Mets dream of Bucs star, but reality is murky
’Tis the season for dreaming big gifts, and the Mets are dreaming of center fielder Andrew McCutchen.
Go ahead and dream. Why not?
The Mets have a desperate need for a center fielder, unless you think 36-yearold Curtis Granderson can do the job, but landing the Pirates five-time All-Star is another thing — stranger things have happened, and the thrifty Bucs definitely want to deal McCutchen.
The Mets have had everso-preliminary talks with the Pirates about McCutchen, as Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported Monday night, but those talks have not prospered as of yet.
“His name is out there,’’ one Mets source told The Post on Monday night.
A lot of names are out there, but the Mets have some young talent to deal, and they still have some fascinating young pitchers, but it remains to be seen if they have enough to shed for this trade. Any deal would likely have to start with lefty Steven Matz.
The Mets also have to clear space in the outfield, and that means dealing both Jay Bruce and Granderson to make this happen, which one Mets official told The Post was possible the day the team held a press conference to officially announce the re-signing of Yoenis Cespedes. So this has been on their minds for awhile.
McCutchen will make $14 million in 2017. The Pirates have a team option on McCutchen for 2018 that would pay him $14.75 million, so he essentially is signed for two years and then could be- come a free agent. Perhaps if the Mets could swing a deal, they could convince McCutchen, 30, to stay just as they convinced Cespedes to stay — twice.
The Mets have said they will not trade shortstop prospect Amed Rosario, but pretty much everyone else is on the table. McCutchen has the talent, even though he batted only .256 last season with 24 home runs, a .766 OPS and 79 RBIs. He is a clubhouse leader, a former NL MVP, and probably would welcome the challenge of playing in New York and be happy to stay in the National League. But the Mets have to come up with the pieces to make this happen.
There are other center fielders on the market, but McCutchen is the most interesting to the Mets’ front office. Combining his righthanded bat with Cespedes’ big bat would be interesting, and if Michael Conforto develops, that lefthanded bat would round out the Mets’ outfield quite nicely.
All this is just a little more than a dream right now. Juan Lagares and Granderson are the center fielders, but perhaps the Mets could make their dreams come true. After all, no one really expected the Mets to keep Cespedes around this time last winter. But it happened. And then the Mets found a way to sign him to a four-year, $110 million deal this offseason. He is their leader. But he needs help, and getting McCutchen would be another coup for the Mets.
It’s OK to dream, Mets. But so much has to happen for this dream to become reality.