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McCutchen to Nats talks appear to heat up
- Updated: December 1, 2016
PITTSBURGH — The Pirates are still considering deals involving Andrew McCutchen, the face of their franchise, as the Winter Meetings draw near.
Pittsburgh has previously expressed a willingness to engage in discussions about McCutchen, and that has not changed. The Pirates remain involved in free-agent and trade talks on several different fronts, a club source said Wednesday amid multiple reports they’ve taken a more active approach toward dealing McCutchen. Clubs are asking about the five-time All-Star and 2013 National League MVP, and the Bucs could be persuaded to part with him — but only for the right offer.
• Hot Stove Tracker
Still, there was more Hot Stove smoke around McCutchen than usual, with several reports suggesting McCutchen could be dealt next week during the Winter Meetings. The Pirates center fielder “might be the most likely to go” of baseball’s high-profile trade targets, MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal reported. Yahoo! Sports added that the odds of McCutchen returning to the Bucs in 2017 are “dwindling.”
“I’m under contract with them, right? That’s the way I’m looking at it,” McCutchen said at the end of the season. “I don’t align the stars. I’m not the person that controls all that. I don’t do that. It’s all in God’s hands.”
Talks with the Nationals have heated up, according to MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi, with Washington wanting to complete a deal before Friday’s contract-tender deadline, because acquiring McCutchen would move Trea Turner to shortstop, leaving no spot for Danny Espinosa, who could then be non-tendered. The Pirates are seeking contractually controllable starting pitching. Joe Ross and Reynaldo Lopez would fit that shopping list, ESPN’s Jayson Stark reported.
The Pirates are said to be interested in Nationals Minor League outfielder Victor Robles, who Pittsburgh would want to be part of a package deal, Rosenthal reported. Robles was a part of trade talks between the Nationals and Pirates in July that would have sent McCutchen to Washington, but the two sides were unable to …
