The Orioles and infielder/outfielder Adam Frazier are in agreement on a one-year, $8MM contract, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The O’s subsequently announced the signing.
It’s a belated birthday present for Frazier, who turned 31 years old yesterday. The veteran spent the first five years of his career with the Pirates but has bounced to the Padres and Mariners over the past couple of seasons. One of his most attractive traits is his defensive versatility, as he’s played all three outfield positions as well as the three infield positions to the left of first base.
Though he might be a bit stretched at shortstop or in center, he generally gets solid grades for his work at the corners and at second. All three of Defensive Runs Saved, Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average give him positive numbers for his career at second and in left, while DRS and UZR also favor his work in right field. At second base, where he’s spent the vast majority of his time, he’s tallied 15 DRS, 1.5 from UZR and 11 OAA.
Offensively, his track record is a bit inconsistent. In his five seasons with Pittsburgh from 2016 to 2020, he was above-average in two of them, by measure of wRC+. In another two seasons, his 97 wRC+ was just below the 100 average. In the shortened 2020 season, he was down to 79. At the end of those five campaigns, his batting line was .273/.336/.413, amounting to a wRC+ of 99, just a hair under league average. Still, he was able to produce 6.8 wins above replacement due to his defensive contributions, according to FanGraphs.
In 2021, he bounced back by hitting .324/.388/.448 in 98 games with the Bucs, amounting to a wRC+ of 127. The Pirates flipped him to the Padres at the deadline but he wilted down the stretch. He hit .267/.327/.335 with San Diego for a wRC+ of 86. The Friars then traded him to the Mariners prior to 2022, but his struggles continued. As a Mariner, he hit .238/.301/.311 for a wRC+ of 81.
Despite that inconsistent track record at the plate, Frazier is a solid fit for a Baltimore team that is still trying to chart its path forward. They have a number of infielders and outfielders who are still trying to get accustomed to the major leagues or have not yet made it to the show. Jorge Mateo had a solid defensive season at shortstop but didn’t hit much and struck out in 27.6% of his plate appearances. Gunnar Henderson had a solid debut in 2022 and seems to be ticketed for third base duty, though he’s also played second and shortstop. Ramón Urías had also been a solid contributor, even winning a Gold Glove at third base this year, though Henderson’s arrival seems to have bumped him into a utility role. Terrin Vavra could also be in the mix for a bench/utility job. Infield prospects like Joey Ortiz, Jordan Westburg and Coby Mayo could get to the big leagues in 2023 and further crowd the picture.
The O’s could conceivably platoon the left-handed hitting Frazier with the right-handed Urías at second base, though both players could also move to other positions if Baltimore wants to give some extended playing time to a young prospect. If Frazier’s bat bounces back or he’s simply getting squeezed out by other players, they could trade him at the deadline given his one-year deal.
The Orioles took a huge step forward in 2022, winning 83 games after five straight dismal seasons. Nonetheless, it seems like 2023 will be another evaluation season, as the club still has many young prospects who need to either make their major league debuts or continue acclimating to the big leagues. Frazier has the ability to slot in wherever he’s needed, giving the club a reliable defender who also has a chance to contribute with the bat. Whether the club can truly compete in 2023 or not, Frazier is likely to be a serviceable addition.
This is the second signing of the offseason for the O’s, as they also signed Kyle Gibson for a one-year, $10MM deal. Since both are one-year contracts, the club continues to have no commitments on the books for 2024, as they have completely avoided multi-year deals in recent years. The last time they signed a free agent to a deal longer than a single season was with Alex Cobb back in 2018. Roster Resource calculates their payroll as now just under $60MM, which is already a sizeable increase over last year’s $44MM figure, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Just blocking Westburg/ Norby/ Ortiz, yuck.
Prospect blocking is such a myth. It’s 10 times easier to have a prospect play a different position then someone whose been playing that position for years at the highest level
Yeah, but Frazier sucks
He can play just about every position, and while he’s coming off a down year offensively, he’s consistently gotten on base in his career.
Consistently gotten on base? .337 OBP is very mediocre, especially when it comes with literally zero power
He’s not worth 8 mil.
This year the MLB average on-base percentage .312.
Since 2016 no team has posted a cumulative on-base percentage higher than .337 (Houston is tops with .333 and Detroit is last with .304).
Perhaps Adam Frazier is not a great hitter but a .337 OBP is not mediocre.
So maybe slightly above average career OBP, combined with zero power and the fact that he’s past his prime. He’s not worth a major league contract
Get used to the overpaying of free agents. The can of worms has been opened, it’s only going to get worse
I’m fine with overpaying for real talent. Loved the Correa deal and Syndergaard deal the last few days. Not for Adam Frazier lol he is the definition of dime a dozen
He can only play 2b well. Corner outfield he is just ok but the bat doesn’t play there. Any other position is below average.
Could have picked up Jeter Downs for nothing. He’s actually better than
Frazier. All about CBA.
The right hitting coach can get him hitting at least .280 with a good amount of doubles. Just needs to get back on track.
That 337 OBP is better than the average 337 because it’s mostly from hits. Yes!!! There is a difference before someone starts arguing there’s not. He’s a solid player coming off a down year. Not VERY good but decent enough. And why would he be blocking anyone? It’s a one year deal. If he hits then you’re happy to keep him in lineup. If he doesn’t then plug a prospect in.
