SAN FRANCISCO -- He'd better be right.
For all the discussion and debate sure to follow the Pirates trading Adam Frazier to the Padres on this Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park, pulling him from the field in mid-eighth inning of the 6-1 loss here to the Giants, this singular truth stands tallest for me: Ben Cherington, Steve Sanders and staff can't miss on this one.
My vote doesn't count, but I don't like what's on the surface.
Like, at all.
I don't like the exchange itself, which sends Frazier to San Diego for three prospects -- shortstop Tucupita Marcano, outfielder Jack Suwinski, right-hander Michell Miliano -- none of whom ranks among baseball's top 100 per any service. Marcano's the main name, a 21-year-old shortstop slashing .272/.367/.444 with six home runs and 26 RBIs over 199 plate appearances in Class AAA, which is impressive in and of itself. But he's also the fifth-best prospect, per MLB Pipeline, in his own system. So the Padres netted Major League Baseball's hits leader and didn't have to part with any of their top four prospects or, for that matter, anyone else in their top 30, as both Suwinski and Miliano are on the outside.
And to close the door on other offers six days before the trade deadline?
What was the urgency?
I do like that the Pirates threw in $1.4 million to upgrade the prospect haul, but only in principle. It's a healthy mindset to have. It's that much healthier if the haul winds up being worthwhile.
But here's what I like the least: It feels like it lacks ... conviction?
Is that the term I'm seeking?
Maybe it is.
Because to date, I've both appreciated and applauded every external move Cherington's made except for one, that being the Josh Bell trade, which felt like little more than moving a guy at a given time and taking whatever's on the table. Don't misunderstand, please: I had no issue moving Bell. But I also saw potential value, if nothing much was out there, in hanging onto him and hoping for May 2019 to magically recreate itself. It probably wouldn't have happened, based on how Bell's fared in D.C., but it would've been low-risk, high-reward.
Which is funny, since that's precisely how it played out with Frazier, isn't it?
Cherington shopped Frazier this past winter, as well. And when he didn't hear offers he liked, he wisely backed off, sent a strong message of faith through his coaching staff that they'd be trusted to bring the best out of him, and ... wow, yeah, All-Star.
But that script, and other components to the script, changed since then. Frazier took his value far beyond what it was in December, so that couldn't be the bar anymore. Also, and not to be dismissed, so did Bryan Reynolds, Ke'Bryan Hayes and arguably a few others, even amid a whole lot of collective losing. There've been signs -- and not small ones, as I detailed after the Pirates pummeled the majors' best team for a second consecutive night here -- that the waiting doesn't need to be eternal. And neither does the flooding of prospects into a system that soon enough will be bursting at the Rule 5 seams.
My stance, as stated after a long talk Frazier and I had here Friday, was plain: If the Pirates aren't floored, turn away.
However anyone might choose to describe this return, it's inconceivable to me that anyone could be considered floored.
That's unfortunate.
To reiterate with emphasis, I liked both the timing and the returns on the Starling Marte trade, as well as those for Joe Musgrove, Jameson Taillon and others. A couple of those look like they could be full-blown heists. And I've liked both drafts to date, particularly the approach to the most recent one. The Pirates' system has rocketed into the top five of almost every ranking, and it's as high as No. 2 on some. That's a credit to all concerned.
All of that needed -- that's needed -- to happen, and I've been one of the few voices anywhere expressing exactly that.
This didn't need to happen, for all the reasons I wrote over the weekend and really don't need to repeat.
I'll copy and paste this much, though: This team isn't nearly as far away as most seem to think, and don't let anyone speak otherwise without backing it up.
I asked Hayes out here his thoughts on what's coming via Indianapolis but mostly Altoona and Greensboro, and the kid lit up.
"Oh, you'll see," he replied. "Everyone will. Last year, when I got sent back to the satellite camp, I got to see all over again. Mason Martin. Matthew Fraizer. The pitchers throwing gas. And there's a lot more. I don't think people realize how much fun it's going to be with this team once those guys start getting here. There's a lot of talent."
That's objectively true. And it's talent that could've been grafted onto a 29-year-old Frazier, onto the best defensive infield we've witnessed in more than a decade and onto whatever else can be culled independently from the current team's record.
Here's something else, and don't laugh this off as a factor: When Frazier was pulled by Derek Shelton -- who'd later decline comment on the trade because it hadn't been technically completed -- that also pulled the figurative plug on any and all positives for the remainder of 2021.
Hey, I said no laughing!
I'm serious when I say, as I've said before, that the Pirates aren't the Rays. They can't just swim through being a catastrophe for a spell and hope that nobody notices. They don't play in St. Petersburg. They play in Pittsburgh, where even the people who claim they don't care happen to care deeply. There won't be patience for some never-ending cycle. These men themselves, Cherington and Shelton, won't survive more than a handful of years at the most. They'll get run out of town.
