Didn't see that coming, did you?

Well, Team Neal pulled a fast one on us yet again, trading starting center fielder Nate McLouth to the Braves for three prospects: AAA pitcher Charlie Morton, AA outfielder Gorkys Hernandez, and high-A pitcher Jeff Locke. Replacing McLouth will be highly-touted prospect Andrew McCutchen, who will make his debut in about an hour against the Mets at PNC Park. McLouth was signed through the next three years for just under $16 million, so this couldn't really be construed as a salary dump; at least from the perspective of the Pirates' front office, this move was strictly baseball-related.

And you know what? I agree with it. As Keith Law tweeted, from 6/1/08 through 6/1/09, McLouth has hit .256/.327/.447 in 630 PA. That's basically a full season's worth of mediocre performance. I realize he's hit 9 HR this year, and was second on the team with 0.68 WPA/LI (behind...gasp...Freddy Sanchez), but that slash line does not justify the Bucs keeping him throughout the rest of his contract. Nate came out of the gates really fast last year, and didn't play nearly as well down the stretch. Nyjer Morgan's defense has helped McLouth look much better (giving up only 1 run in the field for every 6 he contributes with the bat, as opposed to 1 for 2), but he is still a defensive liability without a good LF next to him. The bottom line is that his current performance is much closer to his true talent level, and at 27, he has a lot less use to the club than three good prospects who each have a higher ceiling.

Of course, Nate's departure also gives us the opportunity to see what kind of asset the club has in Andrew McCutchen. I'm sure you've read the party line that said McCutchen would play when he's "ready," but apparently what that really meant was "as soon as we trade McLouth." My unabashed appreciation for McCutchen has been documented here and elsewhere, so I won't go crazy, but just let me say that I thought about calling off work today so I could make the three hour drive to be in Pittsburgh for the game (which I did Tuesday night to see Santana). McCutchen's current line of .303/.361/.493 shows he's about as ready as he's going to be, and at 22, I'm tempted to say the sky's the limit with him. Can you tell I'm excited?

It's a tough move to swallow on June 3rd, particularly because the Pirates' pythagorean record is 26-26, meaning they've lost a couple games they shouldn't have (and would probably get back later), but there's no way this team is jumping all four or even three of the Milwaukee-St. Louis-Cincinnati-Chicago group currently blocking them in the standings. It might mean the difference between finishing with 73 and 76 wins to make this deal now, but who really cares about that? In the end, I think this trade will be looked upon quite favorably.