I was reading this FanShot just now and really started wondering about any potential terms of an extension for Andrew McCutchen. I did a little digging (spent 5 minutes Googling) and came up with this FanPost from Charlie from this past May (which references this PPG article that I also found in my Google search). In that PPG article, Cutch says all the right things, up to and including "I'm willing to be here for my whole career." This CBS article, also from May, implies that Cutch may have been unwilling to give up any of his free agent years in any deal from the Pirates.

One: I really wish Cutch had been locked up while he was still hitting .225. Two: In my opinion, simply buying out his arb years for cost certainty is a bad move unless the team is planning on trading him before he hits free agency. That's a Boras move and it's textbook "have your cake and eat it, too." I think that the point for Pittsburgh to pay him handsomely over the next 4 years is to steal a year or two of the free agent time. Without that carrot, merely insuring cost-certainty on a player is a much higher risk with very little reward. I personally think that the exclusion of a FA year or two is a complete non-starter. In defense of the players, it seems like many guys who take "hometown discounts" end up not seeing that same loyalty returned and viewed merely as an asset, whether it be as a player or merchandising/branding. Semi-related tangent: I fully support Pujols leaving St. Louis, especially his Christian wife's kind of looney explanation for it.

McCutchen's agent is Steve Hammond. Apparently, he currently represents only 2 MLB clients (Cutch and Wainright). Hammond did, however, siphon $2.2 million from the Braves as Jeff Francoeur's signing bonus in 2002... so, there's that.

Really, my question is: does anyone have any idea what kind of numbers are being talked about? Years? Anything? And is the lack of actual news on the subject a good sign for the Pirates, who haven't exactly been "effective" in the FO in the past 20 years with contract negotiations?

Baes