Pittsburgh Pirates: Proposing Adam Frazier to the New York Mets

The New York Mets are looking to fill the void left by multiple injured players and this could make them a trade partner with the Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been listening to trade offers for Adam Frazier for a while now. With his hot start to the season his value is at an all-time high and now might be the time they sell on Frazier.

Right now, there is one potential suitor who’s in the market for second basemen and outfield capable players, that being the New York Mets. According to Newsday’s Laura Albanese, the Mets’ general manager Zack Scott is “pretty much on the phone all day, every day.”

Frazier has been one of the best offensive keystone players in baseball this year. In 202 plate appearances, Frazier is batting .335/.401/.459 with a .377 wOBA and 140 wRC+. Among all qualified second basemen Frazier is second in OPS, wOBA and wRC+, with the only player surpassing him is Toronto Blue Jays infielder Marcus Semien passing him in those three stats. But he is leading all second basemen in on-base percentage and batting average.

Frazier’s offensive explosion has been backed by a 31.5% line drive rate, the highest of his career since his rookie campaign back in 2016. He’s also only hitting ground balls at a 34.6% rate, a career-best, and having a solid flyball rate of 34%. His high line drive rate helps make up for his 23.2% hard-hit rate (bottom 1st percentile) and exit velocity of 85.3 MPH (bottom 5th percentile).

In an odd way Frazier has sacrificed defense for offense, despite being a Gold Glove finalist the last two seasons. So far this season he’s been worth -7 DRS, a -16 UZR/150, and -1.6 range runs above average. Usually, Frazier is among the leaders in outs above average but is in the bottom 12th percentile.

The Pittsburgh Pirates might want to capitalize on Frazier’s value now. He only has an xSLG of .389 and xwOBA of just .336. Overall, he’s been about a league-average batter throughout his entire career. He has a .328 wOBA and 103 wRC+, making him about 3% better than the league average hitter.

The Mets on the other hand, like many teams, have lost a handful of key players to injuries. All-Star second baseman Jeff McNeil and corner outfielder Michael Conforto will both be out until late June. Corner infielder/outfielder J.D. Davis hasn’t played a game since May 1st. 2019 National League Rookie of the Year Pete Alonso has also missed time due to injury. Outfielders Kevin Pillar (brutal HBP), Brandon Nimmo (nerve issue) and Albert Almora Jr. (collision) are also shelved right now.

The Mets also have some pieces that may intrigue the Pittsburgh Pirates. Although they may not be able to reel in a Ronny Mauricio or Francisco Alvarez, they still may be able to attract a Brett Baty or Mark Vientos for Frazier. The Pirates may be able to sweeten the deal and get more out of the trade by also packaging Chris Stratton or Tyler Anderson with Frazier.

After all, the Mets could use another pitcher. They’ve been without Carlos Carrasco, Noah Syndergaard, and Seth Lugo the entire season, and have recently placed Taijuan Walker, and Marcus Stroman on the IL as well. It also hasn’t helped that the best pitcher in baseball, Jacob deGrom has missed starts here-and-there.

Since the Pittsburgh Pirates are selling and the Mets look like they could be serious buyers at the trade deadline, the two could be a perfect match in a trade. Frazier fits the Mets better than most teams since they are without a second baseman and a handful of outfielders.