Needless to say, it’s been an uncharacteristically quiet offseason for Major League Baseball in terms of player transactions. With less than a month until pitchers and catchers report, there remains a plethora of high-profile free agents still available on the open market.
The list of players still searching for a club include the likes of Jake Arrieta, Eric Hosmer, J.D. Martinez and Yu Darvish. The trade market may be starting to heat up, however.
The Houston Astros recently swung a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates to acquire Gerrit Cole to bolster their starting rotation.
That in turn may have triggered a fire sale for the Pirates. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Pittsburgh has agreed to trade franchise icon Andrew McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants:
#SFGiants have agreed to acquire Andrew McCutchen from the #Pirates, pending a review of medical records, sources tell The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 15, 2018
After a league-average campaign in 2016, McCutchen rebounded last season and posted terrific numbers across the board. In 156 games across 650 plate appearances, he hit .279/.363/.486 with 30 doubles, 28 home runs, 88 RBI and 94 runs scored.
The Giants have prioritized upgrading their outfield this offseason and McCutchen offers just that, both on-the-field and off-the-field. The club may now focus on adding a defensive-minded center fielder, with Lorenzo Cain as the most logical target.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were viewed as a speculative fit for McCutchen earlier this offseason, but ultimately didn’t consummate a trade. Their lone addition to the outfield has come in the form of Matt Kemp, though many believe they’ll wind up trading or designating him for assignment.
