Dunlap: Dreading The Day Cutch Gets Traded
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) -- I hate to get ahead of myself. I really do.
But in my field --- in the sportstalk radio biz --- isn't that what we do all the time? As in, just about every single day?
We offer hypotheticals and what-ifs, conjecture and guesswork coupled with some facts and then have a discussion about it.
Here is some more, and something I really hate having to talk about: I'm going to despise the day Pirates centerfielder Andrew McCutchen gets traded away. Because now, more than ever, it really feels like McCutchen won't end his career in Pittsburgh.
I really abhor typing those words, but that is just what emerges as the most logical reality as one analyzes this situation.
With superstar outfield prospect Austin Meadows rocketing through the Pirates' system --- he was promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis over the weekend --- it sure feels like the organization has eyes on its outfield of the future.
At just 21, Meadows would look to patrol the outfield for a long time in concert with Starling Marte, who is 27 and locked into a contract through 2021 and Gregory Polanco, the dynamic 24-year-old outfielder also under contract through 2021.
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It would appear there might not be any long-term room at the inn for McCutchen, who is 29 and has a contract through 2017 with a team option for 2018.
It is a logical connection of the dots that McCutchen, a treasured asset the organization might not look to sign to another contract, will be moved sometime between now and the end of July, 2018.
Some of it depends on the progression of Meadows, but if the first-round pick in 2013 has proved anything, it has been an ability to succeed at any level --- and that said, he should also handle the jump to Indianapolis with great aplomb.
There is no denying the heights Andrew McCutchen has helped push this franchise to and toward. He has been, in many ways --- both with dreadlocks and short hair --- that one statuesque and dignified figure who has personified the turnaround from a perennial doormat into a real contender.
He is our Cutch; our hero with the radiant and luminous smile. He is our No. 22 so many Little Leaguers in western Pennsylvania clamor to emulate as they fight to wear that same jersey. He is baseball superman to a generation of kids here in Pittsburgh, some of them never knowing his real name is "Andrew" as all one needs to do is say "Cutch" and every little kid knows exactly who you are referring to.
We have seen him grow, seen him play with that grace and aptitude and do countless good deeds away from the field that, to Pittsburghers, mean just as much when measuring the true worth of a man as any home run hit.
Who knows, I'm probably getting way, way, way ahead of myself here.
But I work in the talk radio business and that's part of what we do.
In getting ahead of myself it sure feels like a preponderance of the evidence suggest McCutchen won't finish out his career here in Pittsburgh.
I will be sad.
I will understand, if it happens, it will probably be the most logical move for the organization to make. Nonetheless, I'm already thinking about the sting that day will bring.
Colin Dunlap is a featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weekdays from 5:40 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 "The Fan." You can e-mail him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com. Check out his bio here.
