The Pittsburgh Pirates exercised outfielder Andrew McCutchen’s $14.5 million option for 2018.
It was a weird year for McCutchen, who started off slowly but then went on a tear in June and July, slumped again in August but then was strong again in September. When it was all said and done he hit .279/.363/.486 with 28 homers overall, and that’s not too shabby.
2018 will be McCutchen’s tenth year as a Pirate but his last year under contract. Given that, however good he is, he’s no longer the player he was during his peak, it’s not crazy to think that the Pirates might shop him in trades this offseason or early next season if he gets off to a quick start.