Pittsburgh Pirates Rumors: Andrew McCutchen Deal Could Be Concluding
The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Nationals have advanced deep into trade talks regarding Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen. A deal seems to be close, as the rumors have picked up over the last 12 hours or so.
Over the last 24 hours it has been widely reported that the Washington Nationals and the Pittsburgh Pirates have been in advanced trade talks.
According to multiple reports, trade talks have centered around Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen and Washington Nationals top prospect Victor Robles. The news started to really pick up early this afternoon when Jayson Stark, of ESPN, reported that talks were being “accelerated”.
Then Rob Biertempfel confirmed the report when he tweeted the following:
With that, everyone has been on edge expecting a deal to go down at any moment. Then, as the night has continued on, there has been less and less information regarding the potential deal. This has left many people wondering where the talks currently stand between the two sides. However, moments ago, a source from a rival team shared some information with Rum Bunter. The source confirmed that a deal could be finalized as soon as tomorrow afternoon. Here is what was shared with Rum Bunter:
With that being said, our source has been very reliable over the last few years. If his information is accurate, it sounds like many of our questions will be answered soon. A couple thoughts on what he said. First, it has been reported from numerous Washington National writers that a third piece is in play. On that note, if the Pirates and Nationals agreed on a list of players in regards to a third player involved then that is why talks have slowed down. The Pittsburgh Pirates will need to do their homework on each player, on said list, before making a decision. Hence why he said that talks could conclude as early as tomorrow afternoon. Why tomorrow afternoon?
As others have reported, including Ken Rosenthal, the Nationals want a deal done before tomorrow night’s 8 PM non-tender deadline. The reason is because if the Nationals and Pirates complete the deal, the Nationals will move Trea Turner back to his natural position of shortstop. In turn, the Nationals would then designate Danny Espinosa for assignment before the 8 PM deadline.
Later tonight, Rum Bunter will have a post on some of the players the Pittsburgh Pirates are reportedly targeting in trade talks. With that, give it a read to learn about some of the potential players that could be coming here in a deal. This should be interesting to see how it all plays out over the coming hours. The Hot Stove is burning!
*Disclaimer: For obvious reasons I cannot release the sources name or position inside of baseball. He has given tidbits of information in the past that have proven reliable on most occasions. However, not everything said is guaranteed to happen! Just passing along information that was given to him.*