Decision not to act defines Bucs’ Winter Meetings

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The Pirates didn’t announce any free-agent signings or trades this week at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, but a move they didn’t make — trading Andrew McCutchen — emerged as one of the Winter Meetings’ most significant storylines.

Pittsburgh’s front office headed home Thursday afternoon with McCutchen, the franchise player and subject of several trade discussions, still on the roster. Where the Pirates go from here remains to be seen, but it seems they’ll move forward with McCutchen unless they’re blown away by the right offer.

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“We’ve had multiple conversations on multiple fronts about multiple players in those situations,” general manager Neal Huntington said. “The ask was significant to be willing to engage on a handful of our players. We expected Andrew to be a Pirate.

“We feel great about Andrew being a Pirate. He’s done remarkable things for this organization. We look forward to him being in our lineup next year and continuing on as a Pirate.”

With a McCutchen deal now less likely, the Bucs must shift their focus toward their pitching staff. Their only transaction at the Winter Meetings was their Rule 5 Draft pick: …

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