Pirates Rumors: Clint Frazier Possibly In Black and Gold?

The Pittsburgh Pirates apparently had scouts at an American League game last night.  Were they scouting a young outfielder?

One position that long has been an area of depth in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization has been the outfield.  Just this year, one could look at the outfield in Triple-A to start the year and find two of their top 15 prospects playing in Triple-A Indianapolis’ outfield in Jason Martin and Bryan Reynolds.  To go along with that pair, they have Travis Swaggerty and Calvin Mitchell who are both likely to be in Double-A Altoona before the end of the season.

Even with the injuries to the starting outfielders, the Bucs have not missed a beat.  Melky Cabrera has filled in admirably from the beginning of the year when Gregory Polanco was out until now with Corey Dickerson still being out.  Beyond Cabrera, rookie Bryan Reynolds has proven that he belongs in the team’s outfield rotation for the rest of the season.

However, there is a report coming out of New York that the Pittsburgh Pirates may have interest in a New York Yankee outfielder.  According to George King III of the New York Post, the Bucs were scouting the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles game last night.  According to King III, the Bucs and the Giants were there scouting outfielder Clint Frazier:

"“With the Giants and Pirates having scouts at Camden Yards on Tuesday night, Clint Frazier could not have picked a better time to display his right-handed power in front of clubs who could provide a starting job for him”"

The Yankees trading Frazier makes sense.  A former first-round pick and Top 50 prospect, Frazier has always had a lot of talent.  He still has a lot of team control, meaning an acquiring team would have to pay a solid price to get the young outfielder, and the Yankees could use him as their best trade chip.

The team will have Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, and Brett Gardner to man the outfield spots once everyone is healthy.  This has limited Frazier’s opportunities over the last few years, to go along with injury issues.  So for the Yanks Frazier will have more value in a trade than as a fourth or fifth outfield option.

For the Bucs, it really would not make a lot of sense for them to be scouting Frazier.  First and foremost, Bryan Reynolds has proven that he is more than capable of being the future left fielder. This is likely with Corey Dickerson heading to free agency after this year.  Also, the team has Startling Marte and Gregory Polanco under contract beyond next season.

Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, the Pirates have Jason Martin, Calvin Mitchell, and Travis Swaggerty that are coming up through the system.  Without a glaring need in the outfield going forward and plenty of prospects in the system, the Pittsburgh Pirates really do not need to be interested in Clint Frazier or what it will cost to get him.