As the high-hopes of the 2019 New York Mets slowly disintegrate, the obvious dilemma looming over this organization is how they approach the upcoming July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
It’s become painfully clear that, unless these Mets go on some kind of run over the next three-plus weeks, this roster is going to look a whole lot different by the time August rolls around.
Guys on expiring contracts, such as Zack Wheeler, Jason Vargas, and Todd Frazier appear to be the likely candidates for tickets out of Flushing, but the Mets would be hard-pressed not to entertain offers for other players, as well — most notably, right-hander, Noah Syndergaard.
Rumors will swirl, deals will happen. It’s inevitable, considering the direction this team has gone after hovering around .500 for a couple of months — they haven’t been less than five games under .500 since June 24 (37-42).
But who gets moved — and to where — is yet to be determined. And whether general manager Brodie Van Wagenen chooses to go full-rebuild on this franchise or just recoup what he can for his soon-to-be free agents and move forward with this core remains to be seen, as well.
One Mets veteran who has been down this road before, Todd Frazier, who’s been traded twice over the course of his nine-year MLB career (Cincinnati to Chicago White Sox, 2015; White Sox to Yankees, 2017), appears to be content with sitting back and letting things that are out of his hands simply play out.
“If I get traded, OK. If not, I am glad to be here as a Met,” Frazier said, as per Mike Puma of the New York Post. “Until I hear something from my agent or Brodie or somebody within the organization, then I will start thinking about it because it’s out of your control. You want to be thoughtless up there when you hit.”
And hit, Frazier has. His .256/.335/.450 slash line rivals the numbers he put up as an NL All-Star in 2014 and 2015 for the Reds and his 18 extra-base hits (11 homers, 6 doubles, one triple) provide strong evidence that there’s still some pop in that bat (or the ball; whatever).
The prorated portion of the $8.5 million Frazier’s due is just palatable enough that the Mets should be able to offset some-or-all of it, thus increasing the value of the return. It likely won’t be much, but adding to a strong-and-getting-stronger minors system is always a wise move.
Since May 14 (47 games; 186 plate appearances), the Toms River, New Jersey native is slashing .290/.382/.506 with a 10.8% walk rate, 15.1% strikeout rate, .377 weighted on-base average and 139 wRC+ (100 is an average hitter). Whether you’re a Frazier fan or not, that’s darn impressive.
Over 470 innings at third base this season, Frazier has 2.0 defensive runs saved, -1.1 ultimate zone rating, and -2.4 UZR/150 (FanGraphs). Nothing special, but respectable, for sure.
Despite his defensive shortcomings — which, to the naked eye, haven’t been glaring, by any means — a contender is going to want that type of well-rounded player on their bench heading down the stretch.
“The Mets gave me this opportunity, and I have got to fill that out until my last day here with the Mets. I give it my all, every day, and the bottom line is if somebody else was willing to take me and [the Mets] are willing […], that is part of it. But right now I am a Mets and happy to be a Met.”
Todd Frazier’s on-field performance this season — particularly at the plate — pales in comparison to the veteran experience and professionalism he brings to the table. Any interested team would be lucky to have him.
Give Puma’s article a read (linked above). It’s terrific.
