Pirates Sign McCutchen

The Pirates may be without A.J. Burnett to start the season, but they will have Andrew McCutchen for the beginning of this season and beyond. The Pirates signed McCutchen to a six-year contract this morning:

"The Pirates and star center fielder Andrew McCutchen agreed to terms on a six-year contract worth $51.5 million with a club option for 2018 worth $14.75 million, according to a source.

The contract will buy out McCutchen's remaining arbitration seasons and at least two years of free agency."

Nice seeing the Pirates spend money on their younger players instead of trading them away for magical beans. McCutchen along with their pitching in the minors should be a great combination in future years.

It will be interesting though to see if McCutchen stays with the Pirates throughout this entire contract. If the young pitchers don't contribute, will the Pirates then trade McCutchen? Will the Pirates even re-sign McCutchen when that contract runs out? These are all questions that will be answered in future years, but it's nice seeing the Pirates signing their younger players to long-term contracts. 

(Via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)