It was a scene that only a few days ago seemed pretty unlikely.
Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen arrived at a local bowling alley Thursday night, met and posed for pictures with children wearing his jersey and Pirates hats, reaffirming that, at least for now, he is still a Pittsburgh Pirate.
The event, part of the 2016 Pirates Charities CARE-a-van, was McCutchen’s first public appearance in the area following days of rampant trade speculation involving him at baseball’s Winter Meetings.
McCutchen, though, declined any comment about a potential trade from the Pirates, saying he only wanted to talk about the charity event.