A member of the 2008 Phillies team helped Andrew McCutchen make his free agency pick
Baseball teams are trying all kinds of methods to recruit players in free agency, and one former Phillies star played a small role in the Phillies acquiring Andrew McCutchen.
On the NBCS Philadelphia podcast “At the Yard” the newly-signed McCutchen told Jim Salisbury that he reached out to Shane Victorino to get a feel for the city.
“(Victorino) said some great things of course about the city… He loved it and he said I would love it too,” said McCutchen.
Unlike other teams trying to court free agents, it appears the Phillies didn’t send Victorino out to McCutchen, but it was the other way around. McCutchen is a veteran, but this was the first time he has hit the free agent market. The process was very new to the 32-year-old, and he clearly did his research.
McCutchen said Victorino was very genuine about his love for the city in their conversations, and we’ve seen Victorino express his love towards the city as a player, philanthropist, and as an alum.
Now as the Phillies look to court players like Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, it will be interesting to see who reaches out to each guy or if they reach out to former players. Rhys Hoskins has reportedly been talking to Harper, and they share the same agent, Scott Boras.
Machado will be in Philadelphia on Thursday for part-three of his free agent tour. I’m sure we’ll hear stories of how that meeting goes and who was in attendance.