Cafardo’s Latest: Cutch, Pirates, Royals, Braves
The Pirates are reportedly unlikely to trade center fielder Andrew McCutchen, whom they heavily shopped at last month’s Winter Meetings, but teams are still trying to acquire him, a major league source told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Toronto is the latest reported team to show interest in McCutchen, whom the Bucs are only willing to deal if they receive major league-ready talent in return. The 30-year-old is coming off the worst season of his career, having gone backward at the plate, in the field and on the base paths, but he still carries a resoundingly successful track record and an affordable contract (two years, $28.5MM, including a $14.5MM club option for 2018). Considering those factors, it’s not surprising that teams continue to pursue the longtime face of the Pittsburgh franchise.
More inside info from Cafardo:
- Free agent second baseman/third baseman Aaron Hill is on the radar of a few teams, and Atlanta and Kansas City could be among them, per Cafardo. Hill, 34, spent last season between Milwaukee and Boston, with which he combined to hit .262/.336/.378 with 10 home runs in 429 plate appearances. It’s debatable whether Hill would fit in Atlanta, which already seems to have a capable second base platoon on hand with Jace Peterson and Sean Rodriguez, not to mention a third baseman with a similar offensive profile to Hill in Adonis Garcia. Both Hill and Garcia have hit southpaw pitchers better than right-handers in their careers, so it might behoove Atlanta to instead find a lefty-swinging complement to Garcia. KC, meanwhile, already has multiple third base options – Mike Moustakas and Cheslor Cuthbert – and a few second base candidates in Whit Merrifield, Raul Mondesi, Christian Colon and Cuthbert.
- Speaking of the Braves and Royals, they are interested in free agent third baseman/first baseman Trevor Plouffe, who has been available since the Twins outrighted him in November. Boston and Oakland are also in on the 30-year-old Plouffe, a steady contributor from 2014-15 who batted an underwhelming .260/.303/.420 with 12 homers in 344 PAs last season. Like Hill, Plouffe has had more success versus lefties (.268/.344/.465) than righties (.239/.294/.403) during his career.
- To finish off a Royals-heavy set of notes, it’s still possible they’ll trade one of Moustakas, first baseman Eric Hosmer or outfielder Lorenzo Cain – all contract-year players – before the season, per Cafardo. A willingness to deal Moustakas or Hosmer, particularly the former, would somewhat explain Kansas City’s interest in Hill and Plouffe. FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal previouly reported that Hosmer is unlikely to go anywhere prior to the season, though, and KC already subtracted a key outfielder Friday when it shipped Jarrod Dyson to Seattle. Speculatively, that could impact whether the Royals would also part with Cain, who’s due $11MM next season.
Blue Jays Have Considered Trading For Andrew McCutchen
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.
East Notes: Harvey, Nationals, Mets, McCutchen
Former big-leaguer Bryan Harvey says his son, Orioles prospect Hunter Harvey, could return to throwing next week after having Tommy John surgery in July, reports Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. (Hunter Harvey himself told MASN’s Steve Melewski last week that he would begin throwing the day after Christmas.) Harvey’s progression will be slow, in keeping with the very long timeline associated with TJ recoveries — he won’t pitch off a mound for quite awhile. Still, he appears to be on schedule, and there’s a chance he could pitch near the end of the 2017 minor league season. Harvey, the 22nd pick in the 2013 draft, is currently the Orioles’ third-best prospect, according to MLB.com. He was off to a very promising start to his pro career in 2014 when he suffered an elbow injury that caused him to miss the entire 2015 season. He briefly returned in 2016 before it became clear Tommy John surgery was necessary. Here’s more from the East divisions.
- The Nationals‘ search for a solution to their closer issues goes back nearly a decade, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post writes. Janes identifies Chad Cordero — who had three good seasons in Washington from 2004 through 2006 — as the team’s last good long-term option at the position. Now, the departure of Mark Melancon and the team’s failure to sign Kenley Jansen fit in with a long-term pattern of the Nats missing out on long-term closer help. The team could now turn to an internal option like Blake Treinen or Shawn Kelley to take the ball in the ninth.
- The Mets do not need to trade for Andrew McCutchen, who provides “a very convoluted answer to their outfield logjam,” Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News writes. The Mets have been fleetingly connected to McCutchen, but he’s coming off a season in which he was poorly rated defensively and didn’t fare much better on offense. The McCutchen rumors indicated the Pirates would want pitching in return, but Ackert notes that the Mets themselves can use their young pitcher stockpile, and that their young arms are likely to be healthier in 2017 than they were last year.
