Examining the Pittsburgh Pirates Best Potential Trade Partners

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NEW YORK, NY – JULY 10: Adam Frazier #26 of the Pittsburgh Pirates during game one of a double header against the New York Mets at Citi Field on July 10, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

Now that the draft is over, the next big event for the Pittsburgh Pirates to look forward to is the trade deadline, but who are some teams we could see the Pirates interact with?

The Pittsburgh Pirates will be active at this year’s trade deadline. They have a handful of different pieces to sell-off. They’ll mostly be selling off players who are rentals and players on expiring contracts as their window of competition could start to see some life as early as sometime next season.

There will definitely be some teams calling the Pittsburgh Pirates about some of their players, but who could some of these teams be? Well first, we should take a look at the Pirates’ most likely trade candidates.

All-Star second baseman Adam Frazier has been the most rumored to be traded. The second baseman hasn’t been all that great as a defender this year but is having a career year with the bat. Even if he does regress, as all of his underlying numbers suggest he should to some degree, he is still seen as a well-above-average hitter. If he can rebound with the glove at second while showing he can still handle the outfield spots, he could be a hot commodity. His contract is running out, which is the main reason he’s on the block.

Closing pitcher Richard Rodriguez has been a dominating reliever all year. He has seen his spin rate suspiciously decrease ever since the enforcement of foreign substances on the mound, yet he’s still been highly effective, with or without it. Rich-Rod hasn’t gotten as many strikeouts this year as in years prior. However, home runs have been a non-issue and he’s kept walks to a minimum.

Rental lefty starting pitcher Tyler Anderson has been a very solid back of the rotation arm for the Bucs. He was brought in on a one-year, low-cost deal, but has provided the team at least 5 innings in all of his outings and has given up 3 or fewer runs in nearly all of them as well. Reliever Chris Stratton could also garner some interest. He’s been an effective multi-inning relief pitcher but has started to see more time in high leverage situations this season.

Although much less likely to be dealt, we could at least see a few Jacob Stallings trade rumors pop up nearing the deadline. Given that Stallings is a starting-caliber catcher who’s one of the best defenders in the game, and has control past the projected window of opportunity for the Pirates, they’ll likely be a bit more hesitant to deal Stallings. But at the same time, those traits also will get a few calls from teams.

Chicago White Sox

The White Sox would make a great fit for the Pittsburgh Pirates for a few reasons. One, they’ve suffered a whole lot of injuries to players this past season. They lost young, star outfielders Eloy Jimenez during Spring Training and then Luis Robert early in the season. Then they lost Nick Madrigal in June. Offseason signee Adam Eaton severely underperformed and has since been released.

They’ve essentially been playing players out of position because of injuries. Top corner infield prospect Jake Burger was moved to second base for the time being. Top first base prospect Andrew Vaughn has spent most of his season in left field. Though they have gotten solid production from their fill-in players. Burger is performing well with the bat, and corner outfielder/first baseman Gavin Sheets is also doing well. Brian Goodwin, Adam Engel, and Leury Garcia are also producing at a fair rate.

Though the chances they rely on a spotty cast of characters to a playoff-bound team is low. Most of the players I mentioned who are playing fill-in have about 100 or even fewer plate appearances. The Sox have been in the market for an infielder for a while now. They’ve previously been connected to Adam Frazier, as well as another NL All-Star in Eduardo Escobar, and 2021 Home Run Derby participant Trevor Story.

New York Mets

The Mets have dealt with their fair share of injuries this year as well. Most of their players have returned from an injury like Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil, and now J.D. Davis. However, they could still use some help in the line-up.

Currently, many of the Mets’ most reliable players have underperformed so far. McNeil, Conforto, Dom Smith, Francisco Lindor, and Kevin Pillar are all producing below league average numbers with the bat. Given the Mets’ players’ injury history, and their lack of performance so far, they could look into Adam Frazier. Frazier could help provide them with a bat at second base and all three outfield spots.

The Mets were also in the market for starting pitchers on short-term deals, which fits Tyler Anderson. Jacob deGrom, Taijuan Walker, and Marcus Stroman have been the most dominant 1-2-3 punches in baseball. However, the 4th and 5th spots in the rotation have been a carousel. David Peterson and Joey Lucchesi were both underperforming before they went on the IL (Lucchesi will miss the entire season). Tylor Megill has been quite solid, albeit in only 4 starts and 35 innings. But Anderson could help provide some stability in the back of the rotation, something a playoff team like the Mets need.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies would likely show the most interest in Richard Rodriguez and Chris Stratton. The two right-handers would help bolster a very unstable bullpen in Philly. Currently, among their six pitchers with no starts and at least 20 innings pitched out of the bullpen, only two have an ERA under 4. That being Archie Bradley (3.68) and Ranger Suarez (.77). However, Suarez is the only one with both an ERA and FIP under 4.

Currently, the Phils are among the bottom 10 teams in bullpen ERA, FIP, and WHIP. They’ve given up home runs at a 1.31 per-9 rate. They’re one of four teams whose bullpen have a negative fWAR at -.1.

You want your bullpen to be good in high leverage situations, and they have an 8.13 ERA in these situations. Opponents have a .258 average and .342 wOBA against them when the Phils activated their bullpen. Overall, they’ve given up the 9th most hits given up in high leverage opportunities.

San Francisco Giants

The Giants are another team in need of infield help. Star corner infielders Evan Longoria and Brandon Belt are both on the IL. Second baseman and 2020 silver slugger winner Donovan Solano has severely underperformed so far this season.

Veteran slugger Wilmer Florez has helped mitigate some of the Giants’ infield issues, but for a team looking to keep ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres going into the second half of the season, they’re going to need some more reinforcements.

It also hasn’t helped that left fielder Alex Dickerson has also been poor at the plate. Again, he’s been helped by the fact LaMonte Wade Jr. and Darin Ruf have had great seasons so far, but it’s another position to consider looking for an upgrade at. Since Frazier can play both second base and left field, the Giants could consider him as a potential trade target.

Although it may not be an absolute need like another regular position player, the Giants could always look into Richard Rodriguez to add a proven, durable right-handed arm with high-leverage experience. Tyler Rogers and Jake McGee have been quite effective as the team’s primary late-inning options, but adding another strong bullpen arm never hurts a playoff team fending off two powerhouses.

Next. Rum Bunter Radio: Draft Recap. dark

However, the next few weeks before the deadline could decide whether or not the Phillies buy big at the deadline. Currently, they’re just 3.5 games out of the NL East division, which the New York Mets currently lead. One good week by the Phils and one bad week from the Mets could lead to them having the division. One bad week by the Phils and one good week by the Mets could leave the Phils potentially retooling for next season.

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Now that the draft is over, the next big event for the Pittsburgh Pirates to look forward to is the trade deadline, but who are some teams we could see the Pirates interact with?

Chicago White Sox

New York Mets

Philadelphia Phillies

San Francisco Giants

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