Proposing a Trade: A Package to the Yankees for a Royal Return
"Rebuild." It is a word that no baseball fan ever wants to hear their General Manager say, but it is also a fact of the game of baseball. At one time or another, every team has had to go through a rebuild as they restock the farm system and get ready to be competitive again. For the Pirates, their time to rebuild is now as the new regime looks to retool their roster to get back to competitive baseball again. To do this, there are going to be some painful goodbyes as some of Pittsburgh's biggest stars. In today's trade proposal the Pirates work on a megadeal with the New York Yankees involving seven different players to help the Yankees now and get the Pirates started on their rebuild for the future.
Pirates Trade IF Josh Bell and RHP Richard Rodriguez to the New York Yankees for IF Miguel Andujar, OF Clint Frazier, C Josh Breaux, and RHP Miguel Yajure.
If this deal got done, it would be a blockbuster trade and one that gives the Pirates both Major League-ready talent and prospects to help build the system. However, the price of those MLB caliber talents would not be cheap. General Manager Ben Cherrington has essentially come out and said that no one is safe so why not throw a huge package to the Yankees. Josh Bell just has not been getting it done in Pittsburgh and a change of scenery might be what he needs. The Yankees could use a boost at Designated Hitter, where they currently have 28-year old Mike Ford, and Bell could provide that pop for them.
As far as the bullpen goes, you can never have too much help and Richard Rodriguez could provide a live late-inning arm for the Yankees bullpen. He is just a year removed from being one of the top relievers in all of baseball in 2018 and picked up his first MLB save a few days ago. He could step into the mix with guys like Adam Ottavino and Chad Green and be a late-inning arm down the stretch.
For the Pirates side of this deal, they are getting a young player that they have several years of control over in Clint Frazier. Frazier is stuck in the Yankees system with Aaron Judge standing in Frazier's way. Frazier could go back to being an everyday player in Pittsburgh and can would make an impact in the lineup that is so desperate for power. On the Minor League side of the deal, the Pirates get a talented young catching prospect in Josh Breaux and a low to mid 90s pitcher in Miguel Yajure. Let's dive deeper into the Pirates side of this trade proposal and how those players could impact the organization.
Pirates Get: OF Clint Frazier
Ben Cherrington and the Pirates front office are looking to totally rebuild and start putting together a competitive team again. One-piece to get them started could be 25-year old outfielder Clint Frazier. Frazier has had strong numbers at the Major League level but hasn't gotten that many chances in New York. In 30 at-bats for the Yankees in 2020, Frazier is hitting .300 with two home runs and eight RBI, however, he has only appeared in nine games. Frazier has pop in his bat that he has shown in spurts in the Major Leagues, with his career-high being 12 during the 2019 season.
Frazier has been up and down with the New York Yankees since coming to the team in 2016, mostly because he was never given a full-time shot. In Pittsburgh, Frazier could pencil himself into the everyday right fielder role allowing the Pirates to DH Gregory Polanco if they keep him. Frazier has middle-of-the-road speed and is a plus defender with a career fielding percentage of .951 in right field. He has good arm-strength and gives the Pirates some power to replace the loss of Bell. A change of scene from the bright lights of New York to Pittsburgh has worked before (see AJ Burnett and Francisco Cervelli) and it could be just what Clint Frazier needs.
Pirates Get: C Josh Breaux
After dealing with elbow problems early in his career, Josh Breaux broke out in 2019 with his best season at Class A last season hitting .271 with 13 home runs and 49 RBI. Breaux is a big, physical catcher and someone the Pirates can look forward to in the future. He still has some developing to do and is expected to be MLB ready by 2022, right around the time the Pirates expect to be competitive again. He has a lot of raw power that makes him an intriguing option at the plate, and his .271 average shows that he can consistently hit the baseball.
However, the injury to the elbow that he suffered during college has slowed down his progression defensively. He has good arm strength, being a former pitcher, but threw out just 16 percent of base runners last season. He is a decent blocker behind the plate but needs to continue to develop in that area. Defense is key to the Pirates, and they could work with Breaux to bring up that side of his game. His offensive numbers are showing an upward trend and if he can tap into that raw power some scouts say he could be a 30 - 40 home run guy. The move also allows Jacob Stallings to hold the position for a few years whole Breaux develops into the next starting catcher for the Pirates.
Pirates Get: RHP Miguel Yajure
If the Pirates are going to give up one of their top pitchers, they got to get one back in return. That is where the Yankees #15 ranked prospect Miguel Yajure steps in. Yajure made it as high as Double-A last season, where, in two games, he pitched to an 0.82 ERA in 11 innings of work. In his first four years of pro ball, he has an ERA of 2.47 appearing in 61 games and making 54 starts. He bounced back nicely from Tommy John Surgery in 2017 and showed he still knows how to pitch. His fastball is in the low to mid-90s, but it is his breaking stuff that he is known for.
His change-up is his number one pitch and he uses his strong spin rate and control to fool opposing hitters. He has also added a cutter to his arsenal that has similar movement throwing off the hitter's balance. Since he can't overpower hitters, he relies on his control to lead him on the mound. He led all Yankees Minor Leaguers with his 2.14 ERA last season and is looking like a strong candidate to continue his rise in 2021. He could potentially be MLB ready by 2022, adding another piece to the Pirates rotation to look forward to in the future.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (9-19) trade chips have one more weekend to show their worth when they take on the Milwaukee Brewers (13-17). Derek Holland (1-1, 6.17) takes the mound for the Pirates opposing Corbin Burnes (0-0, 3.60) for the Brewers. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet or listen to the action on 93.7 The Fan with first pitch scheduled for 8:10 pm.
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