The New York Mets have added a bat to their lineup for 2018. Free-agent third baseman Todd Frazier agreed to a two-year, $17 million deal with the Mets per Ken Rosenthal. Frazier (31) spent last season in Chicago with the White Sox and across town in the Bronx with the Yankees. The Mets are hoping that Frazier, who has traditionally been very durable, will solidify the third base position.

The Mets are trying to compete for 2018. Hoping to have a healthy rotation, they have added some veteran bats here in the offseason with both Frazier and Jay Bruce.

They may not have lit the world on fire with huge signings, but they have made a number of decent moves this offseason. Todd Frazier may not have been the best third baseman available with Mike Moustakas still on the market, but he can bring some good things to Queens.

What Frazier brings

To sum it up, Todd Frazier is a reliable third baseman that brings good pop in his bat. He is a guy that can bring you 30 home runs a season and 80 RBIs if you are looking at basic stats. He is not traditionally a big on-base guy and does not hit for a high average. While last year he had a 14.4% walk rate, he is a career .321 OBP player, which is right at league average. In terms of batting average, he is a career .245 hitter and ranges around .220-.250 in most seasons.

Overall, his career slash in seven years in the majors is .245/.321/.779 with 175 home runs and 21.7 strikeout rate. He was an All-Star twice as a Cincinnati Red in 2014 and 2015. Last year with the Sox and Yankees he slashed .213/.344/.772 with 27 home runs and overall 3.0 fWAR player. Looking at every full season he has played, he has averaged roughly 28 home runs and 81 RBIs a season.

He also has 30 defensive runs saved at third base in his career with a .965 fielding percentage.

Analysis with the Mets

For the Mets, this is a solid signing. It is not groundbreaking or incredible, but they are getting a fairly good player. He might not be a Gold Glover but he is very reliable at third base. Frazier will hit home runs and drive in some runs while also striking out a good amount and not getting on base like crazy.

He drew a lot of walks last year, but at a very high rate. He can still draw a solid number of walks but probably not at a nearly 15% clip. His home run numbers could reasonably be around 25-30. While he hit 35 in 2015 with the Reds and 40 in 2016 with the White Sox, he is now playing in a pitcher-friendly park in Citi Field.

One thing that Frazier brings that is invaluable, he is a great clubhouse presence. This is something that has been boasted about him on every team he has played with. The Mets can use a great uniting force as they move into a new year with a new manager. The New York Mets have a chance to try to make some noise in 2018, and Frazier will be seen as a leader of the team.
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