The Los Angeles Dodgers hoped to have their repeat championship roster set after another blockbuster of offseason additions.
But that wasn’t the case.
Even after adding the likes of Blake Snell and Tanner Scott while re-signing outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, the Dodgers were forced to make a pair of additions at the midseason trade deadline as their relief corps and outfield have struggled to produce.
They then added Brock Stewart and Alex Call in a pair of midseason trades, but the team could still have its sights set on a final pickup before the playoffs. ”
Andrew McCutchen emerged as a prime waiver wire candidate after he openly floated the idea of leaving in free agency,” Christopher Kline wrote for FanSided, adding that the Dodgers “should covet” McCutchen as a waiver candidate.
“He will forever be a legend in Pittsburgh, but he deserves the chance to pursue the elusive World Series title with a contending club.”
McCutchen won a Most Valuable Player Award with the Pirates as one of the best players in the franchise’s history several years ago, but there could be some good reasons for the team to release him at this point.
In addition to his stated desire to play for a competitor, the budget-conscious Pirates could save on some of his $5 million salary by placing him on the waiver wire.
And if he becomes available, the Dodgers make sense as a new fit for McCutchen.
They have been unable to get much production from outfielder Michael Conforto since he joined the team and McCutchen could mark an offensive upgrade at little risk.
“McCutchen has primarily functioned as a DH this season, but it’s hard to imagine him being much worse than Michael Conforto, who’s in the seventh percentile for defensive range (-6 outs above average) this season,” Kline wrote.
“McCutchen is far from his prime self at 38 years old, but he has still slugged 12 home runs and 47 RBI and a solid .715 OPS. He’s one of the few semi-decent hitters on the Pirates roster and he’d bring some legitimate noise to the back half of the Dodgers lineup.”
The Dodgers seem poised for a deep playoff run with or without a last-minute addition to the roster.
But giving McCutchen the chance to close out his career with a ring could be in the cards if the Pirates make a waiver move.