Mets snag Yanks’ Frazier
SLUGGER GETS TWO-YEAR, $17 MILLION DEAL
TODD Frazier isn’t quite Mike Moustakas, but say this for the Mets: They are proving to be true to their word of a month ago, when they told me they were waiting out the free-agent market, looking for value deals that could change the look and feel of their off-season. Since then they’ve signed Jay Bruce and now Frazier at bargain prices, at least based on what most baseball people expected the two sluggers to get before this turned out to be such a buyer’s market. So give the Mets credit for doing more than most teams this offseason, and getting what seems to be a nice bang for their buck.
But let’s not forget, they also had more holes to fill than most teams, so if they really want to make this a strong offseason, they need to take some of the money they’ve saved with these value signings and go get a starting pitcher.
After all, in signing Bruce, Frazier, reliever Anthony Swarzak, and re-signing Jose Reyes, the Mets have spent about $30 million (per year). Again, good value, but that amounts to only about half of the total salary they had come off the payroll after last season.
So go get Lance Lynn or Alex Cobb and even the angriest Mets fan out there would have to be OK with this offseason, and admit that Jeff Wilpon wasn’t lying when he said a couple of weeks ago that he’d be willing to be flexible on payroll under the right circumstances.
As it is, a source on Wednesday night said the Mets are serious about now looking at the possibility of signing a starter, realizing how unlikely it is that they can count on Matt Harvey, Steven Matz, and Zack Wheeler to all be healthy and effective for a full season.
Whether they’re willing to spend on Lynn or Cobb, the second-tier starters below Yu Darvish and Jake Arrieta, remains to be seen.
I’ve been pushing for Lynn for weeks because he has been so steady and durable throughout his career, even bouncing back from Tommy John surgery to make 33 starts and pitch to a 3.43 ERA last season.
Cobb would be just as attractive, but it has been thought that both are likely to command a four or five-year deal at $16-17 million a year.
And though none of the top pitchers have signed, executives in the game that I’ve talked to don’t expect the prices to come down as they have for position players, especially power hitters.
Bruce, who signed for three years and $39 million, and Frazier, who agreed on Wednesday to a deal for two years, $17 million, both fall into that category.
As one executive told me on Wednesday night, “There’s so much power in the game right now, nobody is paying for it the way they were just a couple of years ago. Unless you’re a guy who hit 40-plus home runs.”
Two years ago Frazier hit 40 for the White Sox, but last season his home run total dipped to 27, between the White Sox and Yankees, and his batting average fell to .213. That caused at least some concern among teams that, as Frazier turns 32 in a week, he could be past his prime.
It didn’t help that the third-base market, in particular, caved in on Frazier, as well as Moustakas, with precious few teams looking to pay big bucks, especially after the Giants traded for Evan Longoria. So Frazier had to settle for exactly the type of value contract the Mets were hoping to find as this freeze-out of sorts dragged on for so many free agents.
At that price the New Jersey native makes a lot of sense for the Mets. Despite the overall drop in production, Frazier did walk enough to post a .344 on-base percentage, and he’ll give the Mets very good defense at third base as well as some muchneeded leadership in the clubhouse.
I thought Eduardo Nunez made more sense, simply because the Mets need speed and athleticism, and I was told on Monday night the Mets’ hierarchy was split on a preference between the two. And Nunez, a source said, was in the same price range, so they could have had either one. Ultimately, GM Sandy Alderson believes in power and on-base percentage, so you have to believe he got the guy he wanted.
For Frazier, famously from Toms River, N.J., the deal allows him to stay home, an experience he enjoyed immensely after he was traded to the Yankees.
He proved to be a great fit in the Bronx, but the Yankees were only interested in bringing him back on a one-year deal, with top prospect Miguel Andujar about ready for the big leagues and the possibility they’ll sign Manny Machado next winter.
So Frazier takes over at third, signaling the Mets finally understand they have to move on from David Wright, while Asdrubal Cabrera now becomes the second baseman.
All in all, with some rare good luck with injures, the Mets have the pieces to be serious contenders again. Add Lynn or Cobb and they can take a bow.