Royals Could Acquire Ex-Yankees Silver Slugger Via Trade With Pirates
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As the Kansas City Royals search for a hard-hitting outfielder on the trade market, maybe they should call the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Pirates are obviously set up to be sellers this summer, and as Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller noted on Tuesday, Pittsburgh has a handful of guys on expiring deals that will likely all become trade chips for suitors to choose from.
“Toronto turned eight expiring or almost expiring MLB contracts into more than a dozen prospects ahead of last year's deadline, and the Pirates are likely to be on a similar path this summer,” Miller wrote.
“Add utilitymen Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Adam Frazier, veteran outfielders Tommy Pham and Andrew McCutchen and relievers Caleb Ferguson, Tim Mayza and Ryan Borucki to the list here and Pittsburgh has quite the intriguing stockpile of affordable, impending free agents.”
Kansas City’s outfield needs make them a good fit for a player like McCutchen. The former National League MVP is past his prime at 38 years old, but his slash line of .231/.333/.346 so far this season would still be a welcome addition in a Royals lineup starved for hitting at the moment.
McCutchen would also be a powerful addition to Kansas City’s clubhouse as the team looks to avoid falling out of the divisional race in the coming weeks. McCutchen has seen it all and done it all in Major League Baseball, and he’d be a helpful voice for a Royals team looking to stay competitive despite a troubling start to the year.
McCutchen has spent nearly his entire career in the National League, save for a stint with the New York Yankees in 2018. A move to the American League might be a nice change for the five-time All-Star as he enters the twilight of his career.
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-0663bdabe71d386728d098a436d30d0b.jpeg "Colin Keane")
Colin Keane is a writer for Kansas City Royals On SI. He graduated from Villanova University with a Major degree in English and a Minor degree in Business. Covering NBA, MLB, NFL and college basketball, he has contributed to various outlets including NESN and FanSided.