The Seattle Mariners are in a prime position to acquire Adam Frazier and improve their playoff odds for this season and beyond.
After emerging as a dark-horse playoff candidates this season, the Mariners have also come out of the woods as a possible trade candidate for Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier, as reported by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
The first-time All-Star has posted a slash line of .327/.390/.453 with a major-league leading 122 hits in 95 games this season.
He’s the type of hitter that dominates the strike zone, finding holes in the field and consistently putting balls in play or getting on base via as opposed to lots of whiffs while swinging for the fences. Frazier’s 10.9 strikeout percentage is less than half of the major league average (22.3%) this season. He’s also a two-time Gold Glove finalist at second base and has shown an ability to play well as a an outfielder, totaling 158 appearances over his six-year career.
Most wouldn’t have predicted the Mariners to be in a contending spot and in a position to trade for an impact player like Frazier, but the reality is they have a great opportunity and have more than enough capital to swing a deal.
After finishing six games under .500 last summer, Seattle is seven games behind the first-place Astros, but they’re 4.5 games out of the second Wild Card spot currently occupied by the Athletics. Even if they don’t make the playoffs this season after a big trade, the Mariners will still have a chance to continue adding for next season with Frazier under contract.
Frazier, 29, will earn $4.3 million this season and has one year of arbitration eligibility remaining before becoming a free agent for the 2023 season. The extra year of team-friendly control is what’s driving up the asking price for Frazier along with his statistics and play on the field.
The Mariners offer some of MLB’s best young talent in exchange for Adam Frazier
A team looking to rebuild like the Pirates should look no further than the Mariners who were ranked with the third-best farm system in the majors, per MLB Pipeline.
The following rankings are based on MLB Pipeline’s Top-30 Mariners prospects heading into the 2021 season.
Mariners Get
Adam Frazier, 2B
Pirates Get
George Kirby, RHP (No.4)
Isiah Campbell, RHP (No.10)
Alberto Rodriguez, OF (No.15)
Kaden Polcovich, SS (No.22)
The big name going to Pittsburgh is right-handed pitcher George Kirby who ranks fourth in the Mariners farm system and No.72 in MLB’s Top-100 list.
Kirby, 23, is known for his command and features a four-pitch mix with a fastball that can reach as high as 98 MPH. In eight starts at High-A this season, Kirby has posted a 2.56 ERA, 1.034 WHIP, and an 11.6 K/9 rate over 38.2 innings pitched. He’d likely be the first of the proposed prospects to reach the big leagues.
The Pirates, ranked with MLB’s eighth-best farm system, brought in a haul of young talent in the previous offseason in their trades involving Joe Musgrove and Jameson Taillon. Expect more of the same and expect a similar return as this proposal in exchange for Frazier.