Past him prime is overused statement. He’s not 37. It’s a one year deal. Players not far from his age are getting over 10 years this offseason.
Holy dumb take Batman. Jeter Downs is a better player than Frazier? Ridiculous
My concern is not particularly last year but that since leaving Pittsburg he’s been on 2 teams and not performed well. Perhaps he was comfortable in Pittsburg. You see guys bounce around after their arbitration years and suck for awhile before getting better. Sometimes they never do. Not like Pittsburg is a media circus or anything.
@rols1026 “Yeah, but Frazier sucks”
This dude has hit over .300 in MLB, what is your proud accomplishment?
He’s a good defender, has a lifetime .273 BA. & has made $17 million dollars over his career & he is only 31.
Only thing that sucks here is your post…
Check his statcast page and tell me he doesn’t suck. You literally cited one stat, and it was batting average. Seems like the only thing worse than Frazier is your baseball IQ
He has had two years with over 30 doubles and 5-7 triples. And yes, he has hit for a good average (not like it doesn’t mean ANYthing) his OBP has been around average. So really the only thing he doesn’t do is hit HR throughout his career. If I recall he has been a decent defender as well, at least at some points
The only thing that sucks here is your condescending attitude about people who have accomplished more than you.
What does it say on your stat page?
zero
Hyperbole? Or true opinion?
A hitter who is better than average at the #1 job of hitting (i.e. not getting out) is, in fact, deserving of a major league contract.
An $8m contract is another matter.
And at a position of depth is yet another matter…
So nobody can have an opinion except major league players. No movie critic can have an opinion unless they made movies. No food critic can have opinions unless they’re a chef. You don’t even realize how dumb you sound, geez. What an absolutely ridiculous statement
Outside of 2020 the last 3 years before 2022 were 114ops+ 98ops+ and 118 ops+. Sure you can’t not count 2022 but I can not count 2020 and I will continually
.337 OBP is the new .365.
Sorry Rols, as a dinosaur, I’m not fine with any contract for today’s prima donna athletes. It’s ridiculous, and the amount of money in professional sports is outrageous. Love the sport. Root for the guys representing your town. That’s where it ends.
Point is, it’s a matter of degrees. They’re ALL overpaid
That said…
Frazier was a hard as nails guy here in Pittsburgh. Tough out
In watching Seattle in the playoffs, he looked sick at the plate. If that’s your barometer, I can understand it
Still, he’s better than most of the scrap the Pirates front office signs these days
“This year the MLB average on-base percentage .312.”
Yes but this year Frazier’s OBP was a .301.
A .337 career OBP isn’t terrible, but it’s not that exciting either. Especially when it comes with almost 0 power.
@mrmackey Mkay
You don’t spend 8 million on the hopes to to revive him.
.337 OBA is well abound the MLB average.
.337 OBA is well above the MLB average.
Trying to have a coherent discussion with someone who chooses emotio over facts is a losing battle, although I do appreciate the attempt. Frazier is a decent player coming from his worst year. Is he worth $8mil? Obviously he is to the Orioles.
Dude, his batting average is ranked 50th of all the active major league players right now. He also ranks 12th in AB per SO. Both those things have immense value. One WAR is valued at 8 million! I’m fairly certain this deal alone won’t burn the Orioles, considering their payroll is now estimated to be around $50 million. If I were an Orioles fan, would I want the FO to make additional moves, especially with the starting rotation? Hell yes. But this move could pay off quite well. I wish my team signed him.
Pittsburgh with an H.
Jeter Downs better than Frazier?
Must be a Sox fan.
Easier to say it’s fine to overpay $300M contracts when you don’t pay to write those checks. Esp in the later years of the 13 yrs. Lol. One horrible contract like that w small market team, and your team is screwed for a decade.
Starting in 2023 and from then on out, Batting Average becomes a legitimate stat again and these “NERDY” stats comprised by a lot of Ivy League baseball wanna be’s will become less important..Batting Average line drive hitters and utilizing the Hit and Run are going to determine who wins a game and a championship, not which team has players who have the highest OPS + or wOBA These geeky stats are gonna be irrelevant..With the shift now banned, Old School Baseball is Back!! Deal with it!
Fre5h, especially when it’s almost 15% of the payroll
Rols, how about instead of checking his statcast page, we check his actual stats and track record. They say solid but unspectacular. There’s more to baseball than homers.
I would take him over Santana.
An All-Star and over 3 WAR in 2021, when he hit over 0.300 avg. He is a nice small addition.
It should be a happy medium. I think theres a place for new , improved stats to evaluate players , but believe completely throwing out obvious important old-school stats like batting average are also relevant.
Its up to organizations to prioritize whats important to them.
Someone has a man crush “DON’T TALK BAD ABOUT MY MAN”!!!
No, they could trade for Downs. Can’t yet “pick him up for nothing” and probably no team will be able to do so.
Plus, Downs is clearly not ready for MLB.
Batting Average accounts for 2/3 of OPS.
It means quite a lot.
Frazier does indeed suck. His career year was 2021. It’s all downhill from there.
