Phillies sign Andrew McCutchen

[bkox]

Todd Zolecki (ToddZolecki)

[EastFallowfield]

John Stolnis (JohnStolnis)

[bigegypt0417]

3 years/50 million

[Patchmk88]

Can’t say I’m too pumped about this signingZ would have preferred others. Will be ok with it if we do some of the other stuff that’s been talked about on this board though.

[LoneStarPhan]

Not a move that excites me or builds confidence for the coming year, but I hope he proves me wrong.

[el-pietro]

Smart signing. They can't sit around all winter waiting for decisions from Harper and Machado. They need to build a competitive team that they can add one of Harper or Machado to. If they were to wait they could have been left in a position where they missed out on both and the second tier free agents were snapped up too.
McCutcheon is a significant upgrade on Williams and Altherr. If Harper signs then thats your corners sorted, if Harper doesn't sign then you still have room for those two to copmete for.
I think I would have preferred Brantley but I don't think there is much of a difference between them.
Exciting times.

[xogfog]

Brantley is probably a better hitter, but can't stay on the field, so I'm fine with this move. Certainly a defensive upgrade from Hoskins and should be at least as productive offensively as Santana.

[Philsmania]

I like the move, too. Cutch is no longer one of the game's premier players--or, a great player, if you will--but he's still a good player.

[el-pietro]

So basically we've upgraded SS and found a way to get improved defence from the Hoskins/Santana combo. Great start to the offseason.

[zambonir]

Yeah Brantley was more tantalizing but this is about defense too. Problem is I don't know that McCutchen acutally plays good defense, and it's not likely to get better. Good player though. Gets on base. Probably better than Williams. Presumably won't be good enough to start by Year 3.

[EastFallowfield]

David Palardy (SomaDaydream)

[el-pietro]

I was just about to post the same image. I think he has a perfectly fine season at CBP! I'm gonna be in town for opening day and I can't wait to see him play!

[zambonir]

Joel Sherman tweeted Phillies were indeed put off by Brantley's durability. Could have had him at same price (or roughly).

[VoteForKalas]

On the downside, color me unimpressed.

Like LSP, I hope McCutchen proves me wrong.

I enjoyed building the young core a lot more than this cycle of bringing in vets for one more payday

[nycphils]

Meh. Not terrible, but aging so not ideal.

[bigegypt0417]

I was just about to post the same image. I think he has a perfectly fine season at CBP! I'm gonna be in town for opening day and I can't wait to see him play!

I'm fairly certain the plan would be for him to split time with someone...maybe nick Williams?

If he's just a supporting piece in a bigger plan I'm ok with it...

[zambonir]

I would think Quinn, Herrera, Williams and McCutchen would all move around the OF as things currently stand. A signing like this, if it's the only one, could actually be good for Quinn and Williams, they continue to develop as part-time players which may be their ceiling anyway (for different reasons). If they sign Harper too then one of them (or Herrera) is gone.

I enjoyed building the young core a lot more than this cycle of bringing in vets for one more payday

We all like that but it seems they actually failed to build one (and clearly the new regime has reached the point where they have decided to punt on many of the players they inherited). No question too many old guys and short-term deals could backfire though.

[fish]

I'm a bit shocked by that payday, I would have thought half that. I guess I could see him having a Raul Ibanez type stay - one good year followed by a few aging lackluster, but I guess he's not expected to be a 162 game player. I thought Brantley's bat was the perfect compliment to Seguera and upgrade in the direction they wanted- high average, low k, lots of extra base hits.

McCutchen's walk total last year took me by surprise though, and he's a great leadership guy in the clubhouse- that can't be a bad thing, especially if they add Machado with Seguera (who seem to be lacking in that character department).

[el-pietro]

A move like this also shows Free Agents that the Phillies are in win now mode. There are two fewer holes in the lineup than thee were at the start of the off season.

[allentown]

I'm a bit shocked by that payday, I would have thought half that

Yes, he is very fully priced. We are buying the age 32, 33, and 34 seasons of a guy who put up a total bWAR of 4.7 over the past 3 seasons. So, even if his next 3 years are as good as his past 3, with no additional age-related deterioration, we are paying $10.1 million per WAR. So, half this amount would be lowball, but I think about 80% of this is more on target. We need some luck for year 3 to have much value, I guess he is Hoskin's replacement in the OF.