5 teams who should trade for Andrew McCutchen

With the Pittsburgh Pirates now aggressively shopping Andrew McCutchen, which MLB teams should trade for the All-Star outfielder?

All-Star center fielder and former National League MVP Andrew McCutchen has been the face of the Pittsburgh Pirates for the past eight seasons. Times have changed, however, and with the Pirates at a crossroad as a team, McCutchen is being aggressively shopped, with Pittsburgh going so far as to reach out to potential trade partners. The five-time All-Star is all but sure to play for a new team in 2017.

McCutchen has been in decline over the past two seasons offensively, and has been falling off defensively for even longer. The 2016 season was the worst of his career, with a .256/.336/.430 line. He did manage 24 home runs, but failed to top 30 doubles for the first time since 2012. McCutchen was once a 30-30 candidate, but stole only six bases last year, and was thrown out seven times. Defensively, McCutchen has never been great, and his advanced metrics in 2016 were ugly.

With Pittsburgh so clearly desperate to make a trade, the rest of the league should be on full alert. This is an opportunity to land an All-Star player who may bounce back in a new environment. He was already showing signs of breaking out — nine homers and 36 RBIs in his final 56 games — in August and September after the Pirates gave him a few days to reset. A fresh start and a move to a less-demanding position could have McCutchen back at All-Star level immediately. It’s a definite “sell-low” move for the Pirates, and their desire to trade the face of their franchise rather than transition him to left field is puzzling to say the least.

McCutchen still has plenty of solid baseball left in his body, and one lucky team is going to benefit from the Pirates’ misplaced desire to begin rebuilding a team that has not yet gone past its prime. Which teams make the best fit for McCutchen? Here are five that make the most sense.

5. Tampa Bay Rays

McCutchen was born and raised in Fort Meade, Florida, roughly an hour away from downtown Tampa. Although he does not have no-trade protection in his contract, it seems reasonable to assume that the Pirates will allow McCutchen to have some input in where he eventually lands. Going back to Florida, where he still has plenty of ties. If Cutch wants to go back home to Florida, the Pirates should be able to make something work.

With Pittsburgh shopping their star so aggressively, it’s hard to pin down exactly how much return they expect. The Rays have pieces to work deal, including starter Drew Smyly. The left-hander is coming off a down year in 2016, but did throw over 200 innings of 3.20-ERA pitching between 2014 and 2015. Injuries are the main concern with the 27-year-old southpaw, but he still has plenty of potential.

In addition to Smyly, the Rays would have to include a top-five prospect. Blake Snell should be untouchable, but shortstop prospects Willy Adames or Daniel Robertson could interest the Pirates. McCutchen is a good fit for the Rays in a corner spot opposite all-world center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, and would give them a much stronger middle-of-the-order bat to help protect Evan Longoria.

The Rays are also in an in-between period as a franchise — not quite good enough to win a division title, but not quite old or bad enough to tear everything down. Money is also a concern, but McCutchen may be interested in working out a long-term extension if he feels strongly enough about the Tampa area.