The Atlanta Braves have had a roller coaster of a trade deadline season, and not in a good way. They are in a great spot to contend for a National League pennant, but did not make many important moves at the deadline.
One of the more notable moves was grabbing outfielder Lane Thomas from the Kansas City Royals. The 30-year-old has been great versus left-handers this season, hitting .263 with an .800 OPS in 135 plate appearances.
The team also sent away outfielder Eli White to the Boston Red Sox, as he would have been out of playing time with the acquisition of Thomas. The latter is a better hitter overall.
That trade also has implications for Andrew McCutchen, who signed a minor league deal with Atlanta last month and was in Triple-A. Grant McAuley of 92.9 The Game reported Tuesday that the veteran was released.
McCutchen, now 39 years old, began the season on a one-year major league deal with the Texas Rangers. In 37 games, he slugged only .260 with one home run before being designated for assignment on May 27.
From there, he signed a minor league deal with the Braves on July 3 and reported to Triple-A Gwinnett. McCutchen hit well there across nine games and 32 plate appearances. He slashed .333/.375/.533 (.908 OPS) with one home run and five RBIs.
Now out of a job, retirement may be on the table for the 39-year-old in year 18 of his big league career. He spent most of those seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he was one of the city’s most recognizable baseball stars this century.
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McCutchen also played for the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers and Rangers. During his time in his older years with these teams, he still managed to stay healthy for a lot of it.
If this is the end, McCutchen had an amazing career, appearing in 2,299 regular season games plus 13 playoff games. He clubbed 333 home runs, drove in 1,157 runs and stole 220 bases while compiling a slash line of .271/.364/.455 for an .819 OPS.
