Texas Rangers find their third baseman for now

The Texas Rangers have potentially filled a gap at the hot corner, signing Todd Frazier to a one year deal with an option for 2021.

The future at third base should bright for the Texas Rangers. Josh Jung, the eighth overall selection in the 2019 MLB Draft, is expected to be the third baseman of the future. The Rangers also have Curacao native Sherten Apostel, acquired as the player to be named later in the Keone Kela deal, who shows incredible raw power. Another 2019 draft pick, Davis Wendzel, gives Texas three third basemen amongst their top ten prospects.

However, that future is still a few years away. Until then, the Rangers need to find a way to bridge that gap. On Sunday, they may have found the player to do just that, signing Todd Frazier to a one year deal with an option for 2021.

Frazier is now the second attempt the Rangers have made to bridge the gap to the future. Once Adrian Beltre retired, Texas had attempted to use Asdrubal Cabrera as the third baseman of the present. That experiment ended after 93 subpar games before Cabrera was released and signed with the Nationals.

The Rangers have to hope that history does not repeat itself with Frazier. He produced a solid .251/.329/.443 batting line, hitting 21 homers and 19 doubles. Frazier also acquitted himself relatively well at the hot corner defensively, saving three runs at third.

This signing also does not preclude the Rangers from other plans they may have at the position. They are still reportedly interested in acquiring Nolan Arenado, who would immediately become the present and possibly future at the position. Frazier could then shift into a timeshare at first with Ronald Guzman, potentially even taking over the position should Guzman not show signs of progress.

Frazier marks just the second real upgrade on the offensive side. As the Rangers look to contend, they had spent the early part of the offseason addressing the rotation, adding Corey Kluber in a trade, and signing Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles. That is not to say that the lineup had been entirely ignored, as Texas did sign Robinson Chirinos and attempted to bring in Anthony Rendon.

At this point in free agency, teams are looking for potential bargains. The Rangers may well have that in Frazier, a solid all around third baseman who will cost just $5 million guaranteed. His versatility also makes certain that the investment is not wasted should the front office manage to acquire another upgrade via the trade market.

The Texas Rangers solidified third base for at least 2020 with the addition of Todd Frazier. He could be the perfect bridge to the future.