Andrew McCutchen’s time with the San Francisco Giants might be coming to an end soon. The 31-year-old outfielder was reportedly placed on revocable waivers, according to The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly, and he could be on the move soon. McCutchen has hit .257/.354/.417 over 528 plate appearances. He’s set to be a free-agent at the end of the season and is making a little under $15 million in 2018. Giants testing the trade waters on Andrew McCutchen Placing McCutchen on revocable waivers doesn’t mean a whole lot. Plenty of players hit waivers around this time of year. Since waivers are revocable, teams can test the value of their players without losing them. That’s why superstar players often get put through waivers in August. Teams might only be looking to deal those guys if they get overwhelmed with an offer. Most of the time, these moves don’t result in deals. With McCutchen, though, it might be more likely. As Baggarly says in his tweet, the Giants have struggled lately, losing four straight games coming into Monday’s game. The team is unlikely to make a postseason push in a crowded National League, and might be best served getting something for McCutchen before he departs in free agency. The Giants do not have to trade Andrew McCutchen While it makes sense for the Giants to deal McCutchen, the team doesn’t have to make a move. When a player is placed on waivers, teams have a few days to put in a claim for that player. If a club puts in a claim for McCutchen, that team has a limited window to work out a deal with the Giants. If the Giants don’t like offers from that team, they can pull McCutchen off waivers and keep him. If McCutchen goes unclaimed through waivers, he’s eligible to be dealt to any team. This is the preferred option for the Giants since it would allow them to negotiate with multiple teams. What are the odds Andrew McCutchen gets claimed on waivers? There’s probably a good chance McCutchen gets claimed by a team. While he’s no longer in his prime, McCutchen has a long history of superstar production. By all accounts, he seems likes an excellent leader and a good clubhouse presence. He would undoubtedly help a team in the postseason. Story continues Problem is, McCutchen would have to get past plenty of other teams before a club with a shot at the postseason has a chance at getting him. There’s also a possibility that a club will claim McCutchen simply to block another team from getting him. There are some mind games involved. Which teams could use Andrew McCutchen? The Colorado Rockies and the Cleveland Indians have the lowest wRC+ — an advanced stat that measures offensive performance — from their outfield of all the playoff contenders. Cleveland tried to improve its situation by dealing for Leonys Martin, but a serious infection has kept him away from the field. The St. Louis Cardinals and Oakland Athletics would be the next two playoff contenders with a need in the outfield, according to wRC+. The New York Yankees have a strong wRC+ from their outfield, but with Aaron Judge hurt and Brett Gardner underperforming, you could make the case for them too. Given that he fits for a number of clubs, there should be plenty of interest in McCutchen. Whether he actually gets dealt depends on the one team that decides to put in the claim for him. Andrew McCutchen could be on the move after reportedly being placed on waivers. (AP Photo/Gary Landers) – – – – – – – Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! More from Yahoo Sports: • Fan tries to fight NASCAR star following race • NFL players call for reversal of ‘ridiculous’ rule • Jeff Passan: NL has no great teams, but a thrilling pennant race • Charles Robinson: Will Watson pull a Wentz?<doc-sep>Kelvin Kuo/Associated Press The San Francisco Giants appear ready to explore their trade options with star outfielder Andrew McCutchen. Per The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly, the Giants placed McCutchen on revocable trade waivers. He added there is a "very good chance" the 2013 National League MVP is playing for a new team by the end of this week. The move comes after the Giants were swept by the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend and have lost eight of their past 12 games to fall 7.5 games out of the second wild-card spot in the NL entering Monday. McCutchen is in the final season of his contract and will be eligible for free agency this offseason. If the Giants don't trade him, they can make him a qualifying offer to receive draft-pick compensation in 2019 if he signs elsewhere. Under MLB's waiver rules, teams have the option to put in a claim on a player. Priority is determined based on the claiming team's record, but if no one puts in a claim and the player clears waivers, his team can negotiate a deal with any club. In the event McCutchen is claimed, the Giants will have the option to simply pull him back to keep him, negotiate a trade with the claiming team within 48 hours or just give him to the other team for nothing. McCutchen, 31, is having a solid season in San Francisco. He's hitting .257/.354/.417 with 42 extra-base hits and 10 stolen bases in 121 games.<doc-sep>San Francisco Giants outfielder Andrew McCutchen has cleared revocable trade waivers and is now eligible to be dealt to any team, sources told Robert Murray of The Athletic. McCutchen was reportedly placed on trade waivers on Monday, but ultimately passed through all 30 teams unclaimed before the 48-hour waiver period expired. In order to be eligible for the postseason, McCutchen would have to join another team before Sept. 1. McCutchen said he’s not stressing over trade talk and doesn’t follow waiver-wire news or really get how all that stuff works. Said he would have better chance understanding trigonometry. — John Shea (@JohnSheaHey) August 23, 2018 The Giants acquired the former NL MVP from the Pittsburgh Pirates last offseason in the hopes that he'd spur them to another playoff berth. But while McCutchen has done his part, the Giants have played inconsistent baseball. Entering play Wednesday, they sat 8 1/2 games out of first place in the NL West, and have won just seven times in August. McCutchen, who will become a free agent at season's end, owns a .255/.353/.412 slash line in 123 games this season, while his 14 homers are tied for the team lead. The Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Phillies were both linked to McCutchen before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.<doc-sep>
NEW YORK–No player has started more games for the Giants this season than Andrew McCutchen, but the regular right fielder was nowhere to be found at Citi Field Wednesday. Amid speculation McCutchen could soon head to a contending club through a waiver wire trade, manager Bruce Bochy is giving McCutchen what he termed as a “much-needed” day off. “He’s just getting a day,” Bochy said. “I talked to him. With these extra inning games we’ve been playing, we’ve been grinding him pretty hard. He hasn’t had a day off in awhile.” In the fourth inning of Wednesday’s game, The Athletic reported McCutchen cleared revocable waivers, meaning he can be traded to any team at any time before the August 31 waiver deadline. McCutchen was not in the Giants’ clubhouse during the 60-minute period it was open to the media Wednesday and did not warm up on the field prior to a game against the Mets. Bochy said he told McCutchen to take the full day off and that he could be available to pinch hit, but McCutchen’s absence was rather unusual, especially at this point in the season. The Giants began the day a season-high 8.5 games back and could use the month of September to evaluate younger outfielders instead of continuing to start McCutchen, a pending free agent, over the final weeks of the season. McCutchen leads the Giants in home runs (14), RBIs (53) and stolen bases (11), but by moving McCutchen, San Francisco could allow young outfielders like Austin Slater and top prospect Chris Shaw to play on an everyday basis. McCutchen is typically available to reporters pregame and many Giants players take pregame batting practice on the field even when they’re given a day off. Though San Francisco could save about $2-3 million by trading McCutchen in the next few days, team executives have indicated the franchise will remain under the $197 luxury tax threshold even without completing any deals for the remainder of the season.