Five teams have pieces to land McCutchen

Back in the Burgh’s dark days, when the streak of losing seasons was nearing the legal drinking age and the Pirates were still something of a punchline, Andrew McCutchen signed on to stay. And with that 2012 stroke of the pen on a six-year extension that rated then and still rates today as team-friendly, the man they call Cutch confirmed his clout as the unquestioned face of the franchise, the superstar who stuck around and helped bring the Buccos back into the limelight.

And so it is inherently awkward to discuss the topic on today’s table, the increasing speculation — egged on by a Wednesday report from Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network and FOX Sports — that the Pirates will ship their signature star elsewhere.

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You can’t overstate what McCutchen has meant to this organization and its fans, and, on the emotional end of the spectrum, you hate to see any transaction that upsets these kids:

But on the logical end of the spectrum, you can see why the Pirates would consider moving Cutch.

The 30-year-old McCutchen has one more guaranteed year left on his deal (for $14 million), along with a $14.75 million club option for ’18. The Pirates have two other outfielders (Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco) locked up long-term and prospect Austin Meadows nearing Major League readiness. Their budget calls for shrewd decision-making and the maximization of assets and, even after a down year on both sides of the ball (a career-low .766 OPS was 123 points south of his ’15 mark, and he got negative grades in the defensive metrics), this could be an opportune environment to get a worthwhile trade package and shift some spending to other elements of the roster before McCutchen is able to walk away on his own terms.

While there is certainly no guarantee that the Pirates move McCutchen this winter, these are the five teams that line up as the best fits in a trade in which the Pirates would almost certainly be targeting high-end, controllable starting pitching:

1. Dodgers Whatever the Dodgers do to address their lineup this offseason, they simply have to get better production against left-handed pitching. Though his 2016 output was lacking against lefties and righties alike, the right-handed-hitting McCutchen does have a .952 career OPS off southpaws. Combine that with the Dodgers’ ample prospect and economic resources (doubtful Julio Urias gets moved but Jose De Leon is an attractive alternative), and there’s zero doubt they could put together a compelling package for …

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