Pittsburgh Pirates: Three likely trade candidates at the deadline

PITTSBURGH, PA - AUGUST 06: Kevin Newman #27 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off two run single to give the Pirates a 6-5 win over the Minnesota Twins at PNC Park on August 6, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

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Adam Frazier of the Pittsburgh Pirates (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

By moving Adam Frazier, the Pittsburgh Pirates could get some of their younger players some more at-bats.

He may not bring in the type of return that Kela will, but Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Adam Frazier may certainly be attractive to someone at the deadline who is in the market for a versatile defender.

Frazier isn’t off to the hottest of starts in 2020 (.177/.239/.290, three XBH in 15 games), but he is coming off his best season as a major leaguer. Playing in 152 games in 2019, Frazier hit .278 with 50 extra-base hits and was worth 2.2 Wins Above Replacement, per FanGraphs.

Over the last three seasons, Frazier has hit .276, .277, and .278 with an on-base percentage between .336-.344, and has finished with a wRC+ of 97 (twice) and 116. Pretty consistent numbers for the former sixth-round draft pick.

Frazier’s value does get a bit of bump due to his defensive versatility. He’s played predominantly at second base recently but has logged innings at shortstop, third base, and all three outfield spots. His 4.9 defensive value in 2019 ranked fourth in the majors among second basemen. Frazier may not be a future Gold Glove Award winner, but isn’t going to cost you games with poor defensive play and in 2020, perhaps nothing is more valuable than versatility and reliability.

Trading Frazier at the deadline not only allows Pittsburgh to bring in much-needed talent, but it would allow Kevin Newman to slide over to second base and allow the team to get a look at younger pieces at shortstop, like the switch-hitting Cole Tucker.

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