Five days before the trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Pirates completed a deal with the San Diego Padres that sent second baseman/outfielder Adam Frazier to California.
The San Diego Padres are acquiring second baseman/outfielder Adam Frazier from the Pittsburgh Pirates, sources tell ESPN.
Frazier, 29, leads baseball in hits this year and is not a free agent until after the 2022 season. One of the best bats on the trade market.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 25, 2021
The Pirates will get Tucupita Marcano, Jake Suwinski, and Michell Miliano in return from the Padres for Frazier.
Additionally, Pittsburgh is sending $1.4 million to the Padres, as this was reportedly done to increase the quality of the prospects involved in the deal.
Marcano is seen as the best player the Pirates are getting, as he was the fifth-best prospect in the Padres organization according to MLB Pipeline.
But San Diego, once again, was able to bring a significant upgrade to their depth chart without even touching their four best prospects.
They will retain CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Luis Campusano, and Robert Hasell.
It feels like the Padres swindled the Pirates in the deal, not because of Marcano per se: it’s clear that Frazier is good, but it’s unlikely he is good enough to fetch one of those four future stars.
The primary issue here is that the other two players San Diego sent to Pittsburgh aren’t even in their top 30 prospects.
One can’t help but wonder if the Pirates could have waited three or four days, closer to the deadline, for a better offer when a desperate team approached them.
Of course, it’s not a given that would have happened, but there are several teams looking for a second baseman (the Seattle Mariners, for example) and an outfielder (the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, etc).
Frazier Is An All-Star
Again, Frazier will not be mistaken with Jose Altuve or Ozzie Albies, and that’s fine: he is his own best version.
He has been having a career year offensively, hitting .324/.388/.448 with four homers, five stolen bases, and a 130 wRC+.
The wRC+ stat means weighted Runs Created Plus, and 100 is considered average.
Frazier’s 130 wRC+ means he has produced 30 percent better than his peers, and that’s a career-high for him.
He is a very valuable piece that San Diego is getting almost on the cheap: he adds a good, quality bat capable of hitting for contact, some occasional power, and getting on base at a high clip.
Additionally, he can play second base, third base, shortstop, and all three outfield positions.
In recent seasons, he has been playing mostly second base and the outfield.
With the Padres, though, he is expected to function as a super-utility type.
He will enter a very good lineup, surrounded by stars at almost every position.
Was That The Best Deal Pittsburgh Could Find?
Frazier has been a versatile player and an above-average offensive performer in 2021, but some teams could be wary of his career 105 wRC+.
While that was certainly understandable, it’s hard to think another team wasn’t willing to give Pittsburgh one of their top 10 prospects (which the Padres did surrender in Marcano) and at least one or two additional top-30 prospects, especially considering the fact that Frazier is controllable beyond 2021 (through 2022).
You would think the Pirates could fetch a little more for Frazier who had another yr of control. Not a comeplete fleece job but Padres got a good deal for sure. https://t.co/UBqKj4EnP0
— dmastermind (@DMasterMind7) July 25, 2021
Seattle was reportedly in the Frazier sweepstakes, and the Yankees could have certainly joined more heavily closer to the deadline.
Perhaps waiting was the best approach for the Pirates, but they were reportedly enamored with Marcano.
They sure hope their gamble pays off.
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