Phillies Fans Won’t Like this Trade Proposal

Phillies fans are going to hate this idea, but it’s the logical thing to do. Baseball is a business, after all.

The Phillies should trade Andrew McCutchen.

Unless the Phillies pick up his 2022 option, this is the final year of McCutchen’s contract. He’s having an absurdly hot summer, and with his resumé and popularity around the league, many teams would be glad to have him.

As noted after his grand slam on Tuesday night, McCutchen’s offensive performance has improved dramatically each month this year:

April (22 games): .169/.301/.247, .548 OPS, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 15 BB, 24 K

May (27 games): .227/.333/.454, .787 OPS, 4 2B, 6 HR, 13 RBI, 16 BB, 33 K

June (24 games): .301/.424/.603, 1.027 OPS, 4 2B, 6 HR, 20 RBI, 15 BB, 12 K

July (5 games): .263/.364/.526, .890 OPS, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K

Bryce Harper wants his team to be buyers at the deadline, but even he acknowledges that they don’t have much in the prospect bank to work with. They also have a lot of dead weight in the bullpen that no contending team in their right mind would take on. The Phillies lead MLB with 22 blown saves, after all.

Dealing McCutchen could bolster the farm system, building for the future. He’s been traded at the deadline before; the Giants sent him to the Yankees in 2018, in exchange for two prospects, infielder Abiatal Avelino and RHP Juan De Paula. At the time, he was also in the final season of his contract. Cutch could bolster a team’s offense and bring veteran leadership to the clubhouse that could prove invaluable.

McCutchen was an All-Star five seasons in a row between 2011-2015, and won a Silver Slugger every year between 2012-2015. He also won a Gold Glove in 2012 and was the 2013 NL MVP. He’s got more mileage on him now and has had dealt with injuries, but as his June and July stats indicate, Cutch has a lot left in the tank. If the Phillies are on a road to nowhere, they shouldn’t waste his time.

At this point, it’s unlikely that the Phillies will reach the postseason while Cutch is under contract. It’s been a decade since the team’s last division title, and they’re 41-42 on the season, four games out of first. Meanwhile, Cutch could be extremely valuable to a playoff team in the second half, maybe even finally get a World Series ring of his own. At his age, that window is closing for him.

Trading Cutch will hurt, but it could be one of the most mutually beneficial moves the Phillies make all year.