The Pittsburgh Pirates are reportedly shopping former MVP Andrew McCutchen, with the Washington Nationals looking like his most likely destination.
Though McCutchen on the move makes for a jarring headline, it makes some sense that Pittsburgh would try to deal him now. He just turned 30 and is coming off easily the worst season of his career. Plus, the Pirates have a wealth of young outfielders, from established stars Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco to prospects Josh Bell and Austin Meadows. It would be very easy for Pittsburgh to replace Cutch’s diminished production on the field.
But the Pirates and Nationals have not yet reached an agreement because Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington is reportedly asking for top outfield prospect Victor Robles, plus one of Washington’s young pitchers (Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Joe Ross). It’s a huge ask for a guy who last season had a .766 OPS while playing suspect defense.
hear pirates want top OF prospect robles plus a top young SP (giolito, lopez, ross presumably would fit) in Cutch package
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 3, 2016
And that gets to the heart of the Pirates’ problem in attempting to trade McCutchen: He’s worth more to them than he is to anyone else.
To 29 Major-League teams, McCutchen provides value as a high-ceiling former star who, even in a down year was worth 2.2 offense wins above replacement, per Baseball-Reference. He’s a widely admired teammate and a great ambassador to fans.
To the Pirates, he provides all that same value, then much more. In eight seasons in Pittsburgh he has become the best Pirate since Barry Bonds and the most beloved since Willie Stargell. Every kid at PNC Park wears his jersey. Every kid on every Pittsburgh Little League in Pittsburgh field pretends to be him. He’s the proverbial “Face of the Franchise,” the type of guy who eventually gets a statue outside the main gate. That makes him an icon in the city, yes, but more importantly it makes him a marketing department’s dream come true.
The Nationals value McCutchen as an All-Star outfielder. The Pirates value McCutchen as a franchise legend. How can the two sides possibly find a common price?
This isn’t to say the Pirates aren’t right to trade McCutchen. Sometimes you have to make difficult decisions for the long-term good of your franchise’s, and it’s quite reasonable to envision Marte-Polanco-Meadows as the outfield-of-the-future in Pittsburgh. But when you consider what Cutch means to the Pirates vs. what he means to any other team, it seems almost impossible for Huntington to recoup enough value in a trade to make dealing his marquee player worthwhile.
In a video game, this would be easy. You’d trade McCutchen for Robles and a second-tier prospect, maybe Erick Fedde, and move forward without him. But in real life, you’ve got to take into account what a homegrown superstar means to a fanbase (and thus to an owner’s bottom line). The Pirates won’t find a fair price for McCutchen, not as long as those kids are wearing No. 22 jerseys.
