New York Mets veteran infielder Todd Frazier can be counted among the MLB players frustrated with the slow free agency period.
Per Matt Ehalt of The Record in North Jersey, Frazier said “You see what’s going on, it’s not good for the game. … It’s something where as a union we need to come together and figure some things out.”
He also offered a blunt warning about what will happen if things aren’t changed soon.
Frazier also said: "If things don’t change soon, people could be out of jobs.”
— Matt Ehalt (@MattEhalt) February 14, 2019
It would be hard to dispute Frazier’s point. This is the second offseason in a row where this has happened.
In 2018, we saw top free agents Jake Arrieta and J.D. Martinez remained unsigned into spring training. One of the excuses used for that was that teams might have been saving up for this offseason’s class, highlighted by Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. But with spring training underway, both megastars, who are only 26, remain unsigned. The same is true for other top free agents, including Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel.
It’s easy to see where Frazier is coming from. And if things don’t change, jobs absolutely should be lost. This is a system-wide failure. And players are very upset.