Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports the New York Mets have been showing interest in free agent third baseman and Toms River, New Jersey native Todd Frazier. As noted by Sherman, Frazier makes sense for the Mets on a couple of fronts.
With the Mets having some question marks about Dominic Smith at first base, Frazier could serve as either a platoon partner or even an insurance policy for Smith. In Smith’s young career, he has not hit left-handed pitchers well, and that has been something that followed him to the majors with Smith hitting .129/.243/.194 in 37 plate appearances.
Frazier’s presence could also permit the Mets to move Asdrubal Cabrera to second base or use him as a utility player pending what the team can do in the offseason to address the keystone. The one concern about Cabrera at second is his defense. In 274.1 innings there last year, he had -6 defensive runs saved. This is not particularly an outlier with him posting -10 DRS at second base in 2014 with the Nationals.
Frazier is an accomplished defender at third base with a 10 DRS there last year. The number was a career best for him. However, it should be noted in five of the six seasons he has logged at least a thousand innings at third, he has had a 5 DRS or higher at the position.
Offensively in 2017, Frazier hit .213/.344/.428 with 19 doubles, a triple, 27 homers and 76 RBI. With those numbers, he had a 108 wRC+ and a 107 OPS+.
Overall, Frazier would add an interesting dynamic to the Mets by giving them an insurance policy at two different infield positions, and he would significantly upgrade the third base position defensively, a spot where the Mets posted a National League worst -17 DRS last year.
Perhaps, this is why Sherman reported the Mets are “curious if not aggressive” on the third baseman.