I wonder what a Qualifying Offer will be next year with the high rise in annual average salaries at the top end. I’m thinking there will be less QO’s and more “let see what we have in the minors first”.
There may not be a QO next year, if the League and the MLBPA can reach agreement on an International Draft.
118 ops+ in over 300 an in 2018, as well. 2019 he was league average essentially. How does he suck? He sucked in 2022, no doubt.
*Pittsburgh
Take the L on the OBP argument
Uh ok…
Yes, but young player are more cost efficient. Playing a prospect allows team to re-allocate funds to other positions of need.
S_man I can see that argument. I think he’s likely a platoon/utility player.
sadmarinersfan;
What you wrote makes no sense.
But once on base he’ll steal ya 3-6 bases a year
A solid utility player who could help nearly any team. I hated it when the Pirates traded him, but I understood the reasons for it. The Pirates have 8-10 middle infielders in their system and they’re high on most of them. Good pickup by the Orioles.
It’s a one year deal for 8M…
Best case scenario, you get a vet who helps lead the locker room and provides some quality play while your younger guys mature a bit more. Worst case, he performs poorly and he gets replaced by one of those younger guys at some point in the season. I like this deal for Baltimore.
You’re acting like Baltimore has spent money on anyone decent. Their offseason so far is Kyle Gibson and Adam Frazier. And you like this move? Literally one of the worst hitters in the league? On a team with tons of infield prospects? You’re delusional lol
Yet they’ll probably make the playoffs…
Did they change divisions?
What does signing Frazier have to do with anything beyond Frazier? It is irrelevant what else they have done. Definitely not impressive but offseason isn’t over
Nah but their division stinks
You clearly don’t understand anything about opportunity cost….
keysox;
Are you aware that the requirement to get qualify for the playoffs has changed, as has the unbalanced schedule to some degree.
It’s not a good idea to slur people when your point is so wrong.
Do they need to change divisions to make the playoffs? No. They just need to make wild card. They need things to go terribly wrong for Toronto and/or Tampa with things breaking well for them, but they’re still in a position where they could make wild card if they have another year like last year.
Give me another reliever or someone who can at least help the team ON the field. The fact that the very first thing you mentioned was clubhouse presence shows how bad he is….
rols1026;
Kid…
The O’s can go to the playoffs this year. Don’t think they do to the WS however. This is not an ‘All In’ year because the core is going to be disbanded after the season.
The fact that a guy is taking this much time ripping on a decent player, receiving a one year contract is pretty nuts. No offense.
Ok Samuel, I’ll bite. I’d love to see the O’s get into the playoffs and admittedly know nothing about them. Why are they going to be disbanded?
tiredolddude;
LOL
My point was that they’re not being disbanded.
They’ve been building for years and will be doing so for that least the next 5 years. 2023 is hardly a make or break year. I do believe they’ll get to the playoffs in 2023, but the WS is a ways off.
If one of their games ever comes across in Pittsburgh, I strongly advise you watch them. This is a young team that plays smart, fundamental baseball. Strong defense. Great baserunning. Will bunt for a base hit. Two excellent base stealers. The rule changes are right up their alley. The roster is loaded.
Thanks Samuel. I thought for a moment that they had some sort of owner-directed window that was already closing
I’ll be looking out for them. Thx
I think he is saying that the core will NOT be disbanded, thus 2023 is not an “all In” year. He is either missing a “not” or phrased his comment unconventionally.
It’s not that hard to move an $8M contract.
Tell that to the Braves, re: Eddie Rosario
A one year deal at 8m really does nothing to block anyone. If he’s performing terribly, and one of them is absolutely crushing, he can get benched without feeling to guilty about his remaining contract. If he’s performing well and one of them is crushing it, he can likely easily be flipped for some kind of prospect, even if a low level, because a team in need isn’t going to worry about taking in his remaining contract. But nothing about this deal does anything to block anyone.
You just know this guy is gonna absolutely destroy the Blue Jays pitching this year
With his 81 wRC+ from last year? Lol
Yeah. That’s how baseball works.
Sure, he had a down year, but he has elite bat to ball skills and is very hard to strike out. Players like that tend to torment the Jays pitchers I find. Could easily see him hitting well over .300 with an .800+ OPS against Jays and continue to be mediocre against everyone else lmao.
I’m hoping Frazier hits as well with Baltimore as he did his last year with the Bucs
He was always one of my favorite players with the Pirates
Trading him did not go well for Frazier and the Pirates.
Deadline flip for reliever to make room for prospects
Not flipping him for anything. He is sooo bad.
$8M for that!? Wtf.
My thoughts exactly. Can’t imagine anyone else was offering more than the minimum/a minor league deal with a spring training invite.
You’d be wrong about that.
No he’s not. Check Fraziers statcast page. Nobody else is lining up for that lol
This is legitimately the worst comeback ever. Like 3rd grade level. I’m embarrassed for you
rols1026;
How many week have you been following MLB, how many clubhouses have you been in, and how many coaches staffs
have you spoken with?
rols: Arrogant, condescending, insulting. The trifecta of anti-social behavior. If he was in management he’d be tagged by his peers to be first in line for training. Guy needs to learn how to play in the sandbox.
In his defense, it appears Frazier ran over his dog.
