It’s possible that some expected the Pirates to net more than they did for Adam Frazier.
They traded Frazier, the starting second baseman for the National League in this year’s All-Star Game, to the San Diego Padres in exchange for the Padres’ No. 5 prospect on MLB Pipeline, infielder Tucupita Marcano, Class AA outfielder Jack Suwinski and right-handed reliever Michell Miliano. All three have their upside, and especially Suwinski is having a great season. But Suwinski and Miliano, specifically, do not carry the rankings nor the pedigree that some perhaps expected in a Frazier deal.
According to general manager Ben Cherington, at least, this was the Pirates’ preferred deal among a list of potential trades with a handful of MLB teams.
“We dug into it as much as we could with a handful of teams — there were probably three or four teams — and, in the end, we felt like we got to where we were going to get with a final small handful of teams,” Cherington said Monday. “We were in position to make a choice. We felt like there were probably multiple deals we would have felt good about making, in terms of the threshold. We knew we were going to have to pass a threshold to consider trading Adam, since he’s a good player. We felt like we probably had more than one deal that passed that threshold, so it was just a matter of choosing one. Ultimately, we [felt] best about the Padres.”
Part of the reason for that decision could be the Pirates’ familiarity with the Padres’ farm system in general.
Cherington said that the Pirates’ front office has made a concerted effort to get familiar with other farm systems around the league. When they traded right-hander Joe Musgrove to San Diego this past offseason, that required a deep dive in to the Padres’ minor leaguers, specifically.
So when the Padres showed interest in Frazier, too, the Pirates felt confident in their scouting. With Marcano, in fact, Cherington says he first saw him years ago, when the GM was still with the Toronto Blue Jays and Marcano was playing in the Low-A Northwest League in 2018.
“He’s a skilled player, always been really young for his levels,” Cherington said. “He’s young this year for Triple-A, and he’s performed really well despite being a young player everywhere he’s been. He’s got a good feel to hit, a good decision-maker in the box, controls the strike zone, has always had a good ability to make contact, line-drive approach. He’s grown into a little bit more power this year.
“He’s a versatile defender. We see him with the ability to play shortstop, second, probably move around the entire infield and outfield, if needed. So that versatility is appealing. And then all the work we’ve done on him suggests that the character and work ethic and the aptitude is strong, also, so we feel good about that along with the other two guys that we’re getting.”
Of course, this deal also leaves the Pirates with a massive, Frazier-shaped hole at second base and the leadoff spot in their lineup. Cherington was complimentary of the now-former Pirate: “He did a really good job for the Pirates. We wish him the very best in San Diego.”
As for the immediate future of the Pirates’ MLB lineup, though, there will need to be a replacement. The 21-year-old Marcano, who made his MLB debut with the Padres earlier this season, will report to Class AAA Indianapolis for now, so it won’t be him. Suwinski, 22, will head to Class AA Altoona, and Miliano, 21, will go to High-A Greensboro.
The fan favorite for Frazier’s replacement could would probably be Altoona infielder Rodolfo Castro, who has impressed this season in the minors and has three homers in limited opportunities with the Pirates.
Cherington was non-committal on Castro, emphasizing his youth and that the Pirates expected him to play in Altoona all season before the year began. He also didn’t name a definite replacement for now, saying that those final decisions may not happen until the weekend, when the trade deadline has officially passed.
After all, the Pirates are still expected to be active players leading right up until the Friday deadline. Cherington and the rest of the Pirates’ movers and shakers have camped out in the Left Field Lounge at PNC Park, and they’ll keep inquiring and having discussions with other teams until they can’t anymore.
“We’re going to keep the phones on and keep working at it,” Cherington said. “We used the Left Field Lounge for the draft, and we’ve opened it back up again for trade deadline week. So we’ve got a counter full of snacks and a lot of drinks and coffee, and enough to keep us going, so we might as well take advantage of it and keep working. We’ll see what comes our way.”
