Jon Paul Morosi is reporting that the Pirates have discussed a possible Andrew McCutchen trade with the Giants. Morosi states that the Pirates want “at least” one of the Giants’ three remaining top prospects: 1B/OF Chris Shaw, RHP Tyler Beede and OF Heliot Ramos. The Giants supposedly are reluctant to give up a top prospect, which is a way of saying they don’t want McCutchen.
Even all three wouldn’t exactly be a steal. Shaw is a bat-only player with good power but weak plate discipline. He had only a .328 OBP in 2017 in 88 games in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Beede looks like an inferior version of Trevor Williams. He had a 4.79 ERA at age 24 in the same league, and has posted weak K rates through most of his minor league career. Given the depth the Pirates have in potential 5th starters, they’d be better off going for a live-armed, lower-level guy, assuming the Giants have any. Ramos has been discussed here before; he’s the one high-ceiling prospect in a terrible system. He slugged an impressive .645 in rookie ball in 2017 at age 17, but he’s a long ways away. He’d be a good player to get, but it’s awfully hard to see the Giants giving him up.
There’s just no clear matchup here without another team getting involved, unless the Pirates are simply looking to dump McCutchen’s salary.