Here's a 2025 Pirates conspiracy theory after Adam Frazier signing

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed veteran utility man Adam Frazier to a one-year contract worth $1.525 million in a move that, frankly, makes very little sense.

Frazier is a solid infield depth piece, but the Pirates are not a team lacking in infield depth. Let's take a quick inventory of their 40-man roster. There's the oft-injured Ke'Bryan Hayes at third base. There's Jared Triolo, who filled the void at third down the stretch when Hayes landed on the injured list a second time last season, ultimately winning a Gold Glove Award as a utility player. The Pirates also have another former Gold Glove-winning third baseman on their roster in Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who can also play shortstop. They have Nick Yorke and Nick Gonzales, who can both play second, and a likely platoon of Spencer Horwitz and Billy Cook (and maybe even Bryan Reynolds?) at first.

When you factor in the depth pieces that Pittsburgh has (for now, at least) in Enmanuel Valdez, Ji Hwan Bae, Liover Peguero and Alika Williams, why on earth would the Pirates need to add another utility player?

Here's a 2025 Pirates conspiracy theory about Ke'Bryan Hayes after Adam Frazier signing

In all likelihood, the Pirates assembling a roster full of utility players is merely another case of the front office's general ineptitude. But for the sake of argument, let's put on our tin foil hats and theorize about what else this move might mean for Pittsburgh.

The Pirates have backed Hayes as their Opening Day third baseman for 2025, but perhaps his injury history is more concerning than the club is letting on. Hayes has battled back issues for the past couple of seasons, and we have no reason to believe that his health has improved significantly over the past six months. He revealed at the end of the 2022 campaign that he had been playing hurt the entire season, and he made a pair of trips to the injured list in each of the next two seasons due to back discomfort and inflammation. His second IL stint in 2024, which began on Aug. 19, ultimately ended his season.

Could Hayes' health actually be in worse shape than the Pirates want us to believe? If so, maybe the plan is for Triolo to earn a promotion as the Pirates' full-time third baseman, leaving space for Frazier to slot in as the new fifth infielder.

The Pirates need Hayes to be healthy in 2025, but there's little reason to believe that he will be. Maybe, just maybe, Frazier is an insurance policy.

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