Pittsburgh Pirates Sign Andrew McCutchen to New Six-Year Contract
According to Bill Brink and Michael Sanserino at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pittsburgh Pirates and star center fielder Andrew McCutchen have agreed to a new six-year contract worth $51.5 million through the 2017 season.
The deal also includes a club option for the 2018 season worth $14.75 million.
The Pirates originally had financial control of McCutchen for four more years via arbitration, but the deal also buys two years of what could have been free agency for the 25-year-old.
The timing of the deal is surprising considering the two team talked extension with McCutchen’s camp last season but talks stalled, and nothing had been reported that the two sides were closing in on a deal this week.
McCutchen’s deal is almost identical money-wise to the one Justin Upton received from the Arizona Diamondbacks prior to the 2010 season in addition to the one the Cincinnati Reds signed Jay Bruce to before last year. McCutchen was 1.6 WAR better than Bruce last season and 0.2 better than Upton according to FanGraphs.
This is a great move for the Pirates. It lets McCutchen take his mind off his contract situation and gives him financial stability for the foreseeable future, while locking the team’s best player and keystone in center field to a long-term deal.
The 11th overall pick in the 2005 draft, McCutchen has taken to improving an aspect of his game each year he’s been in the majors. We’ve seen bursts of all five tools from the All-Star, and if he can begin to string together the contact, speed, power, etc, McCutchen is a legitimate threat to become the best center fielder in the game during the duration of this contract.
It’s an exciting day for Pirates fans.
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Please don’t forget about one Kemp, Matt. Who by all means is the best CF in the league today.
Kemp absolutely is the best in the game today. The phrase “McCutchen is a legitimate threat to become” is quite a bit different than saying “McCutchen is”