Yankees: Does Andrew McCutchen make them any better?

If you’re the Yankees fighting for a playoff spot, holding the second best record in baseball, only to be in the same division with the team touting the best record, while also having your top hitter and closer on the DL, the addition of a former MVP sounds improbable.

Yet Yankees general manager Brian Cashman did it. The reigning Baseball Executive of the Year did just that. And all he gave up were two, somewhat producing prospects.

Abiatal Avelino, a 23-year-old infielder, was hitting .337 with 10 home runs and 15 stolen bases in just 49 games with Double-A Trenton this season. Once called up to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, his numbers dropped a tad, but he still managed to bat .252. High strikeout numbers have burdened his 2018 consistently.

The other prospect swapped for McCutchen was the 20-year-old Dominican born, Juan De Paula. In Low-A, De Paula was pitching exceptionally well: 1.71 ERA with 46 strikeouts over 47.1 innings. The big righty only allowed one home run over that stretch as well.

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Two solid prospects saw their way out of the Yankee organization for the almost 32-year-old, 2013 NL MVP.

So how much does McCutchen actually improve the Yanks?

Being a former top-five MLB player alone is something to consider. McCutchen has experience. He has played in eight postseason games, which could prove fruitful for a young, inexperienced Yankees team entering the playoffs.

But each of those eight postseason games were games in which utility man Neil Walker also played. Walker and McCutchen were teammates in Pittsburgh during their 2013 playoff run, as well as the Pirates’ 2014 and 2015 Wild Card game losses.

So the added experience is helpful but is not a necessity. As for McCutchen, he is nowhere near what he used to be, in terms of production.

Hitting a career-low .252 this season while belting just 15 home runs isn’t great. Not to mention a career-high strikeout rate of 21.5 percent while swinging the bat around six percent less than his superb 2013 MVP season.

Neil Walker could produce similar numbers to McCutchen and be thrown in right field. The exceptional fielding of McCutchen is not worth the future value of two prospects, not to mention that added salary of having someone sit on the bench.

And I understand the added salary is not too costly for having a former MVP winner on the roster. The Yanks will only have to cover $1.2 million of the $14.75 million owed to McCutchen this season.

But that’s still a sizeable amount only to play one or two months more. Especially if Cutch were to not start in favor of a cheaper Neil Walker.

If Clint Frazier were to return healthy this season, he could certainly play some games in the outfield. His fielding abilities match that of McCutchen, while his hitting, yet to be solidified in the majors, has shown upside.

Another point to consider, for those of you who still have hope in Greg Bird, the McCutchen trade will only take at-bats away from the struggling first baseman. With four outfielders expecting to start (Giancarlo Stanton, Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks and McCutchen), the DH spot will be taken away from the first base duo of Voit and Bird; leaving Bird to battle for playing time against the hot Luke Voit.

Andrew McCutchen was a great player. He was a top five player for a few seasons. But those days are gone. An aged McCutchen is not something the Yankees were utterly in need of. They still have a packed outfield, especially when Aaron Judge returns to play.

The arms race is on. That is my only hope as to why the Yankees would trade for the former San Francisco Giant, to beef up their roster to stay “competitive” with the other powerhouse teams who have added big names late this season.

If anyone is to compete in an arms race, it’d be Yankees GM Brian Cashman.

If you’re the Yankees fighting for a playoff spot, holding the second best record in baseball, only to be in the same division with the team touting the best record, while also having your top hitter and closer on the DL, the addition of a former MVP sounds improbable.

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