Report: Pirates more willing to trade McCutchen, Harrison after Cole deal

Dealing away Gerrit Cole could be just the beginning, as the Pittsburgh Pirates are now reportedly more willing to trade away franchise star Andrew McCutchen and utility fielder Josh Harrison, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.

One team that has had continued conversations with the Pirates regarding McCutchen is the San Francisco Giants.

Related - How the Pirates can maintain respectability after trading Gerrit Cole

Crasnick made a comparison to the Chicago White Sox moves of last winter. After trading Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox in early December, it took less than 24 hours for the White Sox to find a deal for outfielder Adam Eaton as well.

After briefly shifting to right field in 2017, McCutchen took over his normal center field duties after Starling Marte was suspended. McCutchen bounced back after a down year in 2016 by posting a .279/.363/.486 slash line over 650 plate appearances. Due $14.5 million this upcoming year, McCutchen is set to become a free agent following the 2018 campaign.

The 30-year-old Harrison meanwhile is under team control through the 2020 campaign and is due a maximum of $32.25 million over the next three seasons. Harrison posted a .272/.339/.432 slash line with 16 home runs and 12 stolen bases in 2017 while playing second base, third base, and the outfield.