Atlanta Braves: what if it becomes Todd Frazier for 3B?

There are some rumblings about the Toddfather this week… none of it directly involving the Braves, but he still remains a possibility for the hot corner.

We’ve heard it over the past week:  that the Atlanta Braves would still be open to the idea of a veteran third baseman on a short-term contract while (probably) others are made ready for the position.

…and that’s the name mentioned most often:  Todd Frazier.

For Atlanta’s purposes, the perception is that Mike Moustakas is going to be either too expensive, want too many years, or both.  He also requires the loss of Atlanta’s 4th round draft pick.  Eduardo Nunez has been mentioned, but there hasn’t been any movement in that direction – so far.

For a longer-shot idea, the Pirates would probably deal Josh Harrison, but the Braves’ interest – for sure – would be non-existent (he’s owed $11.25 million at minimum and would require a fairly decent trade return).

Frazier took home $12 million in 2017, but has been suffering declining hitting numbers for the past 3 seasons… though he has still kept his OPS numbers close to the .800 level throughout (peaked in 2012 with .829 in the Reds’ bandbox).

Some Thoughts

A few quick observations, since you’ve already heard a lot of that bit above:

• Any continued discussion of such a short-term signing (whether Frazier, Nunez or anyone else) suggests a lack of confidence in the Braves’ in-house options.  Officially, the Spring will open with a competition between Rio Ruiz and Johan Camargo.  If no one else is signed, Camargo should probably win the gig, though even that isn’t a slam dunk.

As an aside, Camargo hit .324 with 2 homers in the Dominican Winter League over 74 ABs, so he would definitely be an asset to the Braves off the bench, if not playing third base.

• The idea of waiting out a veteran for a short deal is also a direct statement of the confidence that the minor league staff and scouts seem to have in Austin Riley.  Were there any wavering, there would be a whole ‘nother vibe going on right now.
• There have been no indications that Frazier is ready to take a 1 year ‘pillow’ contract.  He’s nearly 32 and his free agent clock is already chirping at him, but the prior prediction of a 3 year/$33m deal is not looking good right now.
• In terms of the market, Mike Moustakas is the top dog for this position and Frazier is second in the pecking order.  After that, it’s a smattering of lesser options like Brandon Phillips, Trevor Plouffe, Nunez, and maybe Yunel Escobar.  However…
• That market was rocked by Zack Cozart signing with the Angels for third base and not his prior position of shortstop.  That deal essentially jumped the line and suddenly meant that teams could safely wait out Moustakas and/or Frazier.

At this point, my own personal druthers are wavering.  I’m not keen on Frazier, but if he’d be agreeable to a single-year deal in the $8-10 million range (or 1 year-plus-option), then the Braves should take it and move on to other matters.  A single-year contract won’t be a “bad” contract.

If it happens, Braves’ fans could expect good defense, around 125 strikeouts, 25-30 homers, a low average, respectable OBP, and the threat of some power to ‘protect’ Freddie Freeman.

Not spectacular, but useful.

Others Involved

There are rumblings that the Rockies would be interested in putting Frazier at 1st base.  The Mets have also been mentioned as an option to keep him at third base, but the Mets have trouble figuring out how to order lunch, much less on whether they are willing to ink any free agent of significance.

Either way, there’s some sluggish movement in this market… finally.

Next: All-Star Shenanigans

So let’s get this going:  this isn’t a request to sign somebody just for the sake of getting somebody signed… it’s because the club seems convinced that there’s a short-term hole that needs to be filled.