Young, right-handed power hitters are commodities often coveted by clubs but rarely found in either the free agent or trade market.
And when they are found, they usually come with a hefty price tag, either in the cost in dollars, talent in trade, or both.
Reds third baseman Todd Frazier fills all of the check boxes. He’s still pretty young, he is right-handed, and he hits for a ton of power, so much so he has emerged among the premier players in that group of players teams are searching for, but just can’t seem to find too much of.
With the Reds struggling this season and on the fringe of the National League Wild Card race, speculation has arisen Frazier might be traded this summer.
“It’s all rumors and speculation. I haven’t really heard anything,” Frazier explained on Friday afternoon at Citi Field. “Right now I’m a Red, I’m glad to be a Red, that’s where I want to be.”
The Mets needs on offense are evident and have been well publicized, and Frazier could be a player the Mets consider, “overpaying” for, as Sandy Alderson put it on Friday afternoon, if the Reds make their All-Star third baseman available.
Frazier indicated he would welcome a trade to the Mets if it were to transpire.
“I like playing [in New York],” Frazier explained. “It’s basically the mecca here in New York. Whether you’re playing the Yankees or Mets, it’s a really good time.”
Frazier knows about the intensity of the fans in New York, even in the midst of negativity. But he thinks that intensity can make players better if channeled properly.
“The atmosphere’s great, the fans are always rambunctious,” Frazier said. “They’re crazy in a good way, and sometimes in a bad way. That can fire you up. Some people take that the wrong way, but I build off stuff like that. So, I’m pretty fired up to play here again.”
But for now, a trade for Frazier seems incredibly unlikely for the Mets.
For starters, the Reds won’t consider moving him until after the All-Star Game. He is their premier attraction right now, the club ambassador for the event, and they can’t even consider moving that asset until after the break.
The Mets timeline for a move needs to be sooner than that.
Second, Frazier is under control through 2017 via his current deal and arbitration. Even as his salary increases through the arbitration process, he will remain an incredible value over the next 2 1/2 years all while remaining under team control over that time.
In addition, while Cincinnati is very far behind St. Louis in the National League Central, they’re not much further out than the Mets, who Alderson seem to suggest were buyers heading into July.
So, even if the Reds are motivated to move their star third baseman, they have some pretty strong legs to stand on in negotiations not only with the Mets, but with any interested party.
Even if they were completely out of it and the All-Star Game wasn’t in Cincinnati, given Frazier’s contract, the league’s starvation for right-handed power, the Reds would be foolish to not let a market for Frazier evolve later this summer. He could potentially be one of the most coveted assets on the trade market in late July, which could only help the return they could get for a power hitter under immediate control.
Therefore, Frazier’s value in trade might potentially be beyond what the Mets feel comfortable overpaying for.
Frazier has hit .293/.358/.629 with 24 home runs and 52 RBI with 53 runs scored in 313 plate appearances over 71 games for the Reds this season. He signed a two-year, $12 million extension with Cincinnati in February, earning $4.5 million in 2015, $7.5 million in 2016. He will be eligible for arbitration in 2017 before being eligible for free agency in 2018.
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