Major League Baseball’s winter meetings are underway this week in Las Vegas and it appears that the Philadelphia Phillies have made their first move.
According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Phillies and veteran free-agent outfielder Andrew McCutchen came to an agreement on a three-year deal worth $50 million with a club option for the fourth-year.
In addition to the reported contract numbers, Gelb and MLB insider Ken Rosenthal both heard that despite adding McCutchen, it would not stop the Phillies from signing another outfielder (a la Bryce Harper). It does not come as a surprise to see the Phillies sign McCutchen as they reportedly had interest in him during July’s trade deadline.
Ultimately, they did not get him as the Yankees swooped in and got him a month later for two minor-league prospects. In limited time with the Bronx Bombers, McCutchen hit .253/.421/.471 with five home runs and 10 RBI (114 plate appearances).
Before being traded to the Yankees, McCutchen was with the San Francisco Giants and did not look overly impressive. He batted 255/.357/.415 with 15 home runs and 55 RBI in 130 games.
There was a thought that maybe the veteran would come back to New York this offseason. But that idea was shattered when the Yankees re-signed Brett Gardner.
Nevertheless, with the Phillies, McCutchen will get a chance to play a huge role at either corner outfield spots. Over his 10-year career, he has experience playing in center field, left, and right field.
However, as they are currently constructed, the Phillies have Odubel Herrera and Roman Quinn patrolling center field and Nick Williams holding down the fort in right field. But the situation in the outfield could drastically change again if the Phillies opt to sign Harper.
It should be interesting to see how things play out in Philly’s outfield. As of right now, they have a surplus of outfielders and could look to use any of them in a potential deal for a pitcher, which they are in desperate need of.
