Looking At The Adam Frazier Trade Market

For the last two seasons, Pirates utility man Adam Frazier has been the talk of the Pittsburgh Pirates trade market. Today, we look at teams who have been interested in the infielder and what they have to offer in a possible deal.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have already made three major trades this season, but one guy who is still here is second baseman/utility man Adam Frazier. He has been the subject of trade rumors for the past two seasons, but nothing has really materialized. He enters Pirates Spring Training as the odds-on favorite to be the Pittsburgh Pirates' second baseman, however, Rob Biertempfel through a notch in those plans. In his article for The Athletic yesterday, Biertempfel said "Adam Frazier is a guy who could be traded at any minute." There have been many rumors surrounding Frazier, but Ben Cherington has shown so far that if he doesn't like a deal, he isn't going to accept it.

However, with many of the top free-agent second baseman like Tommy La Stella and Johnathan Villar off the market, there should be more interest generating for Frazier. Recently, the teams that have come out as showing interest are the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves. However, teams like the Sam Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays have also put their names in the ring for the 29-year-old's services. Frazier is coming off of a bit of a down year where he hit just .230 with seven home runs and 23 RBI, but he was nominated for a Gold Glove Award for the second season in a row. Today, we look at all of these teams and see what they have to offer for Frazier's services to determine whether or not Frazier will be a Pirates come April 1st.

Chicago Cubs

In recent reports, the Chicago Cubs have been looking for a left-handed-hitting second baseman to help their club. Currently, they have David Bote and Nico Hoerner who are both right-handed hitters on their depth chart. Both Bote and Hoerner struggled last season, hitting .200 and .227 respectively, and the Cubs are looking to add experience. With Frazier, they could add an experienced second baseman who is one of the best defensive players in the league. Alongside Javier Baez, Frazier could give the Cubs a solid middle infield, while providing a spark at the top of their lineup. They are a divisional opponent, but if Cherington could get the right return, this is a move that could benefit both teams.

One thing that Cherington has shown he covets is pitching talent, and an intriguing option would be Cubs #24 overall prospect RHP Richard Gallardo. Ballard spent 2019 between Rookie Ball and Short Season and went 0-2 with a 3.93 ERA over 13 games, 10 starts. His walks were a little high with 14 in 34.1 innings, but he struck out 25 batters during that span. He is just 19 years old and has a fastball that can occasionally touch 95 mph. He is one of the most polished pitchers from the 2018 international draft class and has a lot of room to keep improving. The Pirates are also looking for some speedy outfielders and the Cubs have a 19-year-old Ezequiel Pagan who hit .283 and stole 19 bases during his first year of pro ball in 2019.

Atlanta Braves

Once it was determined that the designated hitter would not be in the National League for 2021, teams began scrambling to add bench pieces. One of the teams in the hunt for a bench bat/utility guy is the Atlanta Braves. Up the middle, the Braves have two talented players in Ozzie Albies and Dansby Swanson, but there is literally no one behind them. Frazier would give them a quality bat to help back them up, and he could be a guy who plays all over the field for the Braves. He has played second base, left field, and right field and has played all three positions well. The fact that there is no DH hurts this theory a bit, but he could still thrive on the Braves bench.

Left-handed pitching is hard to find, but one name the Pirates might be able to pry away from the Braves is LHP Phillip Pfiefer. Pfiefer is a guy who has been both a starter and a reliever in his Minor League career and has an ERA of 3.58 over five seasons. Pfiefer is on the older side at 28-years-old, but he could come up and produce now for the Pirates, with a fastball that touches 95 and a devastating curveball that grades out at 60 on a 20-80 scale. If there is one position the Braves have a lot of depth in it is catcher, and one guy the Pirates could keep an eye on is Logan Brown. He is a strong defensive catcher who showed success in the South Atlantic League last season, hitting .301 with a home run and 26 RBI.

Toronto Blue Jays

Seemingly being the team in on all the Pirates trade pieces, Ben Cherington's former stomping grounds in Toronto have asked about the Pirate's second baseman. Since then, the Blue Jays have signed second baseman Marcus Semien, but that doesn't mean they can't use Frazier's ability. With Randal Grichuk and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. being the Blue Jays starting corner outfielders, Frazier can help in that department while also possibly serving as a top-of-the-lineup designated hitter. Frazier's versatility is the most intriguing factor for the Blue Jays and he could help make their team deeper overall as they look to make a playoff run.

Headlining a potential Frazier deal to Toronto could be #22 overall prospect Will Robertson. He has a left-handed uppercut swing, which leads to him being a potential big power threat in the future. He spent his first pro season in Class-A Short Season and performed well hitting .268 with six home runs and 33 RBI. He also made a lot of contact and had an OBP of .365 last season, and scouts say that he makes a lot of contact where he could hit for both average and power. Package him with 19-year-old catcher Javier D'Orazio, who hit .280 with 12 RBI in rookie ball in 2019. It adds two solid position players that will have a chance to help the Pirates down the stretch run.