When Todd Frazier became a free agent this past offseason, the New York Mets kindly thanked him for two solid years of service and said good-bye to the 34-year-old third baseman.
Coming off an All-Star campaign, Jeff McNeil was set to take over the position for the foreseeable future, giving him a permanent home after playing the super-utility role in 2019. Then on August 4th, the Mets started J.D. Davis at third base and were surprised to see he had improved greatly at playing the position, securing the everyday role ever since.
While Davis has been a revelation at third base this year, there are also a couple of other young infielders that have impressed thus far as well in Andres Gimenez and Luis Guillorme
Gimenez was generating Rookie of the Year buzz during his first month of big league action. While that has settled down as his bat has cooled and his playing time has been reduced, Gimenez has still proven to be a major league-caliber player. He also came through with a big knock last night, hitting a game-tying two-run homer. The home run was the first of the soon-to-be 22-year-old’s career.
Who was the runner on base for Gimenez’s first career blast?
That of course would be Luis Guillorme. A bearded man in the midst of a breakout season.
Guillorme has been nothing short of fantastic this year, coming out of nowhere to be one of the Mets most productive hitters. Always known for his great defense, Guillorme has shown great plate discipline and an ability to find all the holes in the defense.
After his fifth multi-hit game on Tuesday, Guillorme is now hitting .410/.488/.486. While he may not poise the same home run threat as Frazier or Davis, Guillorme has done nothing to warrant reduced playing time, or worse, being optioned to the team’s alternate site.
Which brings us to the real crux of this article, as the Mets are set to active the three players they acquired at the deadline. Who needs to be optioned to make room for Frazier?
In an ideal world, neither Guillorme or Gimenez would get sent to the alternate site and the Mets would instead DFA a different struggling player. Billy Hamilton.
Hamilton has just one hit in his 22 at-bats in a Mets uniform, with his main contributions coming as a pinch runner. While Hamilton is suited for that role, his three stolen bases still trail Gimenez’s six, with neither speedster being caught this year. Also a good defender, Hamilton’s play in center field is no longer required, as Jake Marisnick has returned off the injured list.
Assuming the front office does DFA Hamilton, there will suddenly be nine infielders on the roster if you include Dominic Smith and Jeff McNeil, who can certainly find their playing time in left field.
The Mets did not trade for Frazier to simply ride the pine, as they likely have some inclinations of giving the returning corner infielder some at-bats, particularly against left-handed pitching. This year, Frazier is hitting .343/.425/.514, with a home run and three doubles in his 35 at-bats against southpaws.
While he should get playing time in those circumstances, the Mets should not revert back to making Frazier an everyday player. Davis has certainly made a bid to be the future starting third baseman with his play this year and Guillorme and Gimenez need not rot on the bench.
Their is a budding young core of position players in Queens and their development should not be squalled to simply try something new for this unprecedented season. Frazier is a friendly and familiar face, who brings great leadership qualities and intangibles to this ballclub. Maybe his pledge to complete their “unfinished business” comes true and the Mets shock the world this year.
Still, there is no future for Todd Frazier with the Mets past this season and the franchise would be wise not to lose sight of that.
