TWO TO TANGO
Frazier, Gonzalez ready for first dance with their new club
PORT ST. LUCIE — Adrian Gonzalez still is trying to figure out who is who on the Mets, so the early start to the Grapefruit League schedule this spring is just fine with him.
“I would prefer to get the games going,” Gonzalez said Thursday before the Mets completed their fourth full-squad workout of the spring.
“When you are out there doing workouts, you are going station to station and you don’t have time to chat. So when you are playing games, you are in the dugout, and that is when you do most of your chatting, so you only get to know guys through the games.”
Gonzalez and Todd Frazier, two of the team’s offseason acquisitions, will get their first feel of a Mets uniform when the gates at First Data Field are unlocked for Friday’s exhibition game against the Braves.
Mickey Callaway, ready to settle into the manager’s seat for the first time after a major league career spent playing and coaching, has a lineup that includes Gonzalez as the designated hitter batting second and Frazier playing third base and hitting third. Jose Reyes, an old/new face — he returned to the Mets as a free agent in the offseason — will start at second base.
But much of the early attention will be on Gonzalez, trying to resurrect his career after missing most of last season with the Dodgers because of back problems, and Frazier, who received a two-year contact from the Mets worth $17 million.
“It’s not going to be like Opening Day, but it’s going to be fun to get out there and play against your opponents and get ready to go,” Frazier said. “It’s one of those things: No more offseason time and we’ve come together good as a group so far. I think it’s a really good group, and like we talk about some of the time, if we are healthy, we are going to be a very good team.”
Zack Wheeler, who is competing for a spot in the Mets’ starting rotation, will receive the start and throw one or two innings. Other mainstays in the lineup Friday will include Travis d’Arnaud and Amed Rosario.
Jay Bruce, who returned to the Mets on a three-year contract worth $39 million, won’t play until Sunday as he and Yoenis Cespedes receive extra rest before getting started.
Bruce played with Frazier in Cincinnati and has competed against Gonzalez for more than a decade, so he certainly is aware of what the Mets received in both players.
“When you are talking about Adrian, you are talking about a guy people had maybe forgotten about last year, but this guy was one of the best hitters in the game, one of the best players in the game for a long time,” Bruce said. “This guy is a marquee offensive player, and he’s got Gold Gloves at first base. He is a guy who has been through a lot, learned how to take care of himself. He’s had some injuries. He’s a pro.”
In Frazier, the Mets are getting a fiery leader, according to Bruce.
“He’s a guy who is going to play solid defense, he has obviously hit for plenty of power in his career, and he plays every single day,” Bruce said. “He’s a guy you can count on, a guy you can depend on, and he was one game away from the World Series last year. He’s obviously hungry, he knows what it feels like, and he’s going to be there every single day.”
Frazier, who was traded from the White Sox to the Yankees last summer and played in Game 7 of the ALCS, is looking forward to experiencing the other side of New York baseball.
“Not many guys have played for both teams,” Frazier said. “I think it’s kinda cool. I get this side of town now, and I’m excited about it.”