Or something on par to create this type of consistent , elevated reaction.
It’s been many years since I’ve seen one fan here go after a guy like this dude has with Adam Frazier, for God’s sake. I almost have to wonder if it’s personal or if the O’s were promising him some amount of money if there was anything left over in the payroll department
I figured 5 million at least. 8 for Baltimore sounds right.
@trog 1/8m for a 31 yo after his collapse season does seem odd for a team with money concerns and a lot of IFers. If Gunnar’s the starting 3Bman, where the he!! are they going to put GG Ramon Urias if not at 2B?
Just seems odd. Did it really make more sense to get Gibson at 1/10m and Frazier at 1/8m rather than commit to a better player on a multiyear deal, trusting to their own judgment and (for example) adding a few more bucks per year and being competitive for Bassitt, or Taillon, or a pitcher like Syndergaard at 1m more than the Dodgers offered, a pitcher actually decent last season, knowing they’re going to need at least league average pitching in 140+ innings if they’re likely to succeed? Why the junkyard castoffs? It’s what bad FOs do. They don’t commit. They scrod around, spreading the money about just in case one of the deals pays off…
Orioles actually using money
*losing
Gotta spend the minimum amount, per the contract, to get their full revenue share amount. Those teams are going to overspend on whatever 1-year deals they must to get that $210MM Christmas present.
Its not $210MM per team, you idiot.
Clepto, what the hell made you think he was referring to a SINGLE team?
He clearly said “THOSE TEAMS are going to spend to get the xmas present.” Care to rethink that one?
Clepto, just out of curiosity, do you know how much the Orioles and other teams receive on revenue shares each year?
Trumbo: Nice try, but as usual, #fail. Go back and RE-READ. Pay attention, this time, to whats plural and what is not. Maybe your false info spout, big market biased friend and yoy should take some online classes on writing?
Clip: you stated “facts” so YOU educate us all on how much revenue sharing those undeserving small market teams get. You are expert….free stage. Lets go! We all are awaiting…like a kid at Christmas…. OUR christmas present!
Maybe you should change your name from Clepto to Psycho. You’re off the rails.
I love when people troll here, such as lecturing people on writing, while using “yoy” in the same sentence…
Since when is “THOSE” & “TEAMS” not considered plural?
If he said “that team” he would have been referring to ONE team….He said “Those TeamS.”
Clepto, this is the part where you admit and apologize for your impossibly egregious mistake…And the insult to Clip.
Lets see TJ: 3 singular references in the original quote by Einstein. Do I need to point them out? Sure, you’re welcome. A single dollar “amount”, a single dollar “share” and a single “present” so, you want to ride the horse that it cant be interpreted as a single team, you go ride ahead. Your problem, not mine.
HOWEVER I still waiting for the $210M explanation. Aint gonna happen – you know and I know it. Doubt the Einstein can define revenue sharing, which by the way, ALL teams get, by definition.
What I did take away from Johnny Super Fact is some big market uneducated fan who just regurgitates the same shiite but spent little to no time to even understand some of nuances to baseball economics.
Wow, what a nut job. Try meditation.
I got lost at Johnny Super Fact. Happy Holidays.
P.S. Clepto, you are more out of bounds than you know. Clip is easily one of the nicest and likable guys on here and you made a really @$$ out of yourself friendo!
Not surprised. You have a great holiday as well.
Trumbo, you can’t leave yet. I’m going to wait it out in anticipation of this writing lesson!
Though none of his posts scream Steinbeck to me, maybe he’ll surprise us!
Clepto: To answer your question, each team pools 48% of the revenue they earn and the total amount is then split evenly (3.3% of the total) and given to each team. Teams receive more than $110 million through {revenue sharing}.
That doesn’t include the $60.1MM that each team receives from national TV deals, and an additional $40MM+ that they each receive from their local TV providers – Craig Goldstein, Baseball Prospectus.
But to answer your question, I did make the reference to teams collectively, but it could’ve easily applied to them singularly too. So, Clepto, it’s your preference, take your pick because it works either way!
Correction: **REAL A$$! I wouldn’t want anything to get lost in translation with you.
Clip we don’t want your Johnny Super Fact know it all routine!!! Wait…hold on a second…..I’m a bit groggy and fuzzy.
….I just fell out of a moving car and my mind is a bit off….Clip I didn’t mean it. Temporary insanity!
Haha! I think we are all temporarily insane, my friend.
I appreciate your forgiving holiday spirit & nature Clip.
Clip, you know, Ill give you credit where credit is due. At least you did some research. [Hat tip]
Now, I know exactly the reseach you did. If you google “mlb revenue by team” you will see verbatim what you posted. However Revenue vs revenue sharing are slightly different elements. The TV revenue you cited is all year revenue, not a one time bonus, such as monies from the CBT. TV revenues have zero stipulation on what you must spend as an owner, which is where the “$210M present” logic falters. CBT may have a clause, but not you or anyone here has seen that languange.
