Pittsburgh Pirates: Former Second Baseman Signs Elsewhere

The Pittsburgh Pirates made a notable trade during the 2021 season by trading second baseman and utility man Adam Frazier. In exchange, they acquired infielder Tucupita Marcano, outfielder Jack Suwinski, and pitcher Michell Miliano from the trading partners. Frazier had been a standout player for the Pirates, enduring challenging seasons with the team. Post-trade, he played for the Padres, Mariners, and most recently, the Orioles.

The decision to trade Frazier was driven by General Manager Ben Cherington's desire to maximize their return on a player with two remaining years of contractual control. Frazier signed a 1-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles. With really no speculation about him possibly returning to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

However, as the offseason unfolded, speculations arose about a potential reunion between Frazier and the Pirates. It was rumored that the two sides talked at the Winter Meetings. However, despite initial interest, talks between the two sides must have failed to gain substantial traction.

In a recent development reported by Jon Heyman of MLB Network, it has been confirmed that Adam Frazier will be donning a Kansas City Royals jersey in the upcoming 2024 season. The deal spans one year, featuring a base salary of $4.5 million with additional incentives. Additionally, there is a mutual option for the 2025 season valued at $8.5 million. The money terms came in from Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

The fact that Adam Frazier is signing elsewhere might be somewhat disappointing to some Pittsburgh Pirate fans.

There definitely seemed to be some fan interest in bringing him back. Then seeing a team that is often used as a parallel for the Pirates sign the former Bucco is also a tough pill to swallow. It seems like the Bucs have been interested in a lot of players with very few actual acquisitions.

Still, Frazier is not what he was back in 2021 when he was a National League All-Star. Even then there were questions about his offensive skill set. He often had among the lowest exit velocities and a high BABip suggesting he was getting a lot of lucky hits like flares or bouncers through the hole. Last year with the Orioles Frazier had a slash line of .240/.300/.396 batting line, which would not exactly be helping the Pirates lineup.

Overall, this is okay for the Bucs to miss out on Frazier, they have plenty of middle infield depth who need to be given a chance. On top of that, the team needs to allocate that money towards more actual needs like starting pitching.