Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The San Diego Padres (who else) made the first big move of the 2021 trading deadline, acquiring Adam Frazier from the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to ESPN‘s Jeff Passan. The Padres sent back three prospects in exchange for the leadoff man.
The 29-year-old Frazier is in the middle of a career year, slashing .327/.392/.453 with a 132 wRC+. (It’s an extremely similar line to Jeff McNeil in 2020.) He made the All-Star team along with his teammate Bryan Reynolds, who the Pirates are expected to build around.
Frazier has team control through the 2022 season. He’ll join a stacked Padres lineup led by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. He’ll likely slot into a corner outfield spot or second base (where he’s best), depending on where they want to play Jake Cronenworth. (Don’t worry, the Mets won’t play the pesky Frazier and the Padres until the playoffs, should it come to that.)
The Padres closed Sunday at 58-44 and 5.5 games behind the San Francisco Giants for first place. Whoever doesn’t win the NL West out of them and the Dodgers will likely face off in the Wild Card round. They’ve been extremely active in the trade market the last 12 months, acquiring the likes of Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Mike Clevinger, Blake Snell, Austin Nola and now Frazier by trade.
The Pirates dealt Frazier for infielder Tucupita Marcano (No. 5 in the Padres’ system according to MLB Pipeline, pitcher Michell Miliano (not ranked) and outfielder Jack Suwinski(not ranked), according to The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal and Dennis Lin. The Pirates also sent $1.4 million to cover most of Frazier’s salary the rest of this season.
Marcano has spent time at the major-league level with the Padres this season with just eight hits in 44 at-bats. The 21-year-old is performing well in Triple-A, though, and has a similar bat-to-ball profile as Frazier. He has just 25 strikeouts in 199 plate appearances in Triple-A this season.
Miliano and Suwinski play in High-A and Double-A, respectively.
