and it would save me a minute or two of work if they did. I also think it’s a pretty bad double standard to only name the former agent if it’s one guy.
The article mentions that his sister who handles his business affairs didn’t like Boras. Normally we don’t hear stuff like that.
They should name the former agent regardless of whether the player’s reasoning for changing agents was made public. And they also mentioned that Jose Iglesias dropped Boras even though his reasoning for doing so was never made public anyway.
Welcome to the Giants Cutch!
I wonder if Stanton didn’t end up changing the Pirates’ offseason plans.
They seemed pretty set on keeping Cutch, but the Giants missing out on Stanton might compel them to make a better offer than Huntingdon expected.
Conversely, the Yankees getting Stanton without giving up much in terms of prospects makes starting pitching their most obvious need and gives them the capital to do it. They could come calling for former Yankees first rounder, Gerrit Cole.
At that point, selling high on Harrison makes sense. As would moving Freese and Nova.
is it possible bucs trade nova to Yankees in July?
Why would the Yankees trade for him when Pittsburgh outbid everyone else to sign him last offseason and he hasn’t lived up to the contract since?
Can’t believe Jung Ho Kang still manages to come up as much as he does. Seems like a lost cause at this point even if he does come back…playing so poorly to get release in Winter ball makes it hard to believe they could want him back.
Why are these people bellyaching about the post mentioning Scott Boras as a former agent? Read what the post says. Felipe Rivero explicitly addresses dropping Boras in an interview in the linked article. Take a breath.
The agent that lost the player should be included regardless of the player’s reason for changing agents.
oh who cares?
Everyone!
I certainly don’t
No ! I don’t care! So not everyone!
Great. Two people don’t care. Still doesn’t come anywhere close to the # of people who do.
PS: Are you ever gonna use your cubsfan2489 account again?
It’s not mentioned in this article
*because* he changed agents. It’s mentioned here because he was specifically … wait, why am I repeating this? I think I’ll go explain it to my toaster, at least it can properly handle what it takes in.
So why did they mention Boras when Jose Iglesias dropped him?
Please stay in Pittsburgh Felipe Rivero. Please.
Gota understand what they say about Cutch,but if they can extend cutch on a cheaper deal with lots of incentives.. do it as the team really doesn’t have a replacement yet.
They have Marte
Marte already starts. Joe W is right, they don’t have a replacement yet.
yeah they need three OF’s and only have three currently that have more than half of a season experience.. Marte Cutch and Polanco. They’re not going to extend him though, they are probably miles apart.
Unless Cutch has another mvp type season then he isn’t going to get a huge contract and probably won’t be allowed to play center anywhere else… IMO: Cutch should be calling his agent to make it happen on a league average salary with incentives to be paid upwards of 20m a season if he should perform like that MVP we saw a few years back. If Cutch and the FO couldn’t agree to something like that then they’ll probably not agree to anything..
Also gota face it… Cutch probably isn’t going to return a premier prospect. If cutch had that kinda value he would’ve been gone at the deadline.
Just read more of Huntingdon’s comments from today’s PiratesFest…
99.999% likely that Cutch is gone. He all but came out and said they were going to trade him.
By the way, I just looked at the article from when Jose Iglesias switched agents last April and they indeed did mention that Boras was the agent he was switching from. So no, it wasn’t just a one-time thing with Rivero and not just because the player explicitly addressed why he switched agents.
OCD?
Find the agent yourself and stop wasting your hard earned money on your MLBTR subscription