I have read, researched, and listened to a few respected sports commerators that suggests a team like the Pirates, for example receives $56-$75M per year in “revenue sharing”, and that coupled with their crappy $50M/yr local tv contract (vs Dodges $300MM), their portion of the national tv money etc., ticket sales, et al, they may generate $210M but it is highly unlikely. Even so, all 30 teams run 4 MiLB teams and staffs, plus draft money, plus developmental camps, plus the FO staff. Those are essentially equal costs for each team, for the most part, since MiLB sLaries are fixed. Its sure as heck of a lot easier to pay absorb these costs with a $300M tv deal vs $50M.
Where the Pirates are concerned, the payroll has become such that a recent newspaper piece related the fact that ticket sales/gate receipts, stadium merch sales, concessions and parking are enough to cover salaries
So operational costs, minor league salaries and incidentals like draft pick signing bonuses come from the numbers you just put forward.
Here in Pittsburgh, we have an owner who knowingly plays the shell game with fans when he opines, “When the fans come out, I’ll build a competitive team.” Insulting that an owner whose team plays in a taxpayer-built ball park would say it. Infuriating that it’s a complete lie, as thanks to MLB, he enjoys a nice windfall each year, win or lose, fans or no fans
Well, okay, thanks….I think?
Nonetheless, I posted the actual source from where I received the TV split information (BP), and the revenue sharing aspect is well-known. That formula is pooled and then split, so I’m not sure how it could be different. So, you lost me when you wrote the Pirates come in at under $100MM, when every teams gets over $100MM.
The numbers you’re throwing out seem arbitrary.
Tired: you and I are somewhat in agreement. Nutting is a piece of human garbage. However, ticket sales do not cover player salaries, and Pirates receive zero parking. That garbage team had 1.7M tickets sold, and we all know that number is inflated by no-shows. Stadium Merch, which is subject to revenue sharing is jack squat. Do the math: $30/ticket (and thats high) *$1.7M.
Again,Nutting and that ownership group are garbage but fhe local yinzers like misconstue some facts.
I looked at the original figures presented in the article with a grain of salt, Clep, no doubt. Especially where parking was concerned (You’re off a bit on ticket costs but no big deal)
But I looked at the profit margins that are randomly quoted by fans that continually scream “small market” as being akin to parroting what comes from MLB. It’s convenient. And it’s BS
Funny that MLB refuses to open their books and one could surmise the truth of it all leans towards guys like Nutting laughing all the way to the bank rather than “scraping by” each year with a few million to show for it
Point is, when you add payroll, organizational and minor league costs together and then subtract it from all of the various avenues of cash flowing into the organization, well, it doesn’t take a degree in Accounting to see what’s going on
There’s a reason Mark Cuban laughed and said Nutting would be crazy to sell the team, that it’s an extremely profitable venture
You okay there, buddy?
My memory might be wrong and I’m too lazy to do research but I think the Pirates had the misfortune of their previous TV deal expiring a few years before several other teams’ deals expired and completely reset the market. Of course we’re talking about the Pirates here though so the bigger issue was the organizational incompetence to have Frank Coonelly running point in those negotiations.
Nice roster depth, helps some youngsters, definitely not going to block any prospects, possible trade bait if he’s anything better than decent… nice signing O’s!
Frazier is so bad. What are they doing? Seems like a panic move with shifts banned. Yikes.
It’s not. People keep forgetting that these teams need to spend a minimum amount for this CBA. If they don’t, it cuts into their large revenue share checks.
That’s why you see mid-to low-tier players for overpays on 1-year deals. Get that money spent for the year, collect the revenue share money.
So get a reliever or someone who isn’t one of the worst hitters in the sport?
I agree with you, but we actually care. They obviously don’t.
Fair enough lol
Then why is Bob Nutting permitted to spend only $45 million, the projected payroll for next year?
There’s no such requirement
Yes, there is such a requirement. It’s for the CBA duration. Nutting is simply saying he will spend more later, essentially kicking the can down the road, so they can spend a lot in one or two years, year and make up for their lack of spending every other year. Other teams don’t want that bill to come due all at once, so they’re spreading it out. It was written about in this site and many others under the updates to the new CBA.
He wasn’t bad with the Pirates. All they have to do is get him hitting the ball in the air again going gap to gap.
You did not just say Adam Frazier should hit the ball in the air….. oh no….. wow
Your hatred is bizarre but feel free to use some facts to back up how he “is one of the worst hitters in the sport”, he’s hit .300 a few times!
Didn’t Orioles GM Mike Elias announce the Orioles were in “win now” mode at the start of the off season?
And their big off-season additions are Kyle Gibson & Adam Frazier?
The Angelos brothers legal battle over control of the team has to be holding up payroll.
Terrible.. absolutely terrible. No reason to spend almost $20 million on those 2 guys. The moves made absolutely no sense and they overpaid on each player by a lot. These were guys that were worth a few million each just for a little depth
Baseball_dude;
Yes,
Mike Elias and Sig Mejdal sure messed up in Houston and St. Louis before hitting Baltimore.
I can honestly say that they’re not on your level in understanding baseball.
Elias & Mejdal have done an enviable job of rebuilding the Orioles, but the question remains if they’ll be given the financial resources to truly compete.
The Astros & Cardinals are willing to spend on impact free agents and trade for players with big contracts. After the signings the Orioles have made thus far, I’m not convinced ownership has given them much money to work with.
SaintChris;
Do you see them trading any of their better players because they
can’t afford to pay them?
