McCutchen says he can’t say if Pirates did enough at deadline
Andrew McCutchen had a succinct diagnosis Tuesday when addressing the actions of the Chicago Cubs, who added three key players before the non-waiver trade deadline Monday, in comparison to the Pirates’ tradedeadline strategy.
“They’re also in first place,” McCutchen said. “We’re not.”
They’re in fourth, actually, at 51-54 after their West Coast road trip. The Pirates made two trades, sending left-hander Tony Watson to the Los Angeles Dodgers and adding Joaquin Benoit from the Philadelphia Phillies.
“We didn’t make many,” McCutchen said. “That’s what I think about it.”
The teams’ contractual control over McCutchen extends through 2018. They hold a $14.5 million option for next season. Neither move addressed either the 2017 or 2018 Pirates. When the nonwaiver deadline passed, the Pirates still had a reliever on an expiring contract, but they added two ClassA-ball minor leaguers while trading one.
“I don’t know, man. It’s not my job,” McCutchen said when asked if the Pirates could have done more. “I don’t know. We’ll just work with what we got here. That’s the other guys’ job to do that, not mine.”
McCutchen is one of two players who had more time on the Pirates than Watson. They spent parts of the past seven seasons playing together and reached the playoffs for three consecutive seasons.
“He’s done such a great job just coming in and the appearances that he’s made, it’s something that is impressive for him,” McCutchen said. “I hate to see someone like him go. I wish him the best. He’s going to L.A., a really good team. I’m sure he’s going to contribute like he’s always done.”
There was a time when McCutchen might have been moved at thedeadline. He dramatically rebuilt his value, and the market for position players favored buyers, so he stayed put.
“The sense of relief is that it’s over,” he said. “Everyone kind of has their eyes and ears on everything, seeing what’s happening. … Now we can put kind of just put that behind us and show up today.”
McCutchen watched key contributors depart before: Neil Walker after the 2015 season; Mark Melancon and Francisco Liriano last summer. It doesn’t surprise him, but that doesn’t make it easier.
“It’s something you never get used to,” he said. “These guys are your friends before they’re your teammates. I’ve been here the longest. I’ve seen people come, I’ve seen people go. You can look at the rosters, ’09, ’10, only one [still here]. It’s something I’m never used to, but at the same time it’s something that always happens.”