Talking 'Bout Andrew McCutchen ... Again

[Centerfield]

Trying to pin down what’s going the other way.

Would have preferred McCutchen to Bruce.

[G-Fafif]

Bob Nightengale reports pitcher Kyle Crick "and one other mid-range prospect" are going to Pittsburgh.

[Centerfield]

It feels like a bad swing and miss here.

Reed and McCutchen on the same weekend. Not a good few days.

[smg58]

Centerfield wrote: Trying to pin down what’s going the other way. Would have preferred McCutchen to Bruce.

I'm going to disagree. Cutch's defensive value has deteriorated to the point where he'd be a liability even at a corner, and Bruce played well in right last year. Plus Bruce cost no players.

[G-Fafif]

G-Fafif wrote: Bob Nightengale reports pitcher Kyle Crick "and one other mid-range prospect" are going to Pittsburgh.

Outfielder Bryan Reynolds is the other player the Giants are sending the Bucs.

[Centerfield]

I guess I have a hard time believing that his defense has fallen off that badly.

McCutchen is a much better overall player. Better OBP. His career OPS is about 70 points higher. Much better athlete.

I heard the return was middling prospects. We have tons of those! If it’s anything worthwhile then it’s a different story, but it doesn’t sound like much.

[G-Fafif]

Reynolds is Baseball America's No. 5 SFG prospect.

[Edgy MD]

MLB.com has Crick has Reynolds as their #4 and Crick as their #16.

The Mets equivalent would be something like Thomas Szapucki and Anthony Kay.

As Mets #4 Szapucki is currently recovering from TJ surgery, I'm tempted to reach up to #3 or down to #5 for an analog, but #3 for the Mets is Andres Gimenez and #5 is Desmond Lindsay, and their in two very different places. MLB.com stuck Sza at #4 despite his surgery so I think that's the imaginary trade that would be comparalbe, but feel free to stick Lindsay in there instead and both are outfielder/pitcher packages.

[ashie62]

Congrats SF, They are spending to win now. I'll be dead and buried before the Mets get to the mountain top. I implore you Fred.

Nice Lineup. Ship them Lagares.

2B Joe Panik
CF Andrew McCutchen
C Buster Posey
3B Evan Longoria
1B Brandon Belt
RF Hunter Pence
SS Brandon Crawford
LF TBD
Pitcher

[Centerfield]

I also don’t get the clamor over Josh Harrison. Career OPS of .735. No power. Expensive.

Why are we looking at this guy?

[Centerfield]

Edgy MD wrote: MLB.com has Crick has Reynolds as their #4 and Crick as their #16. The Mets equivalent would be something like Thomas Szapucki and Anthony Kay. As Mets #4 Szapucki is currently recovering from TJ surgery, I'm tempted to reach up to #3 or down to #5 for an analog, but #3 for the Mets is Andres Gimenez and #5 is Desmond Lindsay, and their in two very different places. MLB.com stuck Sza at #4 despite his surgery so I think that's the imaginary trade that would be comparalbe, but feel free to stick Lindsay in there instead and both are outfielder/pitcher packages.

Szapucki is tough because his value is down because of TJ. The Giants guy seems like someone whose star has faded a bit. More like Montero.

I don’t know Anthony Kay. Would have gladly shipped him out and anyone lower than Szapucki. Even Gsellman.

I figured taking Harrison was doing the Pirates a favor.

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy MD wrote: MLB.com has Crick has Reynolds as their #4 and Crick as their #16. The Mets equivalent would be something like Thomas Szapucki and Anthony Kay.

Which doesn't mean those pairs are equivalent at all.

[Edgy MD]

I used the phrase "something like," did I not?

The job of forum pedant is taken, and it won't be available until I'm dead!

[ashie62]

Edgy MD wrote: I used the phrase "something like," did I not? The job of forum pedant is taken, and it won't be available until I'm dead!

Well, any poisons in the house?

Just kidding.

[smg58]

Ashie62 wrote: Congrats SF, They are spending to win now. I'll be dead and buried before the Mets get to the mountain top. I implore you Fred. Nice Lineup. Ship them Lagares. 2B Joe Panik CF Andrew McCutchen C Buster Posey 3B Evan Longoria 1B Brandon Belt RF Hunter Pence SS Brandon Crawford LF TBD Pitcher

They are spending to win five years ago.

[Lefty Specialist]

Yeah, I'm looking at that lineup and thinking, "Boy, those guys USED to be good". Cutch, Pence, Posey, Longoria, all poised to fall off the table.

In 2002 the Mets got Roger Cedeno, Jeromy Burnitz, Robbie Alomar and Shawn Estes in the offseason, and it looked like they were going somewhere. But of course, they didn't. Kind of reminds me of that team.

[ashie62]

Longo is in his prime IMHO.

[Frayed Knot]

Ashie62 wrote: Longo is in his prime IMHO.

OPS 2008-2013: 874, 889, 879, 850, 896, 842 [AVG = 872]
OPS 2014-2017: 724, 764, 840, 737 [AVG = 766]
and he's now 32 years old so, yeah, he kind of IS past his prime.

And, look, these SF guys being mentioned -- Cutch, Pence, Longoria, Crawford, etc. -- probably have some good years left in them, but it's a bit more iffy these days and none are nearly as close to the top as they were 3-5 years ago.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

The Giants are pretty idiosyncratic as an organization, aren't they? They're liable to do these things every so often that don't make a ton of sense to the general baseball world -- I'm thinking of their Barry Zito deal a few years back -- but at the least they can give the org a little new life and make the landscape different. If nothing else they might make it harder on the Dodgers 5 or six times a year, same with more traditional "build-a-winners" like AZ and COL, it's probably good for baseball and our Wild Card chances too. And if absolutely everything goes right they'll be scary.

Go, Giants.

[Edgy MD]

I just realized, this takes out what seemed like a leading player from Christian Yelich market that may or may not exist.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Yelich is waaaay too young an inexperienced for the Giants.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I hear that they're trying to lure Willie McCovey out of retirement.

[Frayed Knot]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: The Giants are pretty idiosyncratic as an organization, aren't they? They're liable to do these things every so often that don't make a ton of sense to the general baseball world

There was one deal a bunch (8-10?) of years ago where Sabean purposely signed a FA (I forget who specifically but not a star by any means IIRC) prior to the tender date knowing that would assure that they'd lose a draft pick for it in order to save the signing bonus money they'd have to give the pick. And three WS wins later ...