Pittsburgh Pirates: Could Adam Frazier head to D.C.?

The Pittsburgh Pirates are likely looking to continue their rebuild this offseason.  Could this include dealing away their Gold Glove caliber second baseman?

At one point last offseason, it seemed that the Pittsburgh Pirates were going to trade away Adam Frazier.  There were multiple reports that there were several teams interested in the left-handed hitting second baseman.  However, no deal ever came about and the team carried Frazier as their starting second baseman.

With a new offseason among us and the Pittsburgh Pirates looking to add more prospect talent to the system, Frazier appears to be a logical trade candidate once again.  The first team that will likely be in the second base market is the New York Mets.  We talked about this on the site yesterday.  This is because former All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano is facing a suspension for using PED.

Now, another team has emerged in the second base market.  The Washington Nationals are reportedly interested in second baseman DJ LeMahieu who is a free agent.  This makes at least three teams in the LeMahieu market, the Mets, Nationals, and his former team the Yankees.  With the second base market developing souly around one player, this could open up plenty of opportunity for Ben Cherington.  Whatever team fails to sign LeMahieu could pivot to a deal for Frazier.

Right now the Nationals internal options are prospect Luis Garcia and Josh Harrison.  Garcia is a shortstop by trade and Harrison has found himself floating around the league on minor league deals.  It makes sense why the Nationals want to upgrade with a veteran.  Frazier has two years left of team control and it is hard to envision the team seeing his value go up much more at this point in his career.

In terms of return, Frazier will probably net two top 20 type prospects, with one being a top 10.  In terms of future value, you are looking at a 45 or 50 and probably a 40.  The Nationals do not have the strongest farm system, but they obviously have some very intriguing pieces.  Out of their top 11 prospects, 10 of them are pitchers, an area that teams can never have too much talent.