Pittsburgh Pirates: Adam Frazier Trade Targets at the Catcher Position

Adam Frazier has been a hitting machine this season and has the chance to help a team that is competing now, but what should the Pittsburgh Pirates be looking to get in return? 

Before the season began there were a few names for the Pittsburgh Pirates that were potential trading pieces if they could produce well enough. One of those names was Adam Frazier and his value has only risen since then.

Frazier leads the entire league in hits and has put together a .332/.394/.472 slash line. Nobody was expecting this from the Pittsburgh’s second baseman but Pirate fans could not be more happy with his production. As great as he has been, now is the time to trade him.

This is not the window of opportunity for the Pittsburgh Pirates to compete for a World Series and a 29-year-old doesn’t fit the criteria for a rebuilding Pittsburgh organization which means a trade involving Frazier only makes sense.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have just one catcher, Endy Rodriguez, in their top 30 prospects and as great as Jacob Stallings has been the past two seasons, Pittsburgh needs to have a catcher that could work his way up alongside guys like Oneil Cruz, Quinn Priester, and others.

There has been discussions about drafting Henry Davis, a catcher out of Louisville, with the number one pick in the 2021 draft. However, that pick could be best utilized by drafting flame-throwers Jack Leiter or Kumar Rocker, or high school shortstops Marcelo Mayer or Jordan Lawlar.

Pittsburgh won’t be getting a Leiter or Rocker type talent in a trade for Frazier but could find a serviceable catching prospect instead. Here are a few teams that could be targeting the Pirate second baseman.

New York Yankees

No surprise here as the Yankees seem to be the ideal trading partner. Current Yankee second baseman, Rougned Odor has struggled at the plate this year batting .180/.266/.342 across 124 plate appearances. Frazier could be a nice alternative to Odor and potentially take over the everyday second base role for New York.

The Yankees also have four catching prospects in the organization’s top 30 prospects. Austin Wells would be the first target but New York has a lot of love for the organization’s 6th ranked prospect. The Yankees drafted Wells twice, once out of high school in the 25th round and then again a few years later 28th overall. If the Pirates could somehow manage to get Wells, it would be a great surprise.

The Pirates should be looking to add depth at the catcher position so why not try and grab two of New York’s young catchers? Pittsburgh could try and grab two of the other three catching prospects in New York.

Josh Breaux, the highest ranked of the others, has the most power of the three with a 55 power grade but struggles with plate discipline. The 23-year-old has had troubles defensively but has an extremely strong arm.

Antonio Gomez may be the best defensively and has one of the best arms you’ll find. Gomez needs more help at the plate but he is only 19 and could develop that over time.

Anthony Seigler is a switch hit, switch throw catcher that has great athletic ability. Hitting remains a question for Seigler.

All three would be an upgrade for the Pirates with their current catcher situation but if they could somehow land two of the three this would be a smart move for Pittsburgh long term.

Houston Astros

The Astros could use a little bit of depth at the middle infield position. Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa have been steady this year but Houston’s bench hasn’t performed all that well. Frazier could provide a spark off the bench and give the Astros a trustworthy replacement for either middle infielder if they needed a day off.

Depending on how aggressive Houston looks to be at the trade deadline, Korey Lee could be a nice trade target for Pittsburgh. He is Houston’s 5th ranked prospect.

San Francisco Giants

A potential surprising buyer at the deadline could be San Francisco. With the best record in baseball, the Giants may be looking to add an extra bat. Brandon Crawford has been having a career year so far but if he were to slow down to what his numbers typically look like, San Francisco might want another option to keep them in the race. Frazier would be a nice addition.

Joey Bart looks to be the successor to Buster Posey so the Giants may be willing to send Patrick Bailey for Frazier. According to MLB Pipeline, Bailey is the 6th ranked prospect in San Francisco’s organization but in a surprising year, the Giants might want to buy Frazier if they believe they can make a run.