Padres' prospects passed 'threshold' for Pirates GM Ben Cherington in Adam Frazier trade

The trade conversations started soon after the MLB Draft ended, and Ben Cherington knew any trade offers involving Adam Frazier would have to meet certain criteria for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

After talking with a handful of teams last week, the Pirates general manager settled on sending the All-Star second baseman to the San Diego Padres on Sunday for three prospects.

“We knew we were going to have to pass a threshold to consider trading Adam, since he’s a good player,” Cherington said Monday afternoon, when the trade became official. “We felt like we probably had more than one deal that passed that threshold, so it was just a matter of choosing one. Ultimately, we felt we liked best about the Padres.”

In return for Frazier, who leads the major leagues in hits (125) and ranks fourth in doubles (28) and batting average (.324), the Pirates received infielder Tucupita Marcano, outfielder Jack Suwinski and right-handed reliever Michell Miliano from the Padres. Cherington said Marcano will be assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis, Suwinski to Double-A Altoona and Miliano to High-A Greensboro.

Speaking of thresholds, The Athletic reported the Padres are on pace to exceed MLB’s competitive balance tax threshold of $210 million this season. The Pirates sent $1.4 million to the Padres, essentially paying off the pro-rated portion of the remainder of Frazier’s $4.3 million contract for 2021 in what Cherington called a “lever” to pull to complete the deal.

“It’s case by case,” Cherington said. “In this particular case, it was part of getting the deal together.”

Here's where 21-year-old infielder Tucupita Marcano lands on the Pirates' Top 30 Prospects list after being acquired in the Adam Frazier deal: https://t.co/Sa5U4t09G4 pic.twitter.com/6nfOrSg1aO

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 26, 2021

The 21-year-old Marcano, ranked No. 5 by MLB Pipeline and No. 8 by Baseball America among Padres prospects, is the centerpiece of the deal and a player Cherington has kept close tabs on for years. MLB Pipeline ranked Marcano the No. 7 prospect in the Pirates’ system, between right-handers Tahnaj Thomas and Brennan Malone.

After making the Padres’ Opening Day roster, Marcano batted .182 (8 for 44) in 25 games before being optioned to Triple-A El Paso. He has slashed .272/.367/.444 with seven doubles, two triples, six home runs and 26 RBIs, drawing more walks (27) than strikeouts (25) in 44 games.

.@Pirates fans, allow us to introduce Tucupita Marcano pic.twitter.com/YqWZ99jfWP

— El Paso Chihuahuas (@epchihuahuas) July 26, 2021

Cherington said he’s been aware of Marcano dating to when he was in Vancouver while working for the Toronto Blue Jays and saw Marcano play for the Pasco (Wash.) Tri-City Dust Devils in the Northwest League. The Pirates “spent a lot of energy” scouting the farm systems of potential trade partners, Cherington said, and became familiar with San Diego’s prospects while working on the three-team trade that sent Joe Musgrove to the Padres in January.

“So we were pretty familiar with him coming into this deadline,” Cherington said of Marcano. “He’s a skilled player, always been really young for his levels. He’s young this year for Triple-A, and he’s performed really well despite being a young player everywhere he’s been. He’s got a good feel to hit, a good decision-maker in the box, controls the strike zone, has always had a good ability to make contact, line-drive approach. He’s grown into a little bit more power this year.

“He’s a versatile defender. We see him with the ability to play shortstop, second, probably move around the entire infield and outfield, if needed. So that versatility is appealing. All the work we’ve done on him suggests that the character and work ethic and the aptitude is strong also, so we feel good about that along with the other two guys that we’re getting.”

Jack Suwinski, one of three @Pirates returns for Frazier. His slashing .269/.398/.551. wOBA of .416 and a wRC+ of 154 ?? pic.twitter.com/9QWHjrrv3A

— Pirates Unrestricted (@P_Unrestricted) July 25, 2021

The Pirates also are high on Suwinski, a Padres’ 2016 15th-round pick who signed for $550,000. Suwinski, who turns 23 on Thursday, tapped into his power, slashing .269/.398/.551 with eight doubles, four triples, 15 home runs and 37 RBIs in 66 games at Double-A San Antonio.

“It appeared to us this year — and maybe through the pandemic, doing some work — had maybe broken out this year in Double-A,” Cherington said.

“Really strong reports on the makeup and work ethic. Obviously, getting to the power some this year in Double-A. Solid defender in the outfield. Feel excited about adding another potentially strong bat at the upper levels, and looking forward to getting to know Jack better.”

Since last June, the Padres have traded 13 international prospects who were signed under A.J. Preller and scouting director Chris Kemp in deals for 14 big leaguers. Tucupita Marcano ($320K signing bonus) and Michell Miliano ($450K) helped land Adam Frazier.

— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) July 26, 2021

The Pirates were intrigued by Miliano’s high strikeout rate (17.7 per nine innings), despite his propensity for walks (7.5 per nine). The 21-year-old from the Dominican Republic was 2-2 with a 3.16 ERA, 52 strikeouts and 21 walks in 25 2/3 innings at Low-A Lake Elsinore before moving up to High-A Fort Wayne, where he allowed three runs in 4 1/3 innings in four appearances.

“He was a guy that our scouts had seen this year and liked — just liked the body, the athlete, the potential with the stuff, obviously, striking out a lot of guys,” Cherington said.

“We’ll work with him on the control going forward and continue trying to reduce those walks, but the stuff’s there. He strikes out a ton of guys, so we’ll get him into our system, get him to Greensboro and get him going from there.”