The Addition Of Andrew McCutchen Means So Much More

You've likely already read dozens of people's takes on the trade for Andrew McCutchen, so you're either reading this because you're bored or because you actually care what I think.

Either way, thank you. So here goes...

My first reaction to seeing the trade was something like "oh no".

That's not because I think McCutchen is bad. On the contrary, I think he makes a good addition to the team. Andrew may not be a Most Valuable Player award candidate anymore, but he's still an above average hitter (OPS+ of 110 this season). And while I think he's a bit overrated defensively, as I've heard some say go as far as to say he's a "great" outfielder, McCutchen will not hurt you with his glove (-0.9 UZR/150 as a right fielder this season).

See, with Judge returning, I saw the addition of another outfielder being unnecessary. Especially since that would mean the Yankees may have to give up something decent in a trade (for the record, thankfully that's not true as the organization has plenty of pitching as good as, or better than, Juan De Paula, and I don't see Avelino being anything more than a bench piece in MLB). Sure, Shane Robinson is far from ideal, but he's not single-handedly responsible for the Yankees losing the series to the White Sox. In fact, the Yankees are 13-7 in games that Shane started since August 1st, which is a better winning percentage than the Yankees have for the season (.650 to .627).

The big thing I take away from this deal is that Aaron Judge may be further away from returning than we hoped. To be honest, this could mean Judge doesn't return at all this season. Even though the Yankees have shown us that they can win without Aaron in the lineup, that doesn't mean the loss of Judge for the rest of the season wouldn't be a huge blow. Frankly, there's no way any team, in any sport, can lose their best player and be as good.

Just add Judge's return to the large list of things we Yankees fans hope...

1. Giancarlo Stanton keeps tearing the cover off the ball. By the way, I'm so glad #300 is out of the way, as milestones such as that have to get into a players head.

2. Luis Severino turns things around. Oh, check out this article.

3. Didi and Sanchez return strong from their injuries.

4. J.A. Happ is more like the pitcher we saw in his first five starts with the Yankees, rather than the guy we saw last night.

5. Aroldis Chapman returns and is able to continue dominating the way he was before he went on the DL.

6. Luke Voit and/or Neil Walker can provide some stability at first base, something Greg Bird hasn't been able to do there all season.

7. Andrew McCutchen gets fired up playing for a real contender and is closer to the player he was last year with the Pirates, when he had an OPS+ of 123.

8...

yeah, I'm going to stop there. I'm starting to get really depressed.


Although Twitter, like Facebook, can be full of some really stupid junk, it's a good place to chat and get some up-to-the-minute information. You can chat with me @BryanVanDusen.