Pittsburgh Pirates: New York Mets Could Be A Trade Partner

Wednesday evening the New York Mets found out they will be without their second baseman for the 2021 season, this could make them an ideal trade partner for the Pittsburgh Pirates

There is no doubt that the Pittsburgh Pirates will look to trade second baseman Adam Frazier this offseason. There are multiple teams that are likely to have interest in Frazier. Following news that broke on Wednesday, the New York Mets may now be on this list.

Wednesday evening the Mets found out that second baseman Robinson Cano will be suspended for the 2021 season. This is due to his second failed PED test. Now, the Mets will begin their search for a second baseman.

Now, the Mets do have some internal options. Jeff McNeil could take over at second base for the Mets in 2021. However, McNeil is currently slated to start for the team in left field. They could also look to the free agent market, but Frazier would come at a cheaper price giving the Mets more moeny to spend elsewhere.

Defensively, everyone knows what Frazier can do. The past two seasons Frazier has a +3 Defensive Runs Saved and a +17 Outs Above Average at second base. In each of these seasons, Frazier was named a Gold Glove Award finalist. Meanwhile, Frazier has a -3 DRS and just a +4 OAA at second base the past two seasons. So, Frazier is the far superior defensive option.

The New York Mets are also in the market for bullpen help this offseason. Due to this, they could potentially have interest in Richard Rodriguez as well. Odds are, the Pittsburgh Pirates will make Rodriguez available in trade talks this offseason. So, Ben Cherington trying to swing a deal involving both Frazier and Rodriguez would make sense.

The question then becomes, who could the Pittsburgh Pirates target in a potential Frazier/Rodriguez trade with the Mets. Young pitching prospect Junior Santos, who posted a 5.09 ERA and a 5.57 FIP in 14 starts at Rookie-Ball in 2019, could be a name to watch. FanGraphs gives Santos a future value grade of 40.

Fellow FV 40 pitchers Josh Wolf and Endy Rodriguez, both of whom also pitched at Rookie-Ball in 2019, could be names to watch as well. All three of these pitchers ranking among the top 13 prospects in NYM’s system according to FanGraphs.

These prospects would make sense if this is a deal in which the Pittsburgh Pirates would receive multiple prospects in return. If Cherington would look to go quality over quantity, they could receieve a higher end prospect. Someone such as left-handed pitcher David Peterson could make sense. Peterson posted 4.19 ERA/3.19 FIP at Double-A in 2019, then pitched 49.2 innings in 10 games (nine starts) with the Mets in 2020 posting a 3.44 ERA and a 4.52 FIP.

It appears to be a safe bet that Frazier will be traded this offseason. It would not be a surprise if the groundwork for some potential Frazier trades were laid at last weekend’s virtual GM meetings. With the Cano news, it would not be a surprise to see the Mets enter the Frazier sweepstakes.