Giants get outfielder Andrew McCutchen in trade with Pirates.
Additions show this team is playing for right now
Call them the geriatric Giants, if you want. The OGs. Make all the jokes you want. But next season is suddenly shaping up to be more interesting for the Giants than expected.
On Monday, the Giants traded for one of the great players of the game. Andrew McCutchen, 31, is a five-time All-Star, the 2013 NL MVP and, for most of his career, a joy to watch play. The right-handed hitter could breathe life into the lineup and into the Giants’ mediocre outfield. He’s not the defensive player he once was, but he’s an established name.
This is yet another clear sign from general manager Bobby Evans and executive vice president Brian Sabean that they are going for it. This is not about the future. Not yet. The Giants think — hope? — they can win with their core and are banking on another even-year playoff run.
Perhaps this is one last push for manager Bruce Bochy, whose contract runs out after 2019.
In the past month, the Giants have added two players who were in their prime five or more seasons ago. But they are both good players and fill desperate needs: Evan Longoria at third and McCutchen in the outfield. It is still to be determined whether he plays center, left, or even right field, if Hunter Pence moves to left.
McCutchen, who has one year remaining on his contract, is 2½ years younger than the departed Denard Span, who will be 34 next month, so the team has actually gotten younger in the outfield.
The rumor mill has kept the name of Lorezno Cain, 32, in the mix. The Giants could use another outfielder, but they are tiptoeing the line on the luxury tax. Fans don’t care about that, but they would care if the Giants had to give up two draft picks that a qualifying offer would require.
For now, the Giants’ starters, save for Joe Panik and possibly another outfielder — Steven Duggar? Austin Slater? — are all at least 30. Power still could be an issue. So, yes, these moves could backfire.
But at least the team is going to be more interesting.
McCutchen’s departure is one more blow to Pittsburgh, which had a lousy three-day weekend. The city saw its Steelers lose in the playoffs Sunday and pitcher Gerrit Cole traded to the Astros on Saturday.
Pittsburgh fans knew better than to think McCutchen would be with the Pirates for his entire career, with a statue outside pretty PNC Park. The team has a long history of unloading its players piece by piece over the years, with some of those players ending up in San Francisco (think Barry Bonds, Ryan Vogelsong).
McCutchen was the catalyst for the Pirates’ resurgence a few years ago and is one of the Steel City’s favorite sons. The love was mutual. In fact, he and his homegrown wife named their first son — born in November — Steel. He spent Sunday live tweeting the Steelers game. He sent a love tweet to his fans Monday afternoon: Pittsburgh. My Home. My Fans. My City. The place that raised me and helped mold me into the man I am today. You will 4ever be in my heart. A tip of the cap to all who have been on this journey with me. With Love and respect, Cutch.
Moments later, he tweeted a greeting to his new team, including an emoji of a flexing bicep:
Now…I’m a Giant! I’ve always enjoyed watching the success of the @SFGiants and I look forward to being a part of more this season. Can’t wait to meet my new teammates and fans. This is just the beginning….
McCutchen goes from one of the best-looking ballparks in the game to another. To a team that, with the trade of Christian Arroyo to Tampa Bay, conveniently has No. 22 available for the newcomer.
To a team that still thinks it can win.
Whether the Giants can turn around from last season’s disaster remains to be seen. Now that the wreckage of the 98-loss season is far in the rearview mirror, does it look like an expected decline we all should have seen coming? Or was it, at least in part, an aberration, caused by a rash of simultaneous bad seasons, holes that were left unaddressed and some strange events, such as Madison Bumgarner’s dirtbike accident and Brandon Crawford’s off-field tragedy?
The Giants’ front office is viewing it as the latter. The decision-makers want to make another run with Buster Posey, Bumgarner and Crawford. Adding two players who are past their prime might be a comedown from the November hopes of landing both Giancarlo Stanton and Shohei Ohtani, but this is turning out to be a better-than-expected scenario.
Especially Monday’s addition. A classy star who wants to get back to the postseason just as much as the Giants do.