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Mariners: Potential Trades for Pirates 2B Adam Frazier

By Christopher O'Day |
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 9: Adam Frazier #26 of the Pittsburgh Pirates at bat during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on July 9, 2021 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 9: Adam Frazier #26 of the Pittsburgh Pirates at bat during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on July 9, 2021 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
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The Mariners will head into the second half of the season with a record of 48-43, only 3.5 games out of a wild card spot. With 2+ weeks to go until the trade deadline, they are going to be one of a handful of teams whose play decides on whether they become buyers or sellers. A stretch of 8-5 would put them in a strong buy position while going 4-9 would likely see them hold or even sell off a piece or two.

If they do continue to play well, one of the players that they could look at trading for would be Adam Frazier of the Pirates. Frazier is eligible for Arb 3 after this season and is highly unlikely to be a part of the Pirates plans long-term. He’s one of the players that are high on every trade asset list you will see, in large part due to the fact that he is one of the most likely players to be dealt.

At 29, Frazier is a consistent vet who is having the best year of his career. He hit .276/.277/.278 during 2017/2018/2019 but is hitting a blistering .330 this season to date. He’s been a doubles machine this season, hitting 26 already, while mixing in four triples, four home runs, and five steals. He is passable on defense too, playing average to above-average the last four seasons.

I want to make sure to mention that even though he doesn’t walk a ton (8.5%), he also rarely strikes out (10.8%). For a Mariners lineup that is a little strikeout-heavy, finding a player who puts the ball in play a lot could be a welcome addition.

What would it take to get Frazier? Let’s look at a few trades the Mariners could offer to the Pirates for their second baseman.

SEATTLE – JUNE 17: Taylor Trammell #20 of the Seattle Mariners bats during the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at T-Mobile Park on June 17, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners defeated the Rays 6-5. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
SEATTLE – JUNE 17: Taylor Trammell #20 of the Seattle Mariners bats during the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at T-Mobile Park on June 17, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners defeated the Rays 6-5. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Trade 1: Mariners trade Trammell, again, with LHP Macko for Frazier

Look, I really like Taylor Trammell. I don’t wanna see him go. He’s young, and you can definitely see the potential. He was a high-ranking prospect for a reason. That being said, if we are going to pull in a top hitter (in 2021) that still has 1.5 years of control, we are going to have to give up something. Trammell could get plenty of playing time in Pittsburgh, and would likely be an attractive piece for them.

Gregory Polanco is on the ten-day IL there, so they could ease him back in while splitting time between him, Trammell, and former Mariner Ben Gamel, who is quietly having a nice season. Trammell has been moved around a lot, but going to Pitt could find him a home for a few years while he continues to learn and figure things out at the big league level. With Seattle slowly opening their window to contention, Trammell could be out of the mix.

With Macko, you could be giving the Pirates a young lefty that would have time to prep in their system. Only 20 years old with a lot of control left, it gives them plenty of time to work through some of the control issues that Macko has seen this season. He does have an insane strikeout rate through his 21.2 innings, having sat down 40 hitters via the K.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JULY 06: Justus Sheffield #33 of the Seattle Mariners throws a pitch during the game during the game against the New York Yankees at T-Mobile Park on July 06, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. The New York Yankees won 12-1 (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JULY 06: Justus Sheffield #33 of the Seattle Mariners throws a pitch during the game during the game against the New York Yankees at T-Mobile Park on July 06, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. The New York Yankees won 12-1 (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /

Trade 2: Mariners trade Sheffield, Walton, and Deloach

Okay, so we know that Sheffield wasn’t great for a prolonged stretch this season. However, there have been a handful of other Mariners, including Ty France, that tried playing through injuries which greatly affected their production. I think the same is true for Sheffield.

If he is given a clean bill of health, then he would be a great addition for the Pirates to slot in alongside JT Brubaker and Mitch Keller as their youthful trio going forward. Sheffield hasn’t looked like what was imagined back when he was a top prospect, true. If you told me I was running a re-building team and had Keller (25), Sheffield (25), and Brubaker (27) to build around, I would be happy about that.

We could also send over (a personal favorite) Donovan Walton. He’s been back-n-forth so much this year that I feel bad for the guy. Taking the Pirates second baseman and sending them Walton would give them someone they could slot in to play for the remainder of the season, while also helping Walton through down a bit of an anchor at a singular level.

Lastly, we could add Deloach in. He’s raking this year, hitting over .300 with 20 doubles in Everett. The strikeout rate is a bit high, but he’s got a decent eye with some speed on the side. Deloach could be an attractive call-up possibility for the Pirates in a couple of years, and a worthwhile piece to add to the farm system.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JULY 19: Juan Then, a Mariners prospect, pitches. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JULY 19: Juan Then, a Mariners prospect, pitches. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Trade 3: Mariners trade fast-rising Polcovich and Then, swap relievers

Kaden Polcovich has been having an incredible season so far this year, being named Player of the Week twice already for the Everett A ball squad. A young 22-year-old, this is his first season in pro ball. After a bit of an early struggle, he has shown why he was deserving of a third-round pick in last year’s shortened draft.

The .267 average may seem a little low, but the other stats are what jump out as being impressive. .405 OBP, 14 SB, 8 HR, and 4 3B shows a great eye coupled with good speed. He’s played all over this season, spending the majority of his time at 2B (199 Innings), but with a good amount still logged at SS (91.1) and CF (83).

The Mariners could swap relievers with Pitt, seeing if they could use Bednar to help further solidify the bullpen, and avoid some of the blowups/rough stretches we have seen out of Misiewicz after his hot start to the season.

Then, we could trade Then. Okay, enough with being punny/wordplay. During a multitude of stops between 2017 and 2019, Then posted ERAs consistently between 2.25 and 3.78, with a WHIP no higher than 1.088. He’s struggled a bit this year, but there is a reason that he currently sits 7th on the Mariners prospect list. He touches 100, has a hard wipe-out slider, and is already on the 40-man. Whether it’s as a short inning starter or a reliever, Then could play in 2022 for the Pirates.

What do you think? Should the Mariners go after Frazier? It may not be perfect, but these are all acceptable trades according to baseball trade values. Let us know what you think about the trades, why I’m wrong, and go ahead and be rude about it. It always gives me a good chuckle.

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