The Mets need a third baseman next season and with David Wright‘s future a big question mark, impending free agent Todd Frazier could be a nice fit, opines Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Frazier, 32 next season, has hit .222/.365/.423 with 11 homers and 32 RBI in 66 games with the Yankees after coming over mid-season from the White Sox.
Sherman adds that Frazier provides what Sandy Alderson likes in a player, drawing 83 walks this season while hitting 131 homers over the last four season. His defense as well would provide an upgrade over Asdrubal Cabrera, T.J. Rivera and Wilmer Flores at the hot corner.
“I am glad I had the opportunity to see what he brings to the table,” Bryan Price, Frazier’s manager in Cincinnati in 2014-15, told Sherman. “He is coming up on free agency and his batting average is not as robust as some might like, but if you take a hard look at his intangibles, you get a better player than the numbers suggest. For example, he’s not afraid to be in the big moment, in fact, I think he embraces it.”
With the current makeup of the Mets team rather youthful, bringing in a student of the game and veteran like Todd Frazier would do wonders to change the clubhouse culture.
His fire and passion for the game was on full display when he tucked a three-run homer over the right field wall in Yankee Stadium Monday night.
“That is not contrived, he is very authentic,” Price said. “No matter how much he might struggle at the plate, his love for the game is always there, and his passion to figure out ways for his team to win never goes away.”
The Mets have several glaring holes to fill this offseason, with third base right at the forefront. The Mets don’t really have any players in the system that can come up and man third in the near future, so their hopes lie in the free agent market.
Will the Mets dole out a multi-year deal to Frazier? They should, especially with what he brings to the table.
“That Frazier is good on both sides of the ball should help his marketability — his 3.4 WAR in 2017 was the same as Robinson Cano’s and better than players such as Daniel Murphy and Jay Bruce,” Sherman said in his piece. “Plus, Frazier carries himself like someone better than his skills, which makes him like bright lights, big cities and huge spots.”
The Mets don’t have Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson or Lucas Duda anymore to give them power in the middle of the lineup. Michael Conforto‘s status for the beginning of the year is questionable and Yoenis Cespedes was plagued by the injury bug in 2017 as well.
Mike Moustakas would be an appealing name, but might be a bit rich for the Mets taste so it’s doubtful they sign him. However, bringing in Frazier and someone like Eduardo Nunez would really help boost the state of the infield.
Additionally, if Dominic Smith ends up going through some more minor league seasoning, Frazier could slot into first base.
The Yankees have a plethora of young players such as Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar that will likely see them move on from Frazier.
It will be interesting to see what Sandy Alderson decides to do. Frazier fits the mold of player he likes and the Mets need a third baseman.
For his career, the infielder has hit 175 homers, driven in 498 runs and hit to a .245/.321/.459 clip to go along with a 22.0 WAR.
