Frank Franklin II/Associated Press
One of the top available hitters is off the trade market after the Pittsburgh Pirates reportedly sent Adam Frazier to the San Diego Padres on Sunday.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the news, while Robert Murray of FanSided noted three players will go to Pittsburgh. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune noted the Padres are not giving up any players on their active roster:
The Pirates are selling very high on Frazier at this point. He was named to the National League All-Star team for the first time in his six-year career. The 29-year-old is only making $4.3 million this season and has one more year of arbitration before he can become a free agent.
With the exception of a difficult 2020 season, Frazier has been an incredibly consistent hitter throughout his career. The Mississippi State alum owns a .283/.346/.420 slash line in 608 games.
The 2021 campaign has certainly been the highest point of Frazier’s tenure in the big leagues. He’s on pace to set career highs in batting average (.327) and on-base percentage (.392). He currently leads MLB with 125 hits and has 27 doubles.
In this era of high strikeout numbers for players, a big part of Frazier’s success is his ability to make contact. He’s only struck out in 10.6 percent of his at-bats, fourth lowest among all qualified hitters.
Frazier is also a solid defender at the keystone with one defensive runs saved, per FanGraphs.
Given the state of the Pirates roster and where they are at in their rebuild, Frazier likely wasn’t going to be around beyond next season anyway. Moving him at this point, where the Padres have him for the rest of this season and next year, is a smart move for Pittsburgh’s front office.
Meanwhile, San Diego is putting all of its chips on the table as they pursue a run to the World Series this season.
The Padres have the fourth-best record in the National League (58-44). They also have Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado anchoring a lineup that just got stronger.
Frazier’s ability to make contact and get on base at a high rate will be a huge boost for an already-deep Padres lineup.
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