Pittsburgh Pirates: 2017 A Year of Trade Rumors

The 2017 calendar year was full of Pittsburgh Pirates trade rumors.  However, all these trade rumors that went around never came to be.  Let’s look back at the biggest ones.

Many fans had mixed feelings when the 2017 season started.  They did not know what to expect.  The Pittsburgh Pirates were coming off three straight playoff years, but then regressed a lot in 2016.  There were rumors about what the Pittsburgh Pirates were looking to do entering the 2017 season.  The first rumor suggested that they were looking to rebuild.

Andrew McCutchen

The Andrew McCutchen rumors actually started in December of 2016.  However, the rumors bled into the 2017 calendar year.  The Washington Nationals were the primary team interested in Cutch, but when they dealt for Adam Eaton, the team was no longer a fit.  Still, rumors ran rapidly through 2017.  Cutch was connected to the Dodgers, the Blue Jays, and the Yankees mainly.  The season started and Cutch was still a Pirate.  Many thought that he would possibly be moved at the trade deadline after having a much improved 2017 season.  Instead, the Bucs retained Cutch and entered the offseason with him.

Jose Quintana

When the rumors of trading McCutchen came up, many thought the Bucs were looking to start a rebuild.  Instead, one of the hottest rumors that came out in the early months of 2017 saw the Pittsburgh Pirates connected to Jose Quintana.  The biggest reason was the Bucs had a strong farm system to offer to the White Sox.  Also, Quintana had a very affordable and controllable contract, one that the Bucs would love to have, along with Quintana being a solid arm.   For weeks rumors bounced around on who the Bucs would give up and whether or not a deal was close.  Instead, the season started and by the second week of July, Quintana would join another NL Central team in the Cubs.

Andrew McCutchen Again

Now that this offseason is underway, the McCutchen rumor mill has started up once more.  This time the only team that has shown reported interest has been the Giants.  Other than that it has been a slow-moving off-season in terms of the outfield market. This is mainly because there are not a lot of teams in dire need of outfield help.  Still, many expect Andrew McCutchen to be on the move by the start of the 2018 season.

Josh Harrison

Josh Harrison was said to be the most likely to be traded player on the Pittsburgh Pirates roster, according to Rob Biertemfel.  The versatile infielder has drawn interest from the Mets, Blue Jays, and even the Yankees.  Some are speculating that Harrison could be added into a Gerrit Cole trade with the Yankees.  This backs up the report that the Bucs want to get Adam Frazier more playing time in 2018.  Trading Harrison would open up the everyday second base job for Frazier to take.

Next: A Look at Recent Extensions

Gerrit Cole

The biggest trade rumor of this off-season has to be Gerrit Cole going to the New York Yankees.  The trade rumor has been well covered by multiple outlets.  Apparently, the two sides are at a standstill.  The Pittsburgh Pirates have a set price in their head for what they want for Cole while the Yankees have their set list of untouchables.  The first report was that the Yankees balked when the Bucs asked for top prospect Gleyber Torres.  Other than that report, and the fact that the Yankees would include Clint Frazier, there has not been any true reports on what the Bucs are asking for in return.