What do you think the Pittsburgh Pirates will get for Adam Frazier when they trade him a third time?

We all know he’s coming back again after being dealt to Kansas City on Wednesday, right? I mean, he’s got the potential to be the Pirates version of what Mark Recchi was with the Penguins.

Well, without the championship ring, of course.

Frazier might even come back and coach after he retires, like Recchi did. He can be the hitting coach we blame for everything that goes wrong a few years from now when the Pirates assemble another lineup that finishes last in runs.

OK, maybe it won’t actually be Frazier that comes back for a third time in 2026 or 2027. But we all know it’ll be someone like him.

There will probably be multiple players like him. And Tommy Pham. And Michael A. Taylor. And Rowdy Tellez.

Players who were once good but never great. One-year dudes who were never truly coveted by anyone else. They are middling guys acquired to round out a roster. They will bring “veteran leadership” and position flexibility on a cost-efficient contract.

Essentially, guys who were brought to Bradenton in February to be shipped out of Pittsburgh in July for a prospect that may never see PNC Park in a game of consequence.

This time, in the case of Frazier, that guy is Cam Devanney from the Royals. Last time, Frazier went to San Diego in exchange for infielder Tucupita Marcano, pitcher Michell Miliano and outfielder Jack Suwinski.

Marcano got kicked out of the league. Miliano never made it to the majors, and Suwinski is a spectacular representation of the franchise’s regression over the past two years.

That was the best that the Pirates could get when they traded Frazier while he was hitting .324. Naturally, they brought him back this year after he hit .202 last year. Now they are shipping him off while he’s at .255 with a .654 OPS.

Frazier is a perfect example of what former MLB general manager Dan O’Dowd was telling TribLive’s Kevin Gorman this week regarding the lack of return these types of players generate.

“The trade deadline is wrought with getting crap back anyway, if you look back at it historically,” O’Dowd said. “So you’ve got to be realistic (about) what you’re going to get back, even when you’re trading really good players.

Ah, yes. “Historical crap.” What an appropriate way to describe most of the past 32 years of Pirates baseball.

The problem is, O’Dowd has a point. We go through this cycle every year with the Pirates. They pick up the Fraziers and Phams of the world on affordable veteran contracts with the theory of: “If they work out, great. If they don’t — or if they do and the team still stinks — spin them off at the trade deadline. Low risk. Potential high reward.”

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Unfortunately, neither the players nor the return yields a “high reward” very often. Plus, they just block any potential Triple-A hitters that may prove to be better than the franchise expects.

None of this is Frazier’s fault. He is who he is at this stage of his career. Same with Pham. In fact, he’s been great lately, posting a .415 batting average and a 1.165 OPS over the last 16 games.

Frankly, four months ago, we predicted this exact scenario for these two here at “Breakfast With Benz.”

Now it’s come to fruition. It will again next winter, and it will again in July 2026.

It may not really be with Frazier for a third time, or a Pham for a second tour. But it’ll be with someone who looks a lot like them.

Nobody has more doppelgangers than former Pittsburgh Pirates.

Listen: Tim Benz and Kevin Gorman talk about the Pirates in this week’s baseball podcast

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