Pirates sign Andrew McCutchen to extension!

The Pittsburgh Pirates made another step in the right direction as the team is reported to have signed Andrew McCutchen to a six year contract worth 51.1 million dollars.
The deal removes the remaining arbitration years from McCutchen and keeps him away from free agency for the first two seasons of eligibility for the speedy centerfielder.
The Pirates also have a club option for the 2018 season that would be worth just under 15 million.
The deal for McCutchen comes on the heels of the August contract with Jose Tabata that should,in theory,keep two-thirds of the Pittsburgh outfield together for the next six seasons.

My thoughts?
Well,give Bob Nutting and the Pirates credit for spending some money and keeping the best everyday player that the team has produced in years in Pittsburgh for a lengthy contract.
Give Andrew McCutchen credit as well for settling for a reasonable contract that will keep him set financially for the rest of his life,but yet not asking for so much money that it could hinder the teams chances of putting talent around him to build a contender.
McCutchen gets a guaranteed payout that protects him against a freak injury,while the Pirates get cost certainty for their star for years to come...
The contract buys the Pirates time to hopefully develop Gerrit Cole and Jameson Tallion among others to be part of the future turnaround and make McCutchen part of that team.

As McCutchen's game matures,it is easy to see that his numbers could improve on his current stats and solidify himself as one of the better centerfielders in the game.
The power numbers rose last season (16 to 23),but the average fell (.286 to .259),but on the Pirates,I could argue that McCutchen was more valuable with the increased power than with the higher average due to the teams needs at the plate.
OPS shows that to be true with a rise of a few points last season (.820 from .814)
If McCutchen hits .280,20+ HR's and continues his strong defense,he will be more than worth the contract compared to the going rate for players in a few more seasons.

 I was not as thrilled with the Jose Tabata signing as I thought Tabata had not earned that extension yet and I still have questions on that one.
I have no such questions on this contract with McCutchen.
Andrew has proven his talents on the field and then started talking extension.
This is a happy day for Pirate fans as now Andrew McCutchen can truly become the face of the franchise....

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