Do Cleveland Indians Have Ammo To Pull Off An Andrew McCutchen Trade?

The Cleveland Indians have the ammo to pull off an Andrew McCutchen trade, because the Pittsburgh Pirates are willing to deal.

Prominent baseball writer Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe first speculated on McCutchen trade rumors weeks ago. The scribe believed the Indians could be a potential landing spot. Keep in mind, Cafardo wasn’t reporting what he had heard, he was just telling his readers he believed Cleveland would be a fit.

Well, not the hot stove is burning, and McCutchen is the reason why.

The Pirates are aggressively pursuing a trade involving their 30-year-old center fielder. General manager Neal Huntington has been active on the phone, reaching out to potential suitors, according to the PPG’s Stephen Nesbitt. There’s an 80 percent chance likelihood Cutch will be traded by next week’s Winter Meetings, according to Fan Rag’s John Perrotto.

So far, the teams we know the Pirates have talked trade with include the Nationals, Rangers and Mariners.

Could the Indians possibly have a chance of landing a one-time Gold Glove, All-Star level caliber player to its outfield?

In classic Hot-Stove spin action, other MLB executives are making it seem like McCuthen is a 90-year old woman who just got a new hip.

“It looked like he aged five years in one year last season,” one exec told FanRagSpors.com. “[Pittsburgh] will get something but it won’t be the type of deal where you can go a long way toward rebuilding your roster. You’re not going to get a superstar-like package for a guy who might not be a superstar anymore.”

Would it make sense to offer McCutchen a 10-year contract right now? Nope. But that’s not what the Indians would be doing if they acquired the five-time All-Star. McCutchen is under contract for two more years. He’s due approximately $29 million.

You’ve got to ask yourself? Is Andrew McCutchen, at the age of 30, done?

Easy answer there. Nope.

Granted, he did have a down year. His .766 OPS? Awful by @TheCutch22 standards. His defensive ability was more pyrite than gold.  However, Cutch started to heat up toward the end of the season, posting an .852 OPS in August and September.

Even if this turns out to be true, a potential trade with the Indians would have to start with Tyler Naquin, wouldn’t it? Just as Cafardo reported weeks ago, the Pirates want an MLB ready player in return.

Naquin played beyond what anyone could’ve expected of him in 2016. He was a finalist for Rookie of the Year.

The Pirates interest in Naquin is based solely on my opinion. Logically, if you’re going to trade away a veteran outfielder for a big-league ready player, a Rookie-of-the-Year candidate is a good place to start.

So the question Chris Antonetti needs to ask himself is this: Is two years of Andrew McCutchen on a team that can contend for a World Series championship worth trading Tyler Naquin, or prospects such as Fransisco Mejia, Yu Cheng-Chang for, Mike Clevinger or Ryan Merritt, worth it?

The answer should be an easy yes. Imagine an outfield of McCutchen in center and a healthy Michael Brantley in left. The right field situation won’t have you buying up tickets, but give credit to Lonnie Chisenhall and Brandon Guyer. They’re a solid platoon.

Don’t forget that the Indians may have to makeup for the production of Mike Napoli, who still lingers on the free-agent market. McCutchen, who if you’ll remember, had a down year according to every MLB exec who doesn’t work for the Pirates, still hit 24 homers in 2016.

Next: 5 Landing Spots For Mike Napoli

The window to win is open is open. McCutchen would help the lineup get it done.