KANSAS CITY — The Royals and second baseman/outfielder Adam Frazier are in agreement on a one-year, $2 million deal with an $8.5 million mutual option for 2025, sources told MLB.com on Saturday morning.
The option includes a $2.5 million buyout, making the full deal worth a guaranteed $4.5 million.
Kansas City is bringing in the versatile defender to give manager Matt Quatraro another left-handed option in the infield and outfield while adding depth to the lineup.
The deal, which has not been confirmed by the club, is pending a physical, likely to be completed next week. The Royals will have to make a 40-man roster move once Frazier is officially added to the roster, and trades are being explored to clear space, according to sources.
Frazier, 32, spent 2023 with the American League East champion Orioles, and he hit .240/.300/.396 with 21 doubles, a career-high 13 home runs and a 93 wRC+. He bounced back some from the previous two years with Seattle (.612 OPS in ‘22) and San Diego (.662 OPS after being traded from Pittsburgh at the ‘21 Trade Deadline).
A contact-oriented hitter, Frazier doesn’t strike out much, with a 13% strikeout rate for his career and a 6.5% swinging strike rate. He had a 14.9% strikeout rate last year, along with a 7% walk rate.
Frazier appeared in 130 games at second base last year and just 10 in the outfield, but the Royals will likely move him around more. Defensive metrics like defensive runs saved and Outs Above Average didn’t favor him at second base the past two seasons like they did when he was with Pittsburgh; he posted -4 DRS and -15 OAA last year, compared to 11 DRS and -5 OAA for his career.
Drafted in the sixth round of the 2013 Draft out of Mississippi State, Frazier spent the first 5 1/2 seasons of his big league career in Pittsburgh, where he hit .283/.346/.420. He made his lone All-Star team in ‘21 and was one of the most sought-after players on the trade market at the Deadline — he was having a career year and offered defensive versatility as well as a contact-first bat.
The Royals had been searching for another left-handed infielder with versatility following their moves last month that bolstered the pitching staff and added a big bat to the lineup in Hunter Renfroe. How much playing time Frazier will get, as well as where he’ll fit in the field, is still to be determined. And it’s unclear who will give way in the starting lineup. The Royals will still want to get second baseman Michael Massey, also a lefty, at-bats, as well as rookie Nick Loftin, who can play all over the field.
But the Royals have been focused on adding veteran players this offseason, knowing Quatraro will mix and match the lineup based on a myriad of factors each night, including the opposing pitchers and recent workload for the Royals’ position players.
While the Royals got most of their offseason checklist completed before Christmas, committing $105 million to six free agents in the span of one week, general manager J.J. Picollo said he wouldn’t stop trying to look for ways to upgrade the roster with smaller deals. Frazier is one move, and with less than three weeks until Spring Training, the Royals still might not be done.
