Pirates/McCutcheon

Seems strange to be talking about baseball in December, what with the Steelers battling for first place in the AFC North and the Penguins trying to hold onto first place in the Eastern Conference. However, a colleague of mine and I were discussing the Pirates today at work and what they might doing at first base and who might be plugged into the spot vacated by Paul Maholm since the club decided not to pick up his option in 2012 for $9 million. Here is my bigger concern. While the fan base wants to see the Pirates make a splash in free agency, that is not likely to happen. The organization still has not shown the willingness to "write the check" as Michael Keaton said some years back. The face of the franchise is Andrew McCutcheon. His skill set is something this franchise has not seen in some time and he is still a young man and growing. As long as he stays healthy, the sky is the limit. His speed cannot be touched on the base paths, which makes him a lethal weapon (with all due apologies to the movie franchise). When last we heard, negotiations between McCutcheon and the club were contentious. This means they were not going as well as hoped, which didn't bode well to signing him long term. Of course, this could change. But, for now, one cannot be optimistic at this turn of events for someone who should be the cornerstone of the franchise, much like Ben Roethlisberger is the face of the Steelers and Sidney Crosby is the face of the Penguins and the NHL. You do whatever it takes to sign your franchise player and the Pirates have no choice but to find some way to get McCutcheon under contract long term. Yes, the club still has a few years to get this done. However, as long as McCutcheon keeps performing and keeps getting better, the price tag goes up. PNC Park was built in order to get and keep the young, core players to stay with the organization long term. It was designed to produce revenue streams so that the club could sign its star players to good deals and keep them in the fold. This is a call out to Bob Nutting, Frank Coonelly, and Neal Huntington. Do whatever it takes to get a long term deal done with McCutcheon. If the rest of the team sees you make a commitment to the cornerstone, then they'll feel better knowing they will follow suit and be treated accordingly by you. A classic example of this will be Neil Walker, the hometown kid. Get a deal done and show your commitment to the rest of the organization.

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