San Francisco Giants Acquire All-Star Outfielder Andrew McCutchen From the Pittsburgh Pirates

By Noriel See, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, January 16, 2018

The San Francisco Giants just made a huge move to fill the hole at center field.

The team has confirmed that they have acquired former National League (NL) most valuable player Andrew McCutchen from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for right-hander Kyle Crick, outfield prospect Bryan Reynolds, and $500,000 in international bonus pool money.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Pirates are also sending $2.5 million to the Giants as part of the deal.

"Andrew is a dynamic player on the field and will be a leader in our clubhouse," Giants general manager Bobby Evans said in a press release, via MLB.com. "He's always been a threat at the plate and he's a guy you don't ever want to deal with whether he's at the plate or on the bases. He's going to make something happen," he continued.

McCutchen will be joining a team that is looking to bounce back from a disappointing season.

"It's no secret that we were looking to further add run production to our lineup," Giants executive vice president of baseball operations Brian Sabean stated in the press release. "Anytime you have the opportunity to bring aboard someone with such a track record, you have to jump on it," he added.

The five-time All-Star posted a 0.279/0.363/0.486 slash line in 156 games last season to go with 28 home runs, 88 runs batted in, 11 stolen bases, and 30 doubles in 650 plate appearances. McCutchen has won the Silver Slugger award four times and he has also won a Gold Glove award in 2012.

He is slated to become a free agent after the 2018 season.

On paper, McCutchen seems like a direct replacement for Denard Span at center field, but NBC Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic has reported that the Giants are planning to deploy him at a corner outfield spot. That means they are not done making moves.