Latest On Mets Outfield Situation
10:03pm: Though there have been some discussions involving McCutchen, “there’s no traction there,” per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (via Twitter). New York is “not actively looking to upgrade” at the center-field position at this time, he adds.
9:18pm: On the selling side of the equation for the Mets, the Blue Jays “remain in talks” regarding both Bruce and Granderson, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network (via Twitter).
8:45pm: The Mets are at least looking into the possibility of a trade for a center fielder, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. He describes the organization as being “semi-engaged” in talks for a variety of possibilities.
Among the options, it seems, are a few high-profile veterans. There has been some “preliminary” talk with the Pirates on Andrew McCutchen, but there’s no present momentum towards a deal. Likewise, New York has spoken with the Royals, but doesn’t want to add a one-year rental in Lorenzo Cain and evidently is not excited about adding another speed/glove player in Jarrod Dyson, who Rosenthal says is viewed as being “too similar” to in-house option Juan Lagares.
There are other theoretical options that could be pursued, but Rosenthal notes that Charlie Blackmon of the Rockies and Billy Hamilton of the Reds don’t necessarily appear to represent matches. (Colorado doesn’t seem interested in dealing Blackmon, at least at a palatable price; Hamilton doesn’t deliver the kind of on-base threat that the Mets prefer, and he too is said to come with a high asking price.) The report does not indicate that the Mets have specifically considered or inquired about either player.
Of course, even if there was a clear target, matters are complicated by the fact that the Mets would need to pull off at least one other move to clear roster space. In addition to the center-field-capable Lagares, and newly re-inked left fielder Yoenis Cespedes, New York employs three left-handed-hitting options for right field: Curtis Granderson, Jay Bruce, and Michael Conforto.
While it has long been assumed that one of the two veterans (Granderson and Bruce) will end up being traded, adding a regular in center might entail finding takers for both. And the open market still has a few players that interested teams could view as alternatives. There’s certainly value in the fact that both of those options have only one year left on their contracts, but they aren’t exactly cheap seasons; Bruce is owed $13MM after the Mets picked up his option, while Granderson will earn $15MM in the final year of his free-agent deal. While one of the three in-house players could conceivably end up at first base, that’s already manned by southpaw-swinging Lucas Duda, and there’s no indication that the Mets have looked to find a taker for him in a market still flooded with lefty first base/DH bats.
As Rosenthal goes on to note, the Mets’ remaining needs in the bullpen also complicate matters. Trade partners will likely be interested in young talent at or near the majors, and if New York continues to hold off on dealing Conforto or top prospect Amed Rosario, it may well need to part with arms (such as Robert Gsellman or Seth Lugo) to get a deal done. That would mean further paring back the depth in the relief corps, which already could stand to add one or two arms.
While there are obvious complications here for the Mets, it’s not hard to see the reasoning behind exploring the market for a center fielder. Lagares is still just 27 and still brings value with the glove, but hasn’t produced at the plate since signing his five-year extension before the 2015 season. While a platoon would make sense — his career OPS is about 100 points higher against lefties — the lefty bats mentioned above would be stretched defensively up the middle.
Purely hypothetically, if the Mets end up dealing one or more of their slugging corner bats, and can’t find a suitable trade for a regular center fielder, the alternative might be to add a lefty platoon piece that is capable of playing center. Potential options could include free agents Ben Revere and Michael Bourn, though neither impressed at the plate over the full course of the 2016 season.
Pirates Rejected Recent Offer Of Prospects For Andrew McCutchen
The Pirates recently turned down a “nice offer of prospects” — which hailed from a “mystery team” — for outfielder Andrew McCutchen, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). While details are sparse, there is an important take-away: if they Bucs are to trade their long-time star, they’ll need players who are ready for the majors to do it.
It wasn’t long ago that a trade of McCutchen seemed rather likely, but things have changed quite a bit over the last week. In particular, several plausible suitors have filled their outfield vacancies by other means. As GM Neal Huntington acknowledged as the Winter Meetings drew to a close, a deal probably won’t occur — at least this winter.
