The Pittsburgh Pirates and veteran infielder Adam Frazier have agreed on a one-year, $1.525 million major league contract, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
It is a reunion for the Pirates and Frazier, as he was with the organization from 2016 until he was traded to the San Diego Padres during the 2021 season. Frazier made the All-Star Game in 2021 due to his strong first half with the Pirates, but he struggled once he went to San Diego. Frazier's best seasons in MLB have come in Pittsburgh.
Frazier posted a 118 OPS+ in 2018 with the Pirates, and was on track for his best season in 2021 with a 126 OPS+ before he was traded, according t0 Baseball Reference. He had an 86 OPS+ with the Padres, and was moved to the Seattle Mariners for the 2022 season, where he struggled and posted an 80 OPS+. Frazier spent one year with the Baltimore Orioles in 2023, posting a 94 OPS+, but he was a valuable veteran voice for an Orioles team that emerged on the scene that season. In 2024, Frazier was with the Kansas City Royals, where he really struggled, posting a 63 OPS+ in 104 games played. However, the Royals were another team that was young and emerged as a playoff team in 2024.
The Pirates are hoping that returning to Pittsburgh leads to a bit of a resurgence for Frazier. But even if he does not, he still should be a good veteran for Pittsburgh's younger players to lean on in 2025, as the group tries to enter the playoff picture. The Pirates were in the conversation last season and ended up buying at the trade deadline, but fell off after that, largely due to their lack of offense.
This season, the Pirates bring their stacked rotation, headlined by Paul Skenes, who is aiming for a Cy Young in 2025, and hope that they can scrape for enough offense to be a factor in either the National League Central race or the Wild Card hunt. Frazier joins Andrew McCutchen as a notable position player signing for the Pirates. It will be interesting to see what Frazier's role will be, and if he is able to have some kind of resurgence in his return to Pittsburgh.