The Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday traded Andrew McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants, ending over a year of trade rumors involving the former MVP. Team GM Neal Huntington spoke about the trade later in the day, and essentially confirmed the team traded the outfielder because they felt they could not afford him.
Huntington on any McCutchen extension talk: "During informal conversations it became pretty clear that it was going to be very hard for us to meet what he deserves and be able to build a championship team around him."
— Bill Brink (@BrinkPG) January 16, 2018
Although trading Gerrit Cole and McCutchen days apart, the Pirates insist they are not rebuilding. They are trying to maintain a positive outlook and believe they got enough young talent back that will allow them to compete.
Huntington: "In our minds, a rebuild implies you’re looking five years down the road. This team is going to show up ready to go in spring training, ready to compete, ready to defy odds, just like that 2013 Pirates team did."
— Bill Brink (@BrinkPG) January 16, 2018
Between the two trades, the Pirates added pitcher Kyle Crick, outfielder Bryan Reynolds, third baseman Colin Moran, pitcher Joe Musgrove, pitcher Michael Feliz, and outfielder Jason Martin. Time will tell whether they got a good return on both trades.
