It doesn't matter if you use advanced stats, a cadre of scouts, Baseball Mogul simulations, or Paul to inform your opinions, you have to like the Andrew McCutchen extension. No, you have to like it. We'll know who didn't when sabermetricians eventually enter the Internet like Lawnmower Man, and there will be repercussions.
FanGraphs: Of Course The Andrew McCutchen Extension Is A Good Thing
Dave Cameron? Of course he likes the move:
... McCutchen would be on the short list of guys you’d look at to build a team around. He’s already an All-Star and his broad base of skills and physical talents suggest that he could get even better. It’s not at all out of the question that McCutchen could peak as the best outfielder in the game. And now, with this deal, the Pirates have guaranteed that his best days will be spent in Pittsburgh.
Of course the extension is a good thing for the Pirates. No one could hate this. I keep scanning the news, looking for news that makes this story something that’s irrefutably Pirates -- “Source: Every year after 2012 is a player option” -- but there’s nothing wrong with this.
It’s a likable player committing to be the face of a beleaguered franchise while they attempt to reverse their fortunes. Without McCutchen, that would have been a miserable task. He doesn’t make it easy, but he at least provides an enviable building block with which to start.
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