Tim Benz: We knew an Andrew McCutchen trade rumor would crop up, but this feels awfully quick

Even when Andrew McCutchen was reacquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason amidst a wave of nostalgic applause, one nagging question remained.

Are they really going to keep him all year?

Well, as the last day of June approaches, the first Cutch trade rumor has cropped up. It comes from the Twitter account of Major League Baseball Network reporter Jon Morosi who said the Texas Rangers have “broached the possibility” of acquiring the Pirates outfielder/designated hitter.

The Rangers are one team to watch with McCutchen.

They are legitimate World Series contenders who have below-average DH production this year.

In 2018, McCutchen played for current Texas manager Bruce Bochy in San Francisco. @MLBNetwork @MLBNetworkRadio https://t.co/vgfNEtQrCB

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) June 26, 2023

Confirming: The Rangers have broached the possibility of acquiring Andrew McCutchen, but the Pirates are not prepared to move yet.

The deal would have particular interest to Texas if at least one pitcher is part of the deal, as well.@MLBNetwork @MLBNetworkRadio

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) June 26, 2023

I wonder who the pitcher is. Hometown favorite and 2022 All-Star closer David Bednar, perhaps?

Sure. Trade away both fan favorites at once. Buy those McCutchen and Bednar City Connect jerseys this week while you can get ’em, folks!

The design of the Nike Pittsburgh Pirates City Connect Jersey takes elements from the city’s steel industry, its three rivers and the checkerboard found in Pittsburgh’s flag. https://t.co/WFK6PNL5Fq

— WPXI (@WPXI) June 22, 2023

The concept of a potential deal makes sense. From Texas’ point of view, they can bolster their pitching staff and their DH options in one exchange.

From Pittsburgh’s, even if the public relations hit is bad, the Pirates need to restock that coveted prospect pool they lean on so much. The front office constantly needs to sell hope for the future even as the present amounts to nothing. The franchise has already called up former first-round picks Henry Davis and Nick Gonzales — as well as 2020 No. 31 overall pick Carmen Mlodzinski. Catching prospect Endy Rodriguez and pitcher Quinn Priester may not be far behind.

General manager Ben Cherington is quickly running out of Christmas presents stashed in the attic for the fanbase.

As Morosi points out, if Texas (or any other team) acquires McCutchen for the rest of his one-year deal, he can always re-sign back in Pittsburgh before next season anyway. He can do this every year until he retires if he wants. Play at home with the Pirates until the July trade deadline. Go to a contender in late summer. Help the club by being an annual magnet for prospects. And re-sign the next winter until he wants to hang up the spikes.

Cutch can be like Mark Recchi in cleats if he wants and come back three or four times.

Are we sure Recchi is retired, by the way? Kyle Dubas might want to sign him to play on a wing if Jason Zucker leaves the Penguins in free agency.

Maybe McCutchen (who has MLB’s ninth-best on-base percentage at .394) can rip four more homers between now and the Aug. 1 trade deadline. That’ll get him to number 300 for his career after he just recently got his 2,000th hit. He’d be able to do it in Black and Gold (or City Connect bright yellow).

That could be the send-off. Then give him the warm, fuzzy, welcome back standing ovations again on the North Shore in April 2024.

Why not? With all of those highlights this year, it’d make for an easy offseason promotional montage on AT&T SportsNet. And if McCutchen gets at least one more legit chance at making a World Series push in Arlington, good for him.

If McCutchen isn’t eager about a trade, though, my guess is that it doesn’t happen. Pirates fans are so conditioned to stuff like this by now, anyone who has watched the team for the past 30 years had to know moving McCutchen before the first year of the reunion was over was a possibility.

Anyone who didn’t was living in denial.

So I think the only way the Pirates come out looking bad in this is if McCutchen goes elsewhere, but in the process makes it sound like the Pirates pushed him out the door and is embittered to the point that he wouldn’t consider another return to Bradenton next spring training.

Not even the Pirates are dumb enough to let that happen.

Are they?

In January, at the reunion press conference in PNC Park’s press room, Ben Cherington was asked if dealing McCutchen in July was still an option.

He didn’t say the word “no.”

“I think between now and July, our focus is going to be on winning and competing and getting better. That’s our focus,” Cherington said. “We’ll cross that bridge. Right now, we are just focusing on getting to spring training, and let’s get ready for the season and playing great baseball.”

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As if Pittsburgh doesn’t have enough bridges, here’s another one, I guess.

The only thing that’s changed for the Pirates between then and now was the month of April.

Ah, April. Can you remember back that far, Pirates fans? Your team finished the month at 20-9 and was in first place of the National League Central. Now they’ve plummeted back to reality at 35-42, just three games out of last.

Trading McCutchen this quickly thereafter would simply be a painful acknowledgment that those 30 days were every bit the fluke pessimists suggested they were and that McCutchen’s return would amount to nothing but a happy footnote in the Pirates’ latest chapter of irrelevance.

Maybe next year’s fun can last a little longer if there is a Round 3.