Mariners acquire All-Star Adam Frazier from Padres

While a solid contributor, it would be difficult to rank him as a true “difference-maker.” His lack of pop (.131 career ISO) limits his run creation, though he will lengthen the Mariners’ lineup and make life difficult on opposing pitchers by putting the ball in play as he vies for a high batting average. 

Truth be told, he’s a fairly similar player in form and function to his new double play partner Crawford: sure-handed defenders, light on power and patience, who run well and excel at putting bat to ball. Don’t be surprised to see Frazier near the top of the Mariners’ batting order on a regular basis, regardless of where he ends up in the field.

In terms of his approach, Frazier walked in just 7.5 percent of his plate appearances, below the league-average 8.5 percent. At the same time, he struck out in a mere 10.8 percent of his plate appearances, a much stronger rate than the 22.3 percent league average. In short, Frazier puts pressure on defenses while minimizing mistakes on the other end. He’s a quality contributor and the type of player that will give manager Scott Servais plenty of options in the lineup and in the field.

In exchange for one season of Frazier, the Mariners are sending a hard-throwing southpaw reliever in Kerr and a young outfielder in Rosier. Neither have appeared on prospect lists, though Kerr did appear in Fangraphs’ supplemental “Arm Strength Relief Sorts” section. Wrote Fangraphs, “Kerr is a late-bloomer who came into big velo ahead of the pandemic. He can dunk a basketball and has superlative weight room exploits as well as rare lefty velo, inconsistently up to 99. His splitter flashes plus and the Mariners have worked with his slider enough to create viable sweep on the pitch but it was a 30 the last I saw it. The strike-throwing and secondary consistency are present issues, too.”

At 27 years old without a major league appearance, Kerr could be considered a non-prospect, though his ability to hit triple-digits on the radar gun leaves some intrigue to his future as a potential power arm out of the bullpen. He was signed a non-drafted free agent back in 2017, beginning his career as a two-way player, though he has focused on pitching in recent years. The athletic ability is clearly there, the question being whether it can be channeled to turn him from a “thrower” to a “pitcher.”

Last season, Kerr tossed 39 2/3 innings across 36 appearances in Double-A and Triple-A with a combined 3.18 ERA, an inspiring 36.8 percent strikeout rate and a 9.8 percent walk rate. For a Padres team that’s prioritizing pitching depth this offseason, Kerr is a solid gamble to add to the 40-man roster.

Rosier, 22, was a 12th round pick in last year’s amateur draft, signing for a $125K bonus. The Maryland native played his college ball at UNC Greensboro, and he was the #249th ranked prospect in the draft, per Baseball America. He played most of last season in Low-A Modesto, slashing an impressive .390/.461/.585 in 141 plate appearances. He projects as an extra outfielder with the ability to play centerfield. At the plate, his limited power is his biggest shortcoming.

Kerr and Rosier aren’t prospects at the level of Tucupita Marcano, Jack Suwinski and Michell Miliano, the prospects they sent to Pittsburgh to acquire Frazier at the deadline. That said, there’s no reason to think they’d get back fair value. Kerr fits a need and Rosier helps backfill the farm system at least a little bit. 

The more motivating factor in this deal for San Diego is financial. Frazier’s deal wasn’t exorbitant, but for a team with limited payroll flexibility, moving Frazