For the second time this offseason, the San Francisco Giants have acquired the face of the franchise from another team. First, they acquired 3B Evan Longoria from the Tampa Bay Rays, now CF Andrew McCutchen is going to the bay area from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for OF Bryan Reynolds and RHP Kyle Crick, plus cash. Per MLB pipeline, Reynolds was the Giants 4th best prospect, and Crick was number 16.
After trading Denard Span in the Longoria trade, the Giants had a very thin outfield. They still need a LF, with McCutchen now in center and Hunter Pence in right. They get a former MVP, who is in need of a resurgence.
McCutchen, 31, had a .279 batting average, plus 28 homers, 88 RBIs and 11 steals in 650 Plate Appearances. In his MLB career, only in Pittsburgh, McCutchen has a batting average of .291, with 203 homers, 725 RBIs and 171 stolen bases.
For the Pirates, they in the blowing up phase of their rebuild, after trading RHP Gerrit Cole to Houston. They get two prospects, but for your face-of-the-francise, that\’s just a weak return. They should\’ve gotten more.
Reynolds, 22, has a .312 batting average, 16 homers and 101 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 777 career minor league Plate Appearances.
Crick, 25, made his MLB debut for the Giants in 2017, and had a 3.06 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 28 strikeouts in 32.1 innings.
I think the Giants win. They literally get a star for just two prospects. The Pirates, once again, get fleeced in a big trade.
CarterHud 