The Rangers have agreed to terms with free agent third baseman Todd Frazier, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The deal is pending a physical. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic pegs the value of the deal at $5 million for 2020, and it includes a club option for 2021.
Frazier, who turns 34 in February, is coming off a 2019 season in which he batted .251/.329/.443 for the Mets with 21 home runs in 133 games. Over the last three seasons, Frazier has an OPS+ of 102, and for his career he has a mark of 106. Over that span, the right-handed slugger has averaged 29 home runs per 162 games played. Frazier has a lifetime OPS of .756 against right-handed pitching, but that figure rises to .813 against lefties.
Last season, Texas third basemen combined to hit just .243/.310/.389, so the hot corner is indeed an area of need for the Rangers. Texas had been in on Anthony Rendon earlier in the offseason, and they're still perhaps on the fringes of the Josh Donaldson chase in free agency. For now, Frazier is lined up to be the regular at third, but Grant notes that if another third baseman is signed then Frazier could also see time at first base. It's also possible he could spell lefty-swinging Shin-Soo Choo at DH on occasion.
The Rangers have endured three straight losing seasons and are looking to return to relevance in 2020 as they move into a new ballpark, even in a tough division that houses the Astros, Athletics, and improved Angels.
Already the Rangers have improved a rotation that includes Mike Minor and Lance Lynn by trading for Corey Kluber and signing Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles to pin down the back end. With the Frazier addition -- in tandem with their earlier addition of Danny Santana -- the attention has shifted to an offense that ranked a middling eighth in the AL in OPS.