Still, it’s interesting to note both that other teams are continuing to inquire about McCutchen and that the Pirates are holding to their position. It was at least worth wondering whether the Bucs would relent on their approach at some point, but the organization still seems inclined to avoid sacrificing too much present value in considering a move on a player who has long been the face of the franchise — despite the uncertainty in his outlook created by a sub-standard 2016 season.
NL Notes: McCutchen, Eaton, Diamondbacks, Ziegler
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.
Pirates Unlikely To Trade Andrew McCutchen
The Pirates reportedly spent the bulk of the Winter Meetings fielding offers on center fielder Andrew McCutchen, but GM Neal Huntington said at the end of yesterday’s Winter Meetings that it’s now unlikely that McCutchen is moved this winter, as MLB.com’s Adam Berry writes.
“Our intent coming in here was to have Andrew McCutchen in our lineup going forward,” Huntington explained. “No one changed that. It’s unlikely that someone changes that going forward. We’re not going to close the door, but we’re not going to be making calls.”
That’s not a definitive statement that McCutchen will be in Pittsburgh’s Opening Day lineup come April, but it certainly casts further doubt on the possibility of a McCutchen trade. The larger question surrounding the former NL MVP may now focus on where he’ll play in 2017, as there have been multiple suggestions that the Pirates prefer to play Starling Marte in center field while moving McCutchen to a corner slot.
Both the Nationals and Rangers were linked to McCutchen over the past week, with Washington in particular reported to be in heavy pursuit. The Nats, though, shifted course and opted to secure a younger, more controllable piece — and one that enjoyed a markedly better 2016 season — in picking up Adam Eaton from the White Sox. Texas, meanwhile, re-signed Carlos Gomez to a one-year deal (though the team could still fit McCutchen into the lineup, from my vantage point). Huntington acknowledged that he did speak to other teams about McCutchen, but the GM also labeled his asking price as “significant,” Berry writes.
The decision to hang onto McCutchen may well prove to be shrewd. He’s still controlled for another two seasons by way of a $14MM guarantee in 2017 and a $14.75MM club option for the 2018 season. McCutchen’s .256/.336/.430 batting line represented the worst full offensive output of his exceptional career, and he turned in the highest strikeout rate and lowest walk rate he’s posted as a Major Leaguer. Questions about his defensive performance have been chronicled at length. That made it difficult for the Bucs to secure the premium return they sought for the longtime face of the franchise, but a rebound in 2017 could allow the Bucs to land such a return if McCutchen is marketed either next July or next offseason, depending on the team’s performance next year.
Huntington admitted that he listened to offers on multiple players with one and two years of team control remaining, which is an unfortunate but often necessary course of action for small-market clubs like the Pirates. As such, it’s certainly plausible to expect that the Bucs could yet make a deal later this winter, even if McCutchen isn’t the player that is shipped out. Tony Watson‘s name came up in rumors this past week, for instance, and others fitting that description on the Pittsburgh roster include Juan Nicasio, John Jaso, Jordy Mercer, Jared Hughes and Antonio Bastardo (as can be seen over at Roster Resource). Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported earlier this week that the Pirates were willing to pay a portion of Bastardo’s $6.25MM guarantee in 2017 in order to facilitate a trade.
AL Notes: Chapman, Yankees, Encarnacion, Astros, Tigers
The Yankees believe that the Marlins‘ unexpected pursuit of Aroldis Chapman — Miami reportedly offered Chapman a five-year deal worth $87MM — forced New York to spend about $10-15MM more than they would otherwise have had to offer in order to finalize the deal, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. Sherman also adds that the Yankees are still hoping to add a starting pitcher and multiple relievers (one of the left-handed variety), though the Cashman said earlier this week that he doesn’t anticipate adding a free-agent starter due to the high asking prices around the league (via Sherman’s colleague George A. King III).
More from around the American League…
- In an interesting read for Yankees fans (or for any fan, really), Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues examines the decision to re-sign Chapman from a variety of angles. Axisa questions whether the Yankees, who currently look to be a ways behind Boston in terms of expected 2017 performance, did the right thing in “paying a lot of money now to buy Chapman for the future” and notes the possibility that Chapman will be opting out of his deal just as the bulk of New York’s vaunted young talent is solidifying itself at the big league level. The move also flies somewhat in the face of the desire to get below the luxury tax threshold, Axisa observes, and there are of course ongoing public relations considerations due to last October’s domestic violence allegations.
- Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet tweets that many in the industry still consider the Rangers to be the most logical landing spot for free agent Edwin Encarnacion. Texas reportedly feels that it doesn’t have the financial means to fit Encarnacion into the budget, but GM Jon Daniels and his staff have certainly made some creative value plays for free agents whose markets have crumbled a bit in the past.
- The Astros prefer not to move upper-level prospects in their search for rotation upgrades, GM Jeff Luhnow tells MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. Houston has been asked about top prospect Francis Martes on numerous occasions, McTaggart writes, though Luhnow downplayed the possibility of dealing the right-hander. “The players we’re staying away from are the players that are probably going to start the year on the big league club and are key parts of the 2017 plan,” said the Houston GM. “Martes is a very valuable player, and very valuable players that are close to the big leagues get asked about a lot. That’s no different with him. It would take something significant for us to move him.” McTaggart also notes that outfield prospect Kyle Tucker is “generally considered untouchable.”
- The Tigers aren’t pursuing an Andrew McCutchen trade tweets MLB Network’s Jon Morosi. They’ve also yet to get involved with the recently non-tendered Ben Revere, tweets MLB.com’s Jason Beck. Detroit has a clear question mark in center field at the moment, but the team is also well-known to be striving to shed payroll and get younger. With that in mind, a pursuit of McCutchen never would’ve made much sense for GM Al Avila’s club, though Revere could be a low-cost option that would have plenty of surplus value in the event of a rebound from last year’s disastrous season.
East Notes: Chapman, Marlins, Nationals, Eaton, Yankees, Gardner, Mets
Aroldis Chapman agreed to an $86MM guarantee from the Yankees last night, but the Marlins offered him a bigger guarantee of $87MM, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. The Yankees’ deal contains additional value for Chapman in the form of an opt-out clause after three years, and the terms of the Marlins’ offer might have been different. (FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets that the salary distribution in the Yankees’ deal, which includes a large signing bonus, was better, and Chapman also liked the no-trade clause.) Still, last night, Chapman specifically cited a desire to return to the Yankees as a key reason for his decision. Here’s more from the East divisions.
- The conventional wisdom was that the Nationals paid too heavily for Adam Eaton this week, Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post writes. One key to the trade from the Nationals’ perspective, though, is that the organization had changed its mind about Lucas Giolito, with one team official telling Svrluga, “He’s not going to be what I thought he was going to be.” Also, Eaton (who is controllable for the next five years) offered the Nationals a long-term outfield solution that Andrew McCutchen wouldn’t have — McCutchen would have been eligible for free agency after the 2018 season, at the same time as Bryce Harper, and the Nats would have been forced to address two outfield positions at once.
- GM Brian Cashman says the Yankees have completed their biggest moves this offseason, “unless I trade (Brett) Gardner,” as related by MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (on Twitter). Hoch adds that Cashman has rejected trade offers for third baseman Chase Headley. The Yankees, of course, have agreed to terms with Chapman and Matt Holliday to upgrade their bullpen and DH spot. The Yankees have listened to offers for Gardner this week.
- With the Winter Meetings in the books, the Mets will now attempt to trade Jay Bruce or another outfielder, and they’ll try to add relief pitching on short-term deals, ESPN’s Adam Rubin tweets. Earlier this week, the Mets reportedly were interested in a Curtis Granderson / Brad Brach deal with the Orioles that would have addressed both needs, but that trade seems unlikely.
Pirates, Nationals Discussed McCutchen Trade That Involved Giolito, Dunning
Before the Nationals acquired Adam Eaton from the White Sox, the Pirates nearly traded Andrew McCutchen to Washington for Lucas Giolito, Dane Dunning and a third player, Jon Heyman of FanRag writes (Twitter links). The Pirates now expect to keep McCutchen, who will be at PirateFest in Pittsburgh Saturday. They will also move McCutchen from center field to a corner outfield spot.
Giolito and Dunning, of course, formed two-thirds of the White Sox’ return for Eaton, with another pitcher, Reynaldo Lopez, also heading Chicago’s way. The possibility of the Pirates dealing McCutchen to the Nationals had loomed for the past several weeks, although it became clear yesterday that the Nationals would not trade top outfield prospect Victor Robles for McCutchen or anyone else who wasn’t Chris Sale, who the Nats had just lost out on. It’s unclear whether Robles’ absence from the deal was the reason the McCutchen trade never happened, however.