*Photo from The Athletic*
Taking a flyer on a former all star to aid your team depth isn't such a bad thing. The Baltimore Orioles and 2B/OF Adam Frazier have agreed to a one year, $8 million deal, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The Orioles have confirmed the signing.
Frazier made his first all star game in 2021, his 6th season in the majors. He earned it in a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform, and was then traded to the San Diego Padres at the trade deadline. The following offseason, he was dealt to the Seattle Mariners, then hit free agency this winter, where the Orioles scooped him up.
The 2022 season for Frazier was not a good one with the bat. He ended the season with a .238 batting average, .301 on base percentage, and .612 OPS, managing only 3 home runs and 42 RBI's in 156 games of action. He hit .217 in the playoffs with one RBI and 5 hits in 5 games.
Frazier said of signing with the Orioles that "I got a little taste of being able to be that veteran-type guy last year in Seattle. A lot of the same kind of qualities in that team as Baltimore has. It’s a lot of fun for me. Coming from the outside, just watching them and playing against them, the excitement that they had and the energy they brought each and every night, looking forward to that and hitting the ground running."
The biggest thing Frazier brings defensively is second base, where he has started 515 out of 643 career starts. He also brings versatility in the outfield, having started 88 games in left field, 28 in right, and 6 in center field.
With Frazier now in the fold, he could platoon with Ramon Urias at second, or could be the starter and move Urias to a utility role. He could also see some time in the outfield, allowing Anthony Santander or Austin Hays to get more reps at DH.
Frazier has spent 7 years in the majors, split between the Pirates, Padres, and Mariners. In that time, he has accumulated a .273 batting average, .336 on base percentage, and .392 slugging percentage, hitting 43 home runs with 257 RBI's and 41 stolen bases in 821 games played. His postseason stats in 2022 marked the first of his career.
The signing of Frazier makes him and starting pitcher Kyle Gibson the only additions of the offseason for the Orioles thus far. Frazier joins an infield group that includes Urias, Gunnar Henderson, and Jorge Mateo, while Hays, Santander, Cedric Mullins, and Kyle Stowers are in the outfield.
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