Rum Bunter
FanSided

Pittsburgh Pirates Rumors: Adam Frazier Drawing Interest, Again

By Nicholas Caporoso

TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 12: Adam Frazier #26 of the Pittsburgh Pirates gets the force out of Steve Pearce #28 of the Toronto Blue Jays at second base but cannot turn the double play as two runs score on the play in the fifth inning during MLB game action at Rogers Centre on August 12, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 12: Adam Frazier #26 of the Pittsburgh Pirates gets the force out of Steve Pearce #28 of the Toronto Blue Jays at second base but cannot turn the double play as two runs score on the play in the fifth inning during MLB game action at Rogers Centre on August 12, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Pittsburgh Pirates have already made three trades this offseason to both better and deepen their farm system.  There are reports a fourth trade could come.

When the Pittsburgh Pirates traded away Josh Bell, Joe Musgrove and Jameson Taillon away, the club added 11 prospects to a farm system in need.  At the time, Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington mentioned how the club will look to pivot to add more talent to the MLB roster using the team “oars in the water.”  However, it appears that they still might be moving away players that are in their first or second year of arbitration.  We’ve seen reports that pitchers Steven Brault and Chad Kuhl have drawn interest, but Jon Heyman has reported today that second baseman Adam Frazier is also drawing trade interest:

A season ago, Frazier hit .230/.297/.364 with just an 80 wRC+ but he does play good defense (6 outs above average, tied for first at second base per Baseball Savant).  The left-handed hitter is a career .273/.336/.413 hitter with a 100 wRC+, making him exactly league average.  STEAMER projects a .266/.331/.403 and 93 wRC+ with just 1.2 fWAR over 110 games.  The Pirates second baseman projects as an average contributor who might be best served playing a utility role.  Teams that could be interest could include the Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, and Washington Nationals.

But why would the Pirates be looking to move Frazier now after the comments of Cherington?  Simply, the club’s 40-man roster is full.  Rob Biertempfel tweeted that:

Next. Examining Roansy Contreras. dark

The Pirates are looking to upgrade their farm and add starting pitching to the Major League club.  The best way to do that is to trade away Adam Frazier and open up a 40 man spot to sign a veteran pitcher in free agency.  Stay up to date with the site for any rumors or official transactions, it appears the Pirates will be making a couple of moves in the next few days.

Home/Pirates Rumors