Pittsburgh Pirates: Three likely trade candidates at the deadline

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Josh Bell of the Pittsburgh Pirates (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

With the 2020 MLB trade deadline quickly approaching, these three Pittsburgh Pirates may be on the move soon.

Believe it or not, the 2020 MLB season is quickly chugging along and this year’s August 31st trade deadline will be here before we know it. For the Pittsburgh Pirates, that could mean seeing a few of their top players on the move.

It’s difficult to guess how this year’s trade deadline will work out, but if it’s anything like the 2020 regular season has been thus far, it could get weird and raise a few eyebrows.

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Teams don’t have long this year to evaluate their rosters and define their needs. Interrupted schedules due to COVID-19 cases have made this even more difficult for some teams. However, 16 teams will be making the playoffs in 2020, meaning more teams are going to be buyers at the deadline, we think.

There’s also the uptick in injuries, specifically to pitchers across baseball. Bullpens are being wiped out, starting rotations are being filled with rookies, waiver claims, and anyone with a live arm within team’s player pools, so healthy pitchers could bring in a notable return this year.

Of course, there are the new roster rules that come into play, like only being able to trade players who are a part of your 60-man roster. We have seen teams work around this rule, however, with everyone’s favorite, PTBNL trade.

We don’t know what to expect at the trade deadline, but we do know that the Pittsburgh Pirates are currently 4-13 and they have a few pieces that may be in demand over the next few weeks.

Here are three names to watch closely.

Keone Kela of the Pittsburgh Pirates (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

Keone Kela is back for the Pittsburgh Pirates and ready to take over the role of closer.

When Keone Kela takes the mound this weekend, it will mark his 2020 season debut after the Pittsburgh Pirates reliever missed summer camp due to a positive COVID-19 test. Regardless, the 27-year-old hard-throwing reliever may be the biggest trade chip on this Pittsburgh roster.

It’s hard to overlook the off the field issues when talking about Kela, but teams that need bullpen help (and there are a lot of them), may be willing to overlook those issues. Kela is a free agent after this season so if the clubhouse fit isn’t there, he’s gone in just a few weeks.

When Kela is healthy, he’s a high-quality late-inning reliever. In five major league seasons, Kela owns a 3.23 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and has averaged more than 10 K/9 IP in each season. His 27.7% strikeout rate in 2019 was the lowest strikeout rate of his big league career.

Injuries limited him to just 29 innings last season, but Kela is now fully healthy and ready to take over as the Pirates closer now that he’s tested negative for COVID-19 and worked his way back onto the roster.

The Phillies, Astros, and Nationals are three times that immediately come to mind as potential suitors. Philadelphia’s bullpen currently owns an astronomical 9.63 ERA (Do we have to say that leads the league? It does.), while the Astros are now without Robert Osuna and are approaching a dozen rookie pitchers used this season, and the Nationals are also dealing with a handful of injuries and struggling bullpen arms.

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.

Richard Rodriguez of the Pittsburgh Pirates (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Teams looking for a cheap reliever to add to their bullpen may look to Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Richard Rodriguez.

This last name isn’t going to bring back a big return, but don’t be surprised to see reliever Richard Rodriguez moved over the next few weeks.

The Pirates could move Josh Bell for a handful of PTBNL’s (certainly a gentleman’s agreement would be put in place at the time of the deal so PTBNL doesn’t necessarily mean a minor leaguer who won’t advance past High-A), but his trade value may not be as high as it could be right now. Let him get out of his slump and if you want to move him next offseason, so be it.