They’re taking in more revenue as they’re playing better. The revenue will go to pay the players. All this was planned well in advance. This is a textbook strategy in how a small market team becomes a sustainable contender.
In fairness they seem to have 700 ops guys everywhere but ss. Elite starter is the only area it made sense to spend big. Maybe Swanson and Rodon are coming! If not that was a total bs announcement.
Spend big? No, but attacking the mid-tier of free agency on both the hitting and pitching side would have gone a long way to helping the young Orioles compete.
Instead, they have Gibson and Frazier, who aren’t clear upgrades over the departing Odor and Lyles. They’ve essentially stood pat.
Every player is a clear upgrade over Odor.
Unnecessary signing by the Orioles.
Did they sign him on purpose?
No, his name was accidently put on an $8M contract, and he just happened to be there and accidently signed it, thinking it was his annual auto registration card.
Duped again! Those meddling kids!
Had a friend who was walking with a pen and tripped fell and accidentally signed a contract. What Clepto said is definitely possible.
Clepto-I have to tell you something.I think that you are the poster who helped me out when I was a newbie on this site about 6 1/2 years ago.I recognize your mild sarcasm.
I was in an arguement with a smug poster who didn’t seem like a bad guy.I forget the entire circumstances because I was old then and even older now.You said something like he drank out of fine wine glasses and that was why he was so smug.
I just wanted to say thanks for helping me out.
I see you never actually watched Scooby Doo. That phrase is used differently than you think it is.
lol
Just a replacemenr for Odor, not a big deal IMO
WOW! Sneaky good deal. Frazier is a great rebound candidate at 2B and that contract is peanuts. Woulda been a great fit for the White Sox and cheap enough for JR to loosen his purse strings.
You’ve seen his statcast page? In what universe is he a good rebound candidate? You guys are all living in a fantasy world
Did Adam Frazier have relations with your mom or something? You have dozens of comments on here about him. It’s Adam Freaking Frazier, who cares that much? Either it will work out or it won’t.
@rols1026 watch and see. I find it hard to believe he can be worse than last year.
rols1026;
Have you ever done a study to find out exactly how accurate statcast is in forecasting anything?
A person would have a better record flipping a coin.
Rols-Frazier is a solid ML average utilityman.$8M seems high to me,but the O’s probably wanted someone with experience to complement their young roster.
White Sox say no to him. Tired of seeing the Harrison’s and Hernandez types.
Need players who have speed and defense. Love to see a Cubs trade with Madrigal and Morel involved.
I use Samuel for my forecasting. He is always right about everything.
Lol! I was just thinking how irrelevant the Orioles are to me. But now that they have Samuel’s seal of approval….I hope they lose every game.
I know, kinda spiteful.
You always hear about how Frazier is going to be so great for a lineup. When he came to the Padres mid-season he was going to be awesome, it was such a great pickup! He was garbage and when he went to Seattle, ehhh…maybe a little more consistent.
I’ve never been sold on this guy, $8mil for 1yr…the market is bonkers this year. Imagine what a -out of his prime- Justin Turner is going to get.
What are you guys doing out there? You broke Frazier. Broke Bell. Broke Soto.
I’ll give that…true to point! They say the marine layer is a factor, soo blame it on that!
Gwynn woulda hit 439 lifetime if he’d played in the Midwest
I think it’s a good addition for them. He is versatile and a veteran. Normally hits better than last year.
Honestly, 8 million doesn’t buy much anymore…if you are a large market club. A decent investment for the other 20 clubs.
Baltimore = Hospice Care
JustGwynn;
Orioles = Fixing Broken Players.
He’s a East Coast guy. He will play better than he did on West Coast.
Numbers were bad in San Diego and Seattle but he’s still got game and will show it in Baltimore. He would have been a good fit in Miami or TB too.
The idea of truly hating a one year deal is ridiculous, some of these takes are so short sighted. Bounce back candidate with versatility, especially with no shift. If Hyde liked odors double play he’ll really like Frazier.
Someone is getting traded. The Orioles needed a 2nd baseman. But still have a lot of good prospects up the middle. seems crowded now.
Baltimore has wasted almost $20 million so far this off season with Gibson and now Frazier. They should have attempted to sign Noah Syndergaard and Michael wacha on one year deals for just a little more money (who knows, maybe they tried) but At least that would have made things a little more interesting vs Gibson (another washed up pitcher) and an infielder that we really didn’t need
Share that psychic info on the Wacha signing. We are also interested to know where he signed. /s
Unless a trade is coming this signing makes no sense for my O’s. We have at least 2 kids that could play 2nd right now and be more productive then Frazier
Mm maybe Urias? Unless Norby and Westburg are packaged.
That actually makes sense, I hope that’s the case because otherwise this signing doesn’t make much sense for them
Oder is gone, Adam replaces him.
They not trading cost controlled people like Ramon. They may move Santander, giving Stowers a shot, and meaning Adam splits time in OF/2B between Vervra and Stowers.
Nobody is getting blocked. That’s why they signed someone With position flexibility, unlike Roug-y.
Trending downward the last 2 seasons, but a 1 year deal waiting on the kids to develop should not be considered a roadblock.