So when this team nosedives the way it's about to, and I'm writing this even before Tyler Anderson and Richard Rodriguez are shipped out, what happens to any and all pluses to have emerged from the ongoing season?
I asked Jacob Stallings, the heart and soul of this team, as well as one of Frazier's best buds, about that after this game.
"It stinks for us," Stallings came right back. "He's obviously set the tone at the top of our lineup all year, and just had an amazing, amazing year. He's been a teammate of mine since 2014, somebody I work out with in the offseason. So, it's mixed emotions. But the overwhelming emotion is just being happy for him. Obviously, we’re all excited for him and he’s excited. Musgrove being over there, he’s going somewhere somewhat familiar. I think he's gonna be a great addition to their team."
And a great loss for this one, now and into the immediate and more relevant future.
Could my viewpoint on this change?
Of course it can!
Young players get better. Young players can rise up. A ranking today might not mean a thing tomorrow. And if Marcano finds himself at shortstop at PNC Park within a year or two, I'll be the first to revisit this very column, ALL CAPS AND BOLD FACE with link included.
For right now, this comes across as a GM crossing off an item on a checklist, and Cherington's so, so much smarter than that. Here's hoping that's still the case, because we're well past the natal stage of this process, and he's never moved a piece at peak value like this.
Can't. Miss.
THE GAME
• Duane Underwood Jr. is bad at baseball.
And there, in totality, I offer my summation of the actual loss. One run separated the teams through five, and Underwood, owner of a 5.23 ERA and an equally grotesque 1.58 WHIP, did what he does in serving up more meatballs than the little Italian place on Pier 39:
From 2-1 to 5-1, and drive home safely.
In his past 10 appearances, Underwood's been tagged for 16 runs and 29 hits in just 15 innings. Whatever it took for Kyle Crick to get DFA'd, that ought to go double here.
I asked Shelton why Underwood keeps getting chances.
"I think the biggest thing is probably inconsistency of release point," the manager replied. "We’ve got to get him back funneled or tunneled onto the plate. I think that’s the biggest thing we’re seeing is just the release point is not consistent. Because of that, the execution of the pitch is not consistent."
• JT Brubaker's start was as short as Shelton had hinted it would be, lasting four innings with all the damage done on two solo home runs by LaMonte Wade Jr. in the first and third innings to account for San Francisco's 2-1 lead.
"I had a two-seam that kind of ran in on his bat, and then a changeup that stayed up," Brubaker recalled. "Tip my cap to Wade. He had a day."
That's 11 home runs in the past six starts. It's a problem, even if it feels isolated here and there. To his credit, he grasps that.
• John Nogowski doubled home the Pirates' lone run in the first inning, following a Bryan Reynolds single. They loaded the bases in the sixth, still down just a run, but Kevin Newman bounced into a 4-6-3.
"We battled again," Shelton said. "We had chances."
Insane stat: With the bases loaded this season, the Pirates are now 13 for 84 for a .155 average that's 42 points lower than any other team in the majors. (The Marlins are at .197) Of those 13 hits, only five have been for extra bases, three doubles and two grand slams.
• More insane stat: The Pirates have now had seven chances to sweep a series lost with the final game of that series.
THE REST
• Just for fun: When Joey Cora passes one of his infielders at the perimeter of an ongoing workout, he’ll often surprise the player by randomly dropping baseballs and challenging him to field them — even barehanded — on the spot. I captured it happening here to Nogowski right in front of me:
• Also just for fun, I collected all my pics taken of the ballpark here this weekend into a single Instagram post. What a place. No. 2 with a bullet.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
• Scoreboard
• Standings
• Statistics
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Adam Frazier, 2B
2. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
3. Bryan Reynolds, CF
4. John Nogowski, 1B
5. Jacob Stallings, CF
6. Phillip Evans, LF
7. Kevin Newman, SS
8. Jared Oliva, RF
9. JT Brubaker, RHP
And for Gabe Kapler's Giants:
1. LaMonte Wade Jr., RF
2. Donovan Solano, 2B
3. Alex Dickerson, LF
4. Darin Ruf, 1B
5. Wilmer Flores, 3B
6. Steven Duggar, CF
7. Thairo Estrada, SS
8. Curt Casali, C
9. Alex Wood, LHP
THE SCHEDULE
Back home for three with the Brewers, beginning Tuesday, 7:05 p.m. I'm flying home, too, but I'll be covering football.
IN THE SYSTEM
• Indianapolis
• Altoona
• Greensboro
• Bradenton
THE CONTENT
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