The Pittsburgh Pirates will enter play Wednesday evening at 29-49, the second-worst record in the National League. As the July 30 trade deadline approaches, the Pirates are a clear seller, it's just a matter of what extent they'll be willing to move pieces.
Exactly one month from the trade deadline, here's the latest on how Pirates general manager Ben Cherington may operate this summer:
- Adam Frazier is an All-Star Game finalist, with the second baseman having slashed .324/.395/.465 with a 2.4 fWAR in 2021. But while Robert Murray of FanSided notes that the Washington Nationals make sense as an on-paper fit for Fraizer, "the asking price is said to be sky high," he's been told.
- Frazier was a productive player for the Pirates in 2018 and 2019, but never to this level. The 29-year-old has one remaining year of arbitration eligibility, and the Pirates most likely won't be contenders in 2022. From here, it may make sense to cash in on whatever value Frazier has right now, because his value is unlikely to ever be higher.
- Meanwhile, Audacy Sports MLB Insider Jon Heyman says that the Toronto Blue Jays have interest in closer Richard Rodríguez, noting that Murray had previously reported that the reliever's market was "heating up." Rodríguez, 31, is an All-Star candidate in his own right. He's converted 10 of 12 save attempts, while posting a 1.78 ERA and 2.09 FIP.
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