Pirates, McCutchen reportedly agree to long-term deal!!

[yankeebiscuitfan]

I never said Freese was the same type of player, I said they share the same offensive value.

Obviously, factoring in age, I wouldn't take all of these guys over McCutchenn. However, throwing age out the window...

- Holliday
- Berkmann
- Beltran

McCutchenn is a good player but he's not the guy the Pirates want to build their future around. Nearly every team in baseball has at least one player with more value than McCutchenn. They need someone that will lead the offensive charge for years to come.

Maybe you are right, but the Pirates are not the team that can freely spend millions of dollars. They will have to do with what they got.

At least McCutchen is a speedy player, a threat on the bases. That's worth something too.

[Chitown Champ]

What do you mean by "same offensive value?" They both use bats to hit balls? Statistically, McCutchen and Carlos Gonzalez are nearly the same player offensively, except CarGo has the fortune of playing at Coors Field. If you check out CarGo's hitting stats on the road, they are very close to McCutchen's when you even the at-bats. McCutchen gets a lot more walks though. He may not be the best player offensively, but it's a great move by the Pirates to lock him in long term.

[Mr. Baseball]

I'm not necessarily deeming this a poor move by the Pirates. I'm very pleased they've finally taken the initiative to resign a key player. I'm merely pointing out that if this is the guy the Bucs' plan to build the franchise around, they've made a mistake. Pittsburgh has some incredible pitching talent in the minor leagues -- more than enough to get by. They should trade one of the top arms (such as Stetson Allie) for a young bat.

[Buccos13]

I've found McCutchen to be a little overrated in terms of hype. Pittsburgh fans make him out to be one of the best hitters in the game, although he's far from it. I'd put him in the same category as guys like David Freese from an offensive standpoint. He has a great glove, but center fielders rarely get an opportunity to make big plays.

It's a good move by the Pirates, but they need a leader who can truly make a larger impact with the bat.

St. Louis has three or four guys I'd take over McCutchenn in the lineup.

I disagree. I don't necessarily consider him to be one of the best hitters in the game, but I think he is one of the best all-around players, and the closest thing to a five-tool talent that Pittsburgh has seen in a while. He led the Buccos in homers last year (yes it's the Pirates, but obviously he has decent power) and his average isn't too shabby either. He's one of the quickest guys in the game, and his defensive skills are good. He doesn't have the best arm in the world but he has shown flashes of greatness.

But I think we can all agree that this was a much needed deal for the Pirates. Had the management not locked up McCutchen, the fans would've gone into a full-scale revolt. And with McCutchen being the center-piece of a young nucleus, this is something that will be great over the next few years.

[Mr. Baseball]

The Pirates will never be successful when the offensive charge is led by Andrew McCutchenn. Sure, he hit 23 home runs last season, so did about 50 other guys in Major League Baseball.

Like I said, I'm not saying McCutchenn is a bad player, he's obviously very talented. However, Pittsburgh is better off investing that money in a more elite prospect. Look at his minor league statistics, he's never shown signs of power until now. What makes you think he can keep it up?

[Chitown Champ]

What makes you think he can keep it up?

That's a good point. The answer: we don't. The minors are extremely different from the majors, good and bad. The most homers Grady Sizemore hit in the minors was 13. Tulowitzki also had 13 in one season. Hanley's minor league career high was 8...in SINGLE A. He had 6 in AA at a full season as well. I don't even need to say Ellsbury's numbers. The aforementioned players, after reaching the majors, have all been considered players that franchises could be built around, at one point or another. McCutchen's still extremely young. To say that it's a bad idea to build around him is rash at this point. To say it's a good idea to build around him is also rash. Nobody's knows his true potential and only time will tell if he's the key to the Pirate's success. Right now, all we can say is that the Pirates are at least trying to start somewhere.

[diehardbrewgirl]

The Pirates will never be successful when the offensive charge is led by Andrew McCutchenn. Sure, he hit 23 home runs last season, so did about 50 other guys in Major League Baseball.

Like I said, I'm not saying McCutchenn is a bad player, he's obviously very talented. However, Pittsburgh is better off investing that money in a more elite prospect. Look at his minor league statistics, he's never shown signs of power until now. What makes you think he can keep it up?

And what makes you think he'll hit less than 23 HRs? The guy is only 25, he has a long career ahead of him and plenty of seasons to improve his numbers. The Pirates obviously can't rely on only McCutchen for offensive production but they're definitely in the right direction with this long-term deal. Things can only go up from here. I thought the team fought hard in the middle of the season last year they were right in the middle of the race around the All-Star break, they're obviously doing something right.

[Mr. Baseball]

Let's face it, Pittsburgh isn't exactly a large market team. When they spend money, they need to make it count. If they invest in a player, it's a huge commitment.

[Vertigo O]

Are you really using home runs to measure a players' offensive value? Because that's the way it seems.

[Mr. Baseball]

Are you really using home runs to measure a players' offensive value? Because that's the way it seems.

Do you honestly expect me to cover everything in one post? I was using home runs as an example because Buccos' claimed he was a 'five tool player'. I was disclaiming that statement. I'm not living in the dark-ages here.