O’s are realistic, they need more time to be contenders!
Frazier Crane?
In Seattle he was tossed salads and scrambled eggs
Instant bench in one signing. Be nice if he bounces back a bit this year.
And what happened with Michael Wacha? I was waiting for his hiring and I find this! This sucks! Jordan Westburg is way better than Frazier and he deserves the opportunity!
jasa27;
OI haven’t seen Jordan Westburg play at the ML level.
Can you give us a report on what you saw?
Geez Birdland, chill.
Good signing. Not sexy, but fundamental.
Not over paid (prices this year have taken a bump, based on predictions/results)
Good dude, savy vet.
Welcome to Baltimore Adam Frazier!
You must have written this from a Warehouse office. This move, on the surface, makes Zero sense. One of the prospects are going to push for this spot and quickly. It shows a lack of faith in the prospects and Urias.
Slow down, I know it’s not a “cool” signing, but how do you think he’s blocking anybody? He has positional flexibility! If Stowers struggles, or Terra V., he can play either spot. Oder is gone, and Adam is a better fit.
What’s the “problem” here??
Maybe they have a plan to get him hitting line drives again. If so he will be a bargain at 8 million. If not they would have been better with a Harrison Hernandez cheaper type option. Great guy though and wish him well.
Frazier’s versatility says he isn’t blocking anyone. And on a one year deal even if he’s just a bench piece its not the worst deal
8 mil. Not a bench piece. Picturing him batting ninth regularly. Logical wrap around table setter guy to get back to top of order. (Mullins then Rutschman). Like those 2 guys, he doesn’t strike out all that much.
Os striking out in SP FA market. So trade route to get an experienced SP which means goodbye to some prospects and/or a Urias and/or Hays?
If Baltimore is going to signal that it is returning to contention it needs to start going after the star FA’s and leave the dumpster diving to teams like the Pirates, Royals and Marlins.
mikeyny;
Well, I guess all we can do is watch the games in 2023 and see what happens.
Had a down year offensively for sure, but still a solid utility option that can play a lot of positions. He wont be holding back any propects and hes probably a likely deadline trade candidate assuming he produces well enough. Though it is fair to question why sign him when hes not going to be that last piece to put your team in the playoff hunt. If you’re playing the wait and see game with your young pitching I get adding a gibson and/or wacha to help eat some innings, but you have a lot of young position players with more potential than Frazier I imagine. This feels like it should’ve been a depth signing for a team that is for sure contending for a championship, even if he does perform well or get traded for something potentially useful down the line. Just seems like an odd move to make imo.
scruffmcgruff;
Like the Astros from whence their top FO people came – the Orioles have made a name for themselves with anyone that follows MLB as a team that beaten down players and reworks them into being productive ones. They built an entire upper level bullpen like that, as well as an underrated starting staff.
The kids here think MLB is computer baseball. They don’t understand anything about playing or coaching the sport.
Am still looking forward to the season for the O’s, and believe that unless they suffer a mass amount of injuries they’ll be going to the playoffs in 2023.
As a lifelong O’s fan and baseball fan in general I try to ascertain as much info on players and acquisitions and various other transactions, etc. so that I can at least have an objective if not entirely biased opinion on things. But to your point, we’re on the outside looking in as far as these things go, who knows exactly what analytics and knowledge of things that front office folks are privy to that we are not. The O’s are definitely one of the more intriguing teams this upcoming season, as it probably wouldn’t surprise anyone to see them compete given their developing talent. So while I see the O’s front office playing checkers, its likely they’ve been playing chess years before I even realize.
MASSIVE overpay.
Eh, I don’t know if I’d say a ‘MASSIVE’ overpay. I thought he’d get like $5 million, but $8 million isn’t way over his value. If he goes out there, bats .275/.320/.400 with playable defense at second base and the outfield, you’re getting your money’s worth.
So 60% more than what you thought isn’t a massive difference?
I would like to be paid 60% more than what I am paid now and THAT would be a massive difference.
Frazier made $8MM in 2022, so it is not surprising he would make something comparable in 2023.
He was awful last season, at least from an offensive standpoint. Maybe he’ll turn it around.
Frazier will be the Os starting 2nd baseman with Urias in a super utility role. Vavra, Westburg, Ortiz all start the season in AAA
GoRav114;
As much as I love the youngsters and think most are going to become very good ML players, many of the late season call-ups in 2022 started with a bang. The league looked a some video, made adjustments pitching to them, and by the end of the season their stats weren’t all that impressive.
That’s normal.
Yes, I agree, many of their youngsters will start the year in the minors for some tuning. Worked out well with Adley Rutschman in 2022.
Samuel!
Let’s see if that comment checks out:
Henderson 1st 17 games OPS 946, last 17 games OPS 617
Stowers 1st 17 games OPS 622, last 17 games OPS 838
Rutschman 1st 56 games OPS 788, last 57 games OPS 824
Vavra 1st 20 games OPS 644, last 20 games OPS 711
No! No it does check out! Blimey! False information shared on MLBTR?
Fantastic insight Samuel.
fantastic
făn-tăs′tĭk
adjective
Based on or existing only in fantasy; unreal.
Yes, it was a fantastic insight because it was unreal.
