Pittsburgh Pirates Have Long Had Interest in Tucupita Marcano

Prior to acquiring Tucupita Marcano from the San Diego Padres in the Adam Frazier trade the Pittsburgh Pirates had previously attempted to acquire Marcano

Sunday evening the Pittsburgh Pirates traded All-Star second baseman Adam Frazier to the San Diego Padres. In return for Frazier the Pirates acquired a trio of prospects from the Padres. The headliner of this group was utility man Tucupita Marcano.

On the surface Marcano may seem like an underwhelming headliner for the Frazier trade. However, it is clear that the Pittsburgh Pirates value Marcano highly. After all, general manager Ben Cherington included $1.4 million going to the Padres in the trade to assure landing Marcano.

After news of the trade broke it was reported that the Pirates having interest in Marcano is nothing new. According to Jon Heyman of the MLB Network this is not the first time the Pirates have attempted to acquire Marcano.

Tucupita Marcano, 2B, was the key guy in deal for Pirates. He was the one we wanted. Ranked No. 5 in Padres system — and was not available during talks this off-lseason in Musgrove deal. Jack Suwinski and Michell Miliano the others going to Pitts. Strong return.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 25, 2021

This past offseason the Pittsburgh Pirates attempted to land Marcano in the Joe Musgrove trade. At the time, however, Marcano was not available, according to Heyman. If Marcano was indeed unavailable in the Musgrove trade that is also an endorsement in his ability. Any time a team is unwilling to move a prospect that is a sign that they value the player highly.

Another sign of the Padres valuing Marcano highly is the fact that when injuries piled up early in the season they gave him an opportunity at second base. From the get go this season the Padres have been in win-now mode, so if they gave Marcano an opportunity that is a sign that they had belief in him.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates having interest in Marcano should not come as a surprise. He can play multiple positions, which Cherington, Derek Shelton and the rest of the Pirate brass value. Additionally, he is just 21-years-old and already has MLB experience. While he will likely begin his Pirate career at Triple-A Indianapolis, odds are he will see a return to the Major Leagues before the end of the 2021 season. This means Marcano could help now, as well as being a player who could become part of the Pirate core moving froward.

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