Mike Puma of the New York Post is reporting that the New York Mets are no longer pursuing Andrew McCutchen after the addition of Jay Bruce.
John Harper of New York Daily News had reported on Thursday night that the Mets were still exploring a trade for the former MVP despite the recent signing of Bruce.
The report from Puma makes more sense than Harper. Cutch is nothing more than a corner outfielder at this point in his career and the Mets already have enough of them.
Original Report – Jan. 11
On Baseball Night in New York, John Harper of New York Daily News said the Mets are still exploring a trade for Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen.
This news comes after the Mets signed Jay Bruce to a 3-year, $39 million contract to address their lack of outfield depth. Now with Bruce, Yoenis Cespedes, Juan Lagares, Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo, the Mets seem to be set in the outfield. This news comes as a surprise as while McCutchen is a great player on and off the field, there doesn’t seem to be a place for him on the roster at this point.
The Mets remain interested in Pirates teammate Josh Harrison, however, who would address an obvious need in the infield.
McCutchen, 31, finished in the top-5 of MVP voting for four straight seasons (2012-2015), winning the award in 2013. After a rough 2016, he rebounded in 2017 slashing .279/.363/.486 with 28 HR and 88 RBIs. He can play any outfield position well and has one year and $14.5 million left on his contract.
