OnlyBucs

I have no idea how much he's got left in the tank, maybe not a lot, but I love it anyway.

Cutch is just 62 hits and 13 hrs away from 2000 and 300 for his career. What a way to go out as a MLB player in the place where it all started.

7D5C547D565E390 wrote: Cutch is just 62 hits and 13 hrs away from 2000 and 300 for his career.  What a way to go out as a MLB player in the place where it all started.


I agree it will be great for him to reach these milestones with the Bucs and maybe help them win a few more games.  He is near the end of the line but at this stage I am rooting for him to have an Albert Pujols like finale with the Bucs.



While he was dh most of the time last year he still started in the outfield 49 times.

Interesting. I suspect this is a precursor to a Reynolds trade. Otherwise, they are letting a declining 36-year old block one of their OF prospects for 1 year in a season when they will not be competitive and need to give playing time to younger guys. The DH spot is already crowded between Choi, Santana and Andujar. But if Cutch replaces Reynolds, he doesn't block anyone else.

Oops, I screwed up. Cutch is only 52 hits shy of 2000 for his career.

So much for being one of the younger teams in the league. While I recognize that Hill, Santana, and now Cutch were likely signed for only a year, loading up on too many one dimensional way past their prime veterans is not a productive way to bring excitement to PNC. It is also costly, both in terms of salary (albeit for one year) and future talent/players that cannot be protected on the roster.



I loved what Cutch did for the Pirates. Three straight years of making the play-offs may never occur again. That said, I would rather remember Cutch for what he did for the Pirates than to bring him back for this season.



Some other comments:



1) I sure hope that Bobster's scenario does not unfold.



2) BC needs to move Choi now. Some teams are still looking for help at first and may be willing to take Choi off of their hands. In short, exactly how many DH's do you need on 1 team.



3) I hope the Pirate's trainer is up for next season.



4) While I hope that I am wrong, Cutch may not have had many options if he agreed to return to the Pirates, a 100 loss team.

2D01090E0522150313600 wrote:



4)  While I hope that I am wrong, Cutch may not have had many options if he agreed to return to the Pirates, a 100 loss team.








Usually I'd say you're right, but he does still live here. I mean I can't imagine he had a bunch of lucrative offers but it was down to similar deals in similar situations I can see why he'd pick here to wind things down.

52606C6C784A69606D686760010 wrote:



4)  While I hope that I am wrong, Cutch may not have had many options if he agreed to return to the Pirates, a 100 loss team.








Usually I'd say you're right, but he does still live here.  I mean I can't imagine he had a bunch of lucrative offers but it was down to similar deals in similar situations I can see why he'd pick here to wind things down. 


I think that's the likely scenario. He's 36 and coming off the last 2 years hitting .222 and .237. Last season in 580 PAs, he had one of his fewest HR totals (17). So it's unlikely he had great offers. We know Nutting's allergy to spending money and they haven't revealed the terms of the contract. But the handwriting's on the wall for a Reynolds trade either before or during the season which will free up all or part of 6.75 million for 2023. The fans are not going to be happy when Reynolds is dealt but signing Cutch is a good PR move to help offset that and put people in the seats. And, like Santana, Cutch was probably signed as much for his positive impact on the young players as for his production.

The first time he is announced to bat in a Pirate uniform will

be a sight to behold

This is assuming (likely a given) that he is in the line-up on opening day when there are some fans in the stands.