Lucky sam has me muted and can’t see this or this comment would get you muted by him. He doesn’t like being shown up. Doesn’t like being proven wrong either. I will be surprised if you survive this.
There are worse utility options out there. He’s an okay bridge until the Orioles feel any of Ortiz, Westburg, Norby, or Prieto are ready.
I guess it makes sense. 1 WAR = $8.5M and he had a 0.9 WAR.
Signing Frazier is kind of a weird move considering how many IF prospects we have knocking on the door, but he is a pretty interesting bounce back candidate only a year removed from hitting over .300 with a .368 OBP and he’s pretty versatile defensively, so I can dig it.
If it doesn’t work out, they can just call up Westburg, Norby, or Ortiz to take his playing time.
His 2021 first half was a very strange stretch. He’s always been a solid batter, but there was defintiley some luck fueling his ’21 first half. But if he’s a 90-95 wRC+ batter with a .270 average, there are far worse players.
I have nothing to add, except to point out how cool that Pirates symbol is.
Exactly. Even if his 2021 was a bit of an aberration, he still had a .344 career OBP prior to his down year in 2022 and the Orioles really need to get on base more often, so I am cool with taking a shot on him bouncing back to something closer to his pre-2022 form, especially since we have multiple insurance policies in Westburg, Ortiz, and Norby waiting in the wings if the experiment fails.
Nice spot for Frazier, who was a 4.0 WAR player in 2021. Let’s see if he can get back on track with the O’s.
It seems Elias is setting up to trade for a starter, and Frazier gives them a veteran to play 2B with no thought. He bats left which bodes well for Camden Yards. Orioles were never in play for Syndergaard or even Rodon. If Elias cannot trade some prospects for a starter, he’ll likely sign a cheaper version of Lyles and see what happens. But adding Frazier doesn’t take away anything – it simply adds depth and gives him flexibility to pull off a deal. Give it three weeks.
Not a bad signing. I would’ve preferred Frazier at 1yr/8 over Díaz at 2yr/14 because our lineup is heavy on RHH but oh well. They both can play all across the field which is increasingly becoming more valuable to teams.
This same guy keeps misspelling Pittsburgh, he leaves off the H. He does it all the time. Just wondering if he’s from somewhere in Europe. That’s how they spell Pittsburg
Unbelievable. What a piece of work. They should lose a finger for every time they leave off the h.
It’s ok. Every time Leveon Bell did a commercial, he said he was playing for “Pissburgh”. Moron. I can live with the missing “h” compared to that
Kind of random. Feel like BAL would have used that money for SP & Frazier would have signed with a contender.
Guy always looks like he’s trying to squeeze sawdust out of his bat handle.
60 mil… That’s it? Come on. I hope they’re on their way to increasing that to at least the MLB average. A few more solid pieces and they can be competitive. Spend some $ on a few more pieces, excite your fans, and they’ll come out and offset the payroll increase!
Right now Rich Becker is wishing he was young enough to play today, he could have signed for $8 million! Because that is who this is. Someone who fields adequately enough to be deployed at several positions but not a “glove first” guy where you could absorb his below average offense, and doesn’t hit well enough to be able to claim a regular spot in the lineup, otherwise he’d have one.
Frazier is neither an above average starting pitcher to improve a subadequate rotation nor a starter with high OBP to bat leadoff or a power hitter to improve a below average offense. 8 million dollars added to team payroll, 0 wins added.
0 wins added?
Adam was also a gold glove candidate twice at second base with the pirates. Except for 2022 hes done okay at the plate. IIRC he is a BABiP person.
Keep him at second but if you need room for a prospect and adam is proving 2022 is a fluke you have a lot of options.
2020 Frazier not good at the plate
2021 Frazier not good at the plate after trade to SD
2022 Frazier not good at the plate
2020 there were 58 games. BABIP was horrible
2021 57games BABIP was horrible after posting a career high with Pitt.
Both short samples.
2022 again BABIP low.
As a contact hitter this isn’t uncommon. and through all of that he still posted a positive fWAR IMO pretty amazing given the problems.
There is a more than fair chance his bat will be decent or better with only one full season of being pretty bad at the plate. But it is also possible he past his prime on offense.
The fact that the worst fielding shortstop of all time by some metrics won several gold gloves is an embarrassment to what it is supposed to signify.
Good back up player ..good luck
Take a look at the future of second base…Connor Norby…gotta give the guy some love…deserving of it
Good for the O’s. At least they’re not sitting on their hands.
I like how there’s some complaints in here that all the Orioles got was Kyle Gibson and Adam Frazier. Yeah, that’s a bummer, but look at what the top tier free agents got this year. They got even bigger deals than anyone really predicted. It was a bad offseason for teams that are on the fringe of contention like Baltimore, because you’re still waiting on a couple more pieces to come together internally. And this offseason was full of deals that could’ve went well, or ended up as another Chris Davis for you. I don’t blame Baltimore for taking some small, short term deals while seeing how their team plays out. They can always make acquisitions at the deadline if they’re in it to improve, and it wasn’t a bad offseason to sit out on big deals when you look at how crazy the big contracts have been this winter.
They won’t be any cheaper at the deadline.
Surprised how many have given up on Frazier after 1 bad year. I like this signing