Trade Talk Tuesday: Andrew McCutchen Trade Ushers in New Era of Pirates Baseball
For low market teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates, being a fan is sometimes not an easy thing to do (believe me I know). You aren't always competing for a World Series year in and year out and a lot of the times when you do get a playoff-caliber team it is only for a short period of time. The Pittsburgh Pirates had their playoff-caliber team from 2013 to 2015 and the undisputed leader of those teams was center fielder Andrew McCutchen. Ever since he made his Major League debut in 2009, he was the guy patrolling centerfield and usually hitting in one of the top three spots in the Pirates batting order. He was a five-time all-star and a one time National League MVP during his time with Pittsburgh and helped rejuvenate a fan base that suffered so many years of losing.
However, the Pirates were on a downward spiral coming off the terrible 2015 National League All-Star game and started dismantling many of the pieces that got them to the playoffs during their three-year run of success. Guys like Neil Walker and Pedro Alvarez were let go and in their place came the next batch of young players trying to develop. One of the most crushing blows to the fan base, was when the Pirates finally trades their star centerfielder to the San Francisco Giants on January 15th, 2018. The Pirates got back a Major League ready deliver and a minor league outfielder in the deal and many thought they didn't get enough. Now it is time to take a look back and see if the trade that made many fans disgruntled benefitted or hurt the Pirates moving forward.
Giants Get: OF Andrew McCutchen
It still doesn't look right seeing Andrew McCutchen in anything other than Black and Gold, but he headed to the Giants and was the team's starting right fielder during the 2018 season. McCutchen was coming off of a bounce-back year of sorts hitting .279 with 28 home runs and 88 RBI while showing he can still get it done with the bat. His speed in centerfield was deteriorating, even though he still wanted to be a centerfielder, and his arm strength was nowhere near what it used to be. The Giants ended up sticking him in right field and he got to play alongside fellow former Pirate Gorkys Hernandez and all-star Hunter Pence.
McCutchen's time in San Francisco would end up being short as he only played half a season by the bay before once again being traded. He appeared in 130 games for the Giants hitting .255 with 15 home runs and 55 RBI. He had his share of ups and downs throughout the season, and he definitely wasn't the all-star caliber player he was in his youth, but he still went out day in and day out and made the plays he needed to make. He showed that his speed was still there as well taking 13 bases in 19 attempts while picking up a total of 45 extra-base hits. His best game in San Francisco came on April 7th, 2018 when he went 6-6 in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers and ended up hitting the walk-off home run that won the game.
However, after spending just seven months in a Giant's uniform, McCutchen was traded once again heading this time to the New York Yankees. He would end up playing 25 games in New York hitting .255 with five home runs and 10 RBI in 25 games played. He would elect free agency in the off-season and ended up being signed by the Philadelphia Phillies. After a good start to 2019, his season would come to an abrupt end when he tore his ACL running the bases. He got to appear in just 59 games for the Phillies last season before the injury and he is now looking to get back on track. No matter where McCutchen's career goes from here he will always be remembered as the guy who helped turn Pittsburgh into a winner.
Pirates Get: RHP Kyle Crick, OF Bryan Reynolds
Of the two players acquired in the Andrew McCutchen trade, the one who was Major League ready and made the quickest impact was reliever Kyle Crick. He wasn't guaranteed a spot in the bullpen when he came to Spring Training that season but earned his way into the late-inning mix. He has been a part of the Pirates bullpen ever since pitching each of the last two years out of the pen. He hit a little rough spot during the 2019 season, but other than that he has been a really good pick-up for Pittsburgh and helped provide a bridge between the starting pitchers and the strong back-end of the Pirates bullpen.
After suffering a tricep injury to start his Pittsburgh Pirates career, Crick came back strong in 2018 and had one of the best years of any pitcher out of the bullpen. He appeared in 64 games that season and ended up posting a 2.35 ERA in 60.1 innings of work. His strikeout rate was sitting at a strong 25.5% and opponents were hitting just .202 against him. He picked up 16 holds during the year and went two for three in save opportunities that season. He never really got the credit he deserved for his work because the fact that he was received in the Andrew McCutchen trade loomed large over his head.
Last season was just a bad season overall for the Pirates and Crick was right in the middle of all the drama. He was first suspended for his involvement in the Cincinnati Reds Brawl in the Middle of August and then suffered a season-ending injury in a locker room fight with former closer Felipe Vasquez. Crick is now back for the 2020 season and looks to be inserted once again in the back-end of the Pirates bullpen. He will more than likely serve as the team's setup man helping to get the game to Keone Kela in the ninth inning. He is hoping to be able to bounce back and be a strong relief arm once again in 2020.
At the time that the trade took place, not much was known about Minor League outfielder Bryan Reynolds. He had just come off a career-year in Low-A Baseball and was still trying to develop onto a Major League caliber prospect. Fast forward a season and a half and Reynolds was battling it out for the National League Rookie of the Year Award as the Pirates starting Left Fielder. It was an injury that awarded Reynolds the opportunity to get to the Major Leagues, and Reynolds took the opportunity in stride. There weren't many expectations on Reynolds when he came up and it allowed him to relax and just play.
During his rookie season, he ended up hitting .314 with 16 home runs and 68 RBI while playing in 134 games. He always had a high batting average throughout his Minor League career, but the development of his power was something we hadn't seen before. I wouldn't call him a true power threat in the Pirates lineup but he has sneaky power that can get the ball out of the ballpark in a hurry. His speed is not a big part of his game on the base paths, but he can use it to get to a lot of balls in the spacious PNC Park left field. It is yet to be seen if Reynold's success is sustainable over the course of a whole season, but the initial reaction is that Reynolds is beginning to look like a good replacement for McCutchen in the outfield.
Winner: Pirates
Let me preface this ruling with the fact that initially I was like many fans and did not like this trade (so feel free to go ahead and ridicule me lol). However, after taking a look back it turned out to be a smart move and one that they ultimately won. McCutchen, while a fan favorite in Pittsburgh, was coming to the end of his prime years and didn't have that same spark that he showed during his early years in Pittsburgh. In return, the Pirates got a reliable bullpen arm for late in games and an outfielder who at least initially is looking like he will have success for years to come. The Pirates will always thank McCutchen for his time in Pittsburgh but are happy to look ahead at what the future holds for Reynolds.
That concludes another edition of Trade Talk Tuesday, as we looked at another trade that shaped the Pittsburgh Pirates. Be sure to come back every Tuesday leading up to the season for another break down of a trade that went good, bad, and downright ugly for the Pirates. Be sure to follow our Facebook Page (Buccos Cove) for all the latest Pittsburgh Pirates news and coverage leading up to and through the 2020 season.
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