Mariners Rumors: Are The M’s Still Inquiring About Andrew McCutchen?

The Mariners may have brought in Jarrod Dyson to join the likes of Mitch Haniger, Leonys Martin, Ben Gamel, and Guillermo Heredia in the outfield a couple days back, but is GM Jerry Dipoto using Dyson, Martin and others as pawns for a big trade to bring in the Pittsburgh Pirates, Andrew McCutchen?

Mariners fans (well most of them) would probably be satisfied if Dipoto kept the offensive half of their roster put for the rest of the off-season.

However, the latest rumors on the mill suggest that Dipoto may be planning to make another big splash, one that could be even more impactful than the deal that brought Segura to the M’s.

According to a source that spoke to Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe, the Mariners are a team that have particular interest in the former all-star and former MVP center fielder.

However, as intriguing as it would be to add McCutchen to a lineup that already has Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, and Segura, with Leonys Martin in center, how could it work?

Trading Martin and whoever else the Mariners would have to give up to get “Cutch” may be doable, depending on how steep the price is and how many guys the Pirates want in return, with Martin most likely as the centerpiece. So, that’s the how. The follow-up question would be: does it make sense?

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When it comes to power stats, McCutchen takes the cake over Martin. His twenty-four home runs and seventy-nine RBI are nine and twenty-five better than Martin respectively.

On defense, the two are equally spectacular. McCutchen has committed fifteen more errors than Martin in his career, but has played for two more years -last year the two both had three errors.

Their fielding percentages are identical, weighing in at .988% and the two are only separated by five career outfield assists, “Cutch” having the upper hand there.

On the basepaths, the two are also fairly even. McCutchen has snagged about fifty bases more than Martin and has had two more seasons with at least twenty or more steals but Martin has had more thirty-plus stolen base years than the Pirates centerfielder. Remember that “Cutch” has that two-year head start, though.

All of this only calculates for a straight swap of Martin for McCutchen, but if a deal were to go through, it would most assuredly not be that simple.

Dyson may also be linked to a possible trade, but seeing that he will fit in a left field -a position that McCutchen has never played- he may not be the player that sweetens the deal.

This also comes down to how Dipoto sees Dyson fitting into the lineup with Gamel and Heredia also vying for playing time in left next year.

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All this talk may amount to nothing, but when there’s a possibility to bring in a player with the aura, popularity, and MVP-level skill to a team that may only be one big piece away from a deep playoff run, you’ve got to take the bait and run with the rumor.