The Boston Red Sox may still need to trade for a solid third baseman to solidify a post-season bid. Todd Frazier has been rumored, but do they need him?
Apparently, if the Red Sox do trade for Frazier’s services, it will not be at the expense of their future. ESPN.com’s Scott Lauber reported as much via Twitter:
Major-league source familiar with Red Sox's thinking: "Don't see them shipping off top-tier guys" to fill needs at third base, bullpen.
— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) July 17, 2017
Steve Adams of MLBTradeRumors.com, commenting on Lauber’s tweet, stated that while parting with expensive assets “likely wouldn’t be necessary for ; one wonders, though, whether the club will still at least look into more significant deadline additions.”
The question must be asked: would Frazier be a significant addition to the Boston Red Sox?
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This season, possibly. Next season? Anyone holding their breath should probably stop now.
As of Tuesday, Frazier is hitting .207 with 16 home runs and 44 RBIs. His glove at third base has him posting a .958 fielding percentage, .003 above the league average. And, in case anyone is wondering about the post-season experience, Frazier has been in a total of five games between 2012 and 2013 when he hit .200.
Frazier also becomes a free agent after the 2017 season is over.
Does that sound like a significant addition? Does that even sound like an addition worth pondering?
Any Frazier fans in Boston would be asking the Red Sox brass to take the time out of their busy schedules, which could have been spent on making some actual important moves, to phone the Chicago White Sox and inquire about what assets they would require as compensation for a man who is not even hitting his own weight? Even if the move would get done, there is nothing to guarantee that Frazier would want to stay and sign with the club, requiring the Red Sox to go through the quest to find a third baseman all over again in 2018.
Oh, but his presence this season would help spell a championship? Did Boston not just already fall for that when they signed Pablo Sandoval to come play third base a few years ago? How’d that work out? Oh, that’s right, he was recently designated for assignment, making the Red Sox eat a huge chunk of his contract so that they did not have to watch him fail at his job anymore.
The fact is that the platooning of Brock Holt and Deven Marrero may not be the best solution at third base, but it is working at present. Marrero’s .218 batting average, three home runs, and 20 RBIs paired up with Holt’s ability to come through for the team over the years not only is more productive than Frazier, it’s also much cheaper than Frazier’s $12 million for this season. Where is the positive in the trade when the Red Sox are getting more for less money without him?
Enter Rafael Devers into the equation.
His name makes the Frazier argument mute. Devers is looking more and more MLB ready as the season progresses. Sure, Devers maybe should not be rushed to fill the hot corner like so many other players have been rushed before; however, any thought that Frazier would be able to solidify the infield in the future is eliminated once the idea of Devers coming up the ranks enters the mind.
Devers has been recently called up to Triple-A Pawtucket, where he has already hit a home run and two RBIs in just 11 at-bats. In 77 games for Double-A Portland, Devers was hitting .300 with 18 homers and 56 RBIs. The only knock on the young man would be his glove, which does need some improvement, posting a .930 fielding percentage with Portland. However, his 2.48 range factor is above Frazier’s 2.37 per game.
With the right guidance, the 20-year-old Devers could learn to use his glove more effectively in Pawtucket as he continues to refine his batting prowess. If that were the case, a move up to the majors in 2018 would not be out of the question.
Next: Bud Selig Checking Updates On Brewers' Trade Deadline Plans
There is too much potential sitting there for the Red Sox to forego. Maybe if the trade were for a Manny Machado, but not for Todd Frazier. The two-time All-Star may have excited fans in Cincinnati, but his current bat would not be enough to thrill Bostonians this season or in the future. It may not even be as good as the patch-work job of Holt and Marrero. With all of that on one side of the equation, does making the trade add up to good business sense at all?