While it’s been a relatively quiet offseason for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the same can’t be said for their National League West rival San Francisco Giants.
After a disastrous 2017 season that resulted in a last-place finish in the division, the Giants have revamped their lineup with the additions of Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen.
For McCutchen, it’s the first time he’ll don a different uniform after spending the first nine seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Though he’s newly-acquired, it didn’t take long for the 31-year-old to get accustomed to one of baseball’s best rivalries.
While introducing himself to Giants fans at the team’s FanFest event, McCutchen revealed that he always tries to ‘stick it’ to the Dodgers whenever playing against them, via Chris Haft of MLB.com:
Andrew McCutchen wins admirers and prompts "Beat LA" chant from FamFest attendees by declaring, "Somebody I wanted to stick it to every time was the Dodgers." (response to question about opponent that especially motivates him)
— Chris Haft/SF Giants (@sfgiantsbeat) February 10, 2018
Beyond their rich tradition and franchise history, the Dodgers reside as one of baseball’s most-envied teams, having won five consecutive division titles, on top of advancing to the NL Championship Series in back-to-back years.
Los Angeles fell one win short of a World Series in 2017, and figure to once again be in the conversation to return to baseball’s biggest stage this season. Despite their roster improvements, the same can’t quite be said for the Giants.
They are projected by the Baseball Prospectus PECOTA model to finish the year under .500 at 79-83, good for third place in the NL West.
Nonetheless, the historic rivalry between the Dodgers and Giants spans back decades from when the two teams played in New York, and McCutchen’s recent comments should only revitalize the excitement going forward.
