Weekend Notes: Fraze First To Be Dealt; Crick Released & Other Stuff

Hug watch week comin' up...

Notes:

• The first domino falls: The Bucs pulled 2B Adam Frazier from the Giants’ game Sunday and announced afterward they had traded him to the San Diego Padres with cash ($1.4M) to cover his 2021 salary. Friar prospects AAA - IF/OF Tucupita Marcano, 21; AA - OF Jack Suwinski, 23, and Hi A - RH reliever Michell Miliano, 21, were the return. Marcano was the Padres #5 minor-leaguer, a speedy, versatile defender with a spray-the-ball approach who the Bucs reportedly tried to land as part of the earlier Joe Musgrove deal although the outlook on him is mixed. The other two were unranked lottery guys, with Suwinski having a big stick and Miliano being a high whiff, high walk project. All-Star Frazier, 29, was leading MLB in hits and under team control until after the 2022 season. Fraze's versatility played into the deal as SD already had a top notch 2B in Jake Cronenworth. The Mariners were the other club in on Fraze and were said to have also made an offer. Fun fact: Adam Frazier is the third player since 1900 to be traded at midseason while leading MLB in hits, joining Willie McGee (1990) and Red Schoendienst (1957) per ESPN Stats & Info.

The first to go - photo Pittsburgh Pirates

• RHP Wil Crowe had a career-high nine punch outs in 5-1/3 IP against the Giants on Saturday. During the same game, C Michael Perez hit his first big league triple into Oracle Park's Notch called (what else?) Triple Alley. Just about everyone had a good day in the 10-2 win; the Pirates 16 hits were their season high.
• The Pirates missed a chance to sweep the Giants by losing Sunday's third game; they have yet to sweep a series in 2021.
• RHP Kyle Crick passed through his DFA and was given his unconditional release by the Bucs. On his radio show, Ben Cherington said "We thought it would be best for him to get a fresh start somewhere else," noting his value was as a back-end arm, not as a multi-inning or mid-game man.
• The GM on Mitch Keller: "We know how talented he is. He’s gonna earn his way back. There’s no timeline for it." He did emphasize that he believed Kells would be back at some point.
• It never ends: 2B Hi-A Greensboro prospect Nick Gonzales was removed from Sunday's game due to an apparent injury. More info as it becomes available...
  
• BC on the the unsigned draft picks: "We're making good progress. We still have a small handful that we're working on...but until they're done, they're not done." Lonnie White Jr. is reportedly ready to sign with the Pirates and forego his Penn State football scholarship, so that's one more to add to the "done" list.
• RHP Sean Poppen, who got into a couple of games earlier in the year for the Bucs before being sold to the Rays, was called up from AAA by Tampa Bay.