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CLEARWATER, Fla.
Andrew McCutchen sat in front of his locker and twisted the locks over his head when asked why he had signed a standalone contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
McCutchen smiled broadly.
"Do you see what they've proposed to me?" Says McCutchen laughing at his three-year, $ 50 million contract. "It's an easy choice."
If the Pirates of Pittsburgh were constantly called upon, it was their first game of the Grapefruit League on Saturday against McCutchen and the Phillies at Spectrum Field. McCutchen got the Phillies' big commitment that the Pirates were not willing to do when they traded it to the San Francisco Giants in January 2018 and that he had a one-year six-year overtime extension of 51, $ 5 million he had signed in 2012.
"It's a crazy dynamics of the game, the way it has changed so much," McCutchen said. "When I was 25, signing my extension, I was like," Shoot, I'm going to be 32 years old at the end. I can get another five, six or seven year contract, although I have poor numbers. It was the market at the time. But the market has definitely changed. You are not paid for your past performance. You are paid for the projected performance. "
Thirteen months later, according to projections, the Pirates seemed to have had a good shot in baseball with McCutchen. The fifth star and most valuable player in 2013 in 2013 beat .255 with 20 homers and 65 RBIs in 155 games last season. They spent the last month with the New York Yankees after a deal on August 31.
The Pirates were convinced that they could not afford this production at such a high price. They went 82-79 without McCutchen, but the attendance suffered. It turns out that the Pirates have largely underestimated the emotional attachment that fans have towards the player who has been the catalyst for their turnaround, which has gone from two decades of defeat to three consecutive post-reasons . It's no coincidence that one of their biggest crowds last season (34,720) was coming back from Cutch.
"It was really different to see him wearing the Giant uniform," said Pirates manager Clint Hurdle before the Phillies match. "He looks nice in red – he's not a big league uniform he's not going to look good at – and he's thrilled with his opportunity. This is one of our favorites. He did everything that an organization could ask a man to do. We will all shoot for him in Philadelphia when we will not play him. "
Whether this sentiment is reciprocal or not for McCutchen, he was classy in tipping his cap to Hurdle and the Pirates after receiving a warm ovation after being introduced to the Phillies' starter squad.
But McCutchen also feigned indifference when asked to start the spring against the pirates, tentatively suggesting that he only discovered it on Friday. He said that he was following the Pirates on Twitter and knew that they were ending above .500 without him, but was well aware that they should have the second highest payroll Low of the opening day of the MLB.
"I know their payroll is what it is – what, $ 68 million? – compared to all the others, "said McCutchen. "It has not changed. It has always been like that. They have a different philosophy. Make things work without spending a lot of money to have big names. That's how it always has been. They did well last year. They had a season of over .500. It was good. This shows that you do not always need the payroll to win. It has always been their philosophy. "
The Phillies, meanwhile, are spending as if they had won the Powerball. Not only did they sign McCutchen, but they traded with Seattle against Jean Segura and the Marlins against receiver J. T. Realmuto and pitcher Aaron Nola, 25, signed a favorable deal with the club. More importantly, they remain the favorite for Bryce Harper, the free agency man who could instantly change their favorite opponents.
"We all know what he can do. He changes the team. It changes a lot of teams, whatever it is, "said McCutchen. "The Phillies did a good job of bringing guys here. … It's an excellent team here, and it will only make it better. That would be great. We saw a helicopter go around the street the other day and we joked that it would be funny if it had just landed and gone out. Who knows?"
We made the same joke seeing a helicopter fly over Pirate City without any expectation of a grand entrance. That's the difference between these teams at both ends of the state. The Phillies do not just talk about winning a world series, they strive to attract the best free agents on the market. That's another thing they proposed that facilitated McCutchen's decision.
"That's part of the reason I came here. I knew the Phillies were a team trying to recruit big names, "McCutchen said. "They did it with me and it pissed me off. And I knew they were not finished. … I just want to win a championship, and I think this team is capable of that. "
McCutchen, however, also described how championship teams need some chemistry. It was the centerpiece when the Pirates built a competitor through drafts and developments and added additional parts. He also experienced the Giants' experience in 79-83 after adding Evan Longoria, Austin Jackson and Tony Watson.
So, McCutchen knows that buying big names does not necessarily bring a championship. Where the Pirates seek internal solutions to power, the Phillies plan to throw money at a hitter. These are different philosophies regarding the pursuit of a championship, so it will be interesting to see if the proof is in the payroll.
But having that choice makes it easier to accept what they offer.
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Kevin Gorman is a writer for Tribune-Review. You can contact Kevin by email at [email protected] or via Twitter. .
