The Mets have reportedly signed free agent infielder Todd Frazier to a two-year, $17 million deal. The signing comes shortly after Asdrubal Cabrera announced that he preferred to play second base. It seems the Mets had written in Cabrera as their third baseman for most of the offseason and Sandy Alderson almost seemed caught off guard when Cabrera declared he preferred to play second.

Frazier gives the club a home run bat, which Alderson seems to prefer. He also gives them a strong fielder at third base, which Alderson doesn’t seem to value as much but which, quite frankly, the club desperately needs. Last year’s infield defense was horrendous and a left side featuring Frazier at 3B and Amed Rosario at SS should be miles ahead of the Jose Reyes/Wilmer Flores combo at 3B and Cabrera/Reyes at SS that we saw too much of last year.

When the Mets re-signed Reyes earlier in the offseason, they explicitly said it was as a backup and the signing of Frazier would seem to make that a reality. But it will be interesting to see how much leeway both Frazier and Cabrera have with Reyes hanging around. Reyes gives the illusion of being a good leadoff hitter, something the club will need as long as Michael Conforto is out and Brandon Nimmo remains on the bench.

21 comments on “Mets sign free agent infielder Todd Frazier

  • Eraff

    I’ve come around on Frazier—- I like this a lot!!!!

    • Brian Joura

      Yeah, I think this was a good signing, too.

      I expect a lot of people to be down on it because he has a low AVG. All the people who hated on Granny now have a new target.

  • TJ

    The move makes a lot of sense, and especially at that price and for a two year commitment. Frazier has his deficits, but as Brian noted that left side defense should be a huge upgrade and welcomed by the pitching staff. And there are some that think Cabrera may be better defensively at 2b than at 3b.

    Whether the market came back to them or not, I applaud Alderson for getting this done. This cost certainly leaves open the possibility to add more quality pitching. Like Eraff, I’m thumbs up on this!

    • Chris B

      +1 for the Alderson comment

  • Chris B

    After a few very solid years with the Reds he hasn’t matched that production. Projected for a 101 wRC+ by steamer for 2018. It will be interesting if he ends up being a ‘wrong side of 30’ guy or a ‘contributing nifty vet’.

    Either way the defense plays and two years $17m is not a detriment to the financial operations.

    Let’s hope the .226 BABIP normalizes from last season.

  • MattyMets

    Instead of plugging holes in the field Alderson needs to learn to plug holes in the lineup. Yes it’s a reasonable deal and he’s a good guy and solid player but we’re left with a huge hole that we now can’t easily fill. Who the heck bats lead off???

    • Pete In Iowa

      Michael Conforto. Was certainly more than league average in that spot last year.

  • Eraff

    The Met’s are now incredibly Flexible with both Rostered Position Players and Their Financial commits. They can add to success if this squad plays well…yes, they have tradeable assets as well if things tank. With the existing Roster, they can cover the two kids (rosario and smith) if they don’t cut it on the first pass.

    This is now a Question of Starting Pitcher Health and Performance.

    Given the situation, I Give Sandy an ‘A’ in 2018 Hotstove.

    • MattyMeta

      I’d like I take this opportunity to tell all contributors to Mets 360 – bloggers and regular commenters- how very much I appreciate you. I just poked around the comments on MetsBlog and some Facebook fan pages and it’s really unsettling how many fellow Mets fans have a whole lot to say but don’t seem to understand baseball. I love that there seems to be a baseline of not just passion, but knowledge here. Thank you, all.

  • Metsense

    Nice signing. Economically efficient and a short term commitment. It improves the defense. A .344 OBP and a right handed power bat. If Nimmo can seize his opportunity then he could be part of a center field platoon and bat lead off. Can Sandy parlay the savings into a Dickey signing?

  • Jon

    Makes an awful lot of outs.

    • Brian Joura

      Reaches base at a higher clip than many guys already on the team. And that was with last year’s woeful .226 BABIP. He was horrible in home games with the White Sox last year. Let’s see if he likes hitting in Citi Field better.

  • Kevin Harris

    Put the rookie shortstop as leadoff

  • Mike Walczak

    I like the signing. Did not break the bank. Reminds me when Mets got Ray Knight. Terrible year in 85, but a key part of the 86 championship team. Simple question, are the Mets better with him or without him ? I say better. Its nuce to know, that we know who will be playing third when the lineup cards are made out. Now, if we could just add that one more decent starter, we could have more than a punchers chance.

  • Metictated

    I live in the land down under, so I can afford to be disaffected by the turmoil and the yearly roller coaster ride. Having said that, I truly believe it is still a game that we cherish like children and live vicariously through. So, now that I have spoken philosophically, this seems to be a gift signing. Doesn’t break the bank. It’s not the free-swinging strikeout-prone defenseless Nunez, nor a re-tread in our old-news keystone cop, Walker. Fresh blood is what we need given we are essentially the same as our 2016 crew. Clubhouse leadership is also critical, and we are benefited by Frazier’s veteran presence. Now if he can simply hit leadoff, slug 25 dingers, steal 30, slug a ridiculous OPS, and defend a plus 10 DRS…then we are golden! No matter what, it helps, so thank you SA. Maybe he can get sartorial tips form the Walt of Frazier!

  • David Groveman

    The Mets force me to alter my depth chart again.

    It’s good money for the player value.

  • Tommy2cat

    Intelligent signing. Strong and durable at the bat from the right side and in the field at 3rd base, two qualities we were lacking last year. There’s a lot to be said for stability on the left side of the infield and power from the right side of the plate and Todd Frazier offers both.

    Equally important, Frazier’s addition erases the deficit Wright’s absence creates, which has affected our team over the past few seasons. His inclusion offers collateral stability – Cabrera now knows he’ll play 2nd base; Reyes can fill a super utility role and Wilmer can provide a steady platoon at 1st base and play 3rd when Frazier needs a day off.

    This was a solid move that makes our team stronger.

  • Brian Joura

    From MLB writer Joe Sheehan’s Facebook page:

    “I pick on the #Mets with some frequency, so it’s only fair to point out that Todd Frazier for 2/17 is a silly bargain.

    It’s crazy to me that Jay Bruce is being paid 3/39 in that context. Frazier is a year older, and has been better than Bruce — usually a lot better — in every year since 2014. I guess the two of them combined for $22 million in 2018 and 2019 each is, collectively, a pretty good deal.

    On its own, though, Frazier is maybe the steal of the winter to date. The only downside is it adds to the possibility the Mets will screw around with Amed Rosario and Dom Smith. Even at that, you have to throw them into the group with MIL/SFG/COL/ARZ fighting for the second wild-card berth.”

  • Charlie Hangley

    Good signing, great value.

  • Pete In Iowa

    I think a major upside in this signing is the fact he can provide a right-handed bat at first base as well.
    Flores has never been more expendable than he is right now. An absolute horror show in the field — yes even at first base — it is time to flip him to an AL club who needs a RH DH. Now is the time. Perhaps he can bring back a decent LH reliever or an innings-eating #5 starter type.

  • Jim OMalley

    Wilmer will hit his way into the line-up. This is the wrong year to trade him.

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