3 Pirates players with uncertain trade futures following the Adam Frazier signing

Going into the offseason, "adding a utility guy on the bench" was not even among the top three things the Pirates needed to accomplish before 2025. With about two weeks until pitchers and catchers report, Pittsburgh just brought in Adam Frazier on a one-year deal, which does not fill their hole in the outfield satisfactorily.

Adding a left-handed bat in the infield mix was not a bad decision, per se, but it creates an even larger and somewhat unnecessary surplus of middle infield depth. That opens up a lot of possible outcomes, as the Pirates cannot enter the season with that many guys rostered up the middle.

So what is their plan? That remains a mystery to this point, and a trade seems likely. Whether that trade is to solve right field or to just open up a spot on the 40-man roster, something seems to be coming. Let's take a look at three players that might get traded now that Frazier is signed.

These three players could be on the move now that Adam Frazier has been added to a crowded middle infield group.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa

Isiah Kiner-Falefa is an expensive player on the Pirates' current roster who is a bit out of their price range, given his level of productivity. His glove is excellent, but his bat has been below average in his entire career. Given that combination, $7.5 million is quite expensive for Pittsburgh, so maybe they consider salary dumping him instead of rolling him out as the Opening Day shortstop.

The Pirates could very easily move Nick Gonzales to shortstop and use a platoon of Nick Yorke and Frazier at second base, until Yorke is capable of holding down an everyday job.

Now that Matt Hague is a part of the Pirates' staff, maybe Kiner-Falefa can hit like he did with Hague in Toronto. While the partnership was in place, he put together a wRC+ of 118 with an OPS of .758. That would be worth his salary for sure. If the Pirates do not want to take a risk there, they have other options up the middle for a cheaper price with semi-decent production. This also would contribute towards more money to spend on another outfielder.

Liover Peguero

When the Pirates acquired Liover Peguero in the trade sending Starling Marte to Arizona, many fans believed that he would be the future at shortstop. He was a top five prospect in the organization, but more recently, he has not lived up to the hype.

Last season in Triple-A, Peguero put together an OPS of .729 with a wRC+ of 88 and belted 13 home runs. His offensive numbers declined so much that he was not given a real chance to prove himself in 2024.

Even though he has not exactly lived up to the hype just yet, Peguero still has some value to his name. Other teams likely would not target him alone in a trade, but if Pittsburgh can pair him with a pitching prospect that is blocked off from a spot in the rotation, they might be able to obtain an effective outfielder.

Jared Triolo

Lastly is Jared Triolo, who just won a Gold Glove award as a utility guy. He got significant playing time after Ke'Bryan Hayes went down with his back injury. He did start the year as the starting second baseman, but the emergence of Nick Gonzales lost him his job.

His offense was not very effective; Triolo posted a wRC+ of 72 and an OPS of .611. Due to the lack of a consistent bat, he is considered more of a utility guy on the bench, which would have been perfect for the Pirates before Frazier joined the mix. That complicates things.

There are a handful of teams that would accept Triolo in that role on the bench, and maybe that would lead to a one-for-one deal for a major league player. He is still earning a pre-arbitration salary, so he is dirt cheap, which helps up his value.

These three players definitely have a chance to get moved following the Frazier signing. Time will tell what happens, but it would not make sense to roster as many middle infielders as Pittsburgh currently does, especially after bringing in a new veteran in the utility role.