PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Pirates manager Derek Shelton quick to dismiss the talk of a potential Andrew McCutchen trade during his weekly appearance on the Cook and Joe Show on Tuesday.
"There is a lot of speculation out there," Shelton told Ron Cook and Joe Starkey on 93.7 The Fan. "That's the problem with this time of year, everyone wants to make speculation of something there is no basis to. It's unfortunate. I guess it makes for good radio and good Twitter."
Shelton even alluded to the Rangers GM saying publicly on Monday there have been no conversations about offensive players with a certain team. The Bucs manager took that to mean he was referring to the tweet from veteran MLB Insider Jon Morosi saying Texas had interest and that McCutchen was a 'fascinating trade candidate'.
"He decided as much as we decided for him to come back here," Shelton said on 93.7 The Fan. "I would say if you ask him he's very happy here and enjoying it. We saw it over the weekend, after a few days off and getting a few days rest, he probably took as good of swings as he's taken all year long. He got on top of 100 (miles an hour) a couple of times for base hits to left field. I would say he's very happy here."
Shelton added during the Cook and Joe Show McCutchen has been 100% what they thought he would be in terms of impact with the team. He's currently third on the team in batting average (.271) behind only Bryan Reynolds and back-up catcher Jason Delay. The 36-year-old leads the Pirates by a fairly wide margin with a .394 on-base percentage and is second in home runs with nine.
Shelton said he's been a big influence on the group, saying again speculation is speculation at this time of year.
