Yankees should re-sign Todd Frazier, and here’s why
By Alex DaSilva
Coming off a comparably successful season, the Yankees are now looking to compete for a World Series title. With the addition of Giancarlo Stanton, the Yanks are sure to be competitive. But what else do they need to do this offseason?
With the acquisition of Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees lost their All-Star second baseman, Starlin Castro. Along with that, the Yanks have a hole at third base to fill with the trading of Chase Headley to the Padres, clearing salary space, and the free agency of Todd Frazier.
The Yankees also saw former starting pitcher, Michael Pineda, accept a two-year contract to pitch in Minnesota, leaving a fifth starter spot available.
So, what are the Yankees’ options to play second base and third base? The organization has several farmhands who are itching to be called up, including the number two prospect in MLB, Gleyber Torres (behind none other than Shohei Otani). Third baseman, Miguel Andújar is another one to watch.
Along with these two potential starters, the Yanks already have infielders Ronald Torreyes and Tyler Wade in the majors.
So why go out and sign additional pieces, such as Todd Frazier? If the Yankees want to add a respectable starting pitcher to their rotation, they will either have to shell out quite a bit of cash on a free agent like Yu Darvish, Jake Arrieta, Lance Lynn or any other free agent starting pitcher you’d like to imagine with the Yankees.
The other option is to trade some useful pieces to the puzzle to strengthen the rotation. A “cheaper” All-Star free agent, such as Frazier, would help the Bombers financially chase other pitching options.
Also, as part of the money concern, under the new CBA agreement, the Yanks are looking to stay below next season’s $197 million competitive balance tax threshold. And the team looks to be in a good position to do so, for the first time in 15 years.
Although they are taking on Stanton’s large $25 million salary for next season, they have made payroll cuts. Cuts which include veteran, C.C. Sabathia’s contract dropping from $25 million to $10 million, trading Headley’s $13 million, of which the Yankees are only paying $500,000.
The Yankees also traded away Castro’s near $11 million for next season, and have finally found themselves free of Alex Rodriguez’s ten-year contract, which forced them to pay a retired player $21 million to become a “special advisor” to the team.
So again, why sign a player like Frazier if there are younger and cheaper alternative available? Well, not all players are ready to start in the majors everyday at a young age.
Torres, 21, has yet to make his MLB debut and has only played 23 games in AAA. As for Andújar, he will be 24 by the time Opening Day arrives. He made his MLB debut last June but was still two years younger than 2017 MVP runner-up, Aaron Judge was at the time of his debut. So perhaps these future stars need a little more time to develop.
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But back to Frazier, of qualified free agents, Frazier is competing with Mike Moustakas and Yunel Escobar. Moustakas is the youngest of the three, at 29, but that could mean a larger and longer contract. Escobar, 35, is looking to be past his prime; which can be seen through his decreasing batting average, OPS and an increased strikeout percentage, since 2015. Frazier, on the other hand, saw his walk percentage increase more than double since ’15. That along with an increased OPS and decreased strikeout percentage since 2016, shows that Frazier is not aging as poorly as Escobar.
Moustakas is the best available option at third base, coming off a 38 home run season with a career-high OPS of .835, so do not be fooled into thinking that Frazier is a better hitter than Moustakas, he’s not.
But as a fit for the Yankees, Frazier is the winner. Besides being young enough to produce decent batting numbers still, Frazier is old enough not to cost a fortune on a long contract and most importantly, the Yanks could utilize Frazier’s ability to field other positions, specifically first base.
Frazier has played around 9.51% of his innings in the field at first base. Although that may not seem substantial, neither Moustakas nor Escobar has ever played a single inning of professional baseball at first base.
Frazier’s ability to play first base is much more valuable to the Yankees this coming season than Escobar’s ability to play shortstop or third base. Frazier is a reliable and viable option given the uncertainty of the success and health of current Yankees’ first baseman, Greg Bird, who has never played more than 48 games in one season.
The shifting of Frazier to first would also give way for the second choice infielders, such as Andújar, Torres, Torreyes and Wade to see some playing time. But again, the Yanks could be looking to trade for a better third baseman, as rumors abound of inquiries about Manny Machado of the Orioles.
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While this is a possible option, as the Yankees have cleared nearly $30 million in salary adjustments, Stanton included, Frazier is a sound option at third base. Capable of hitting 40 home runs, Frazier leaves the Yanks room to add another arm to their rotation and still manage to stay under the luxury tax threshold.