McCutchen primed for bounceback year

Entering the Winter Meetings, it looked like a near certainty that the Pirates were going to trade Andrew McCutchen. After blockbuster deals sent Chris Sale to the Red Sox and Adam Eaton to the Nationals, the market quickly dried up, though.

Entering his age-30 season and coming off his worst year in the big leagues — including a worst-in-the-Majors -28 Defensive Runs Saved — it now appears likely that McCutchen will be on the Pirates’ roster in 2017. But is there any hope for a bounceback?

The short answer: Yes. While there is a long history of center fielders fading quickly — with Andruw Jones and Ken Griffey Jr. just two notable examples — there is every reason to believe McCutchen has plenty of productive seasons left.

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Though McCutchen never went on the DL in 2016, he struggled with a nagging thumb problem and a lingering heel injury, among other minor ailments. Add those together, and it’s not surprising that McCutchen saw his walks dip and strikeouts spike to a career-high 21.2 percent.

But after Clint Hurdle rested the center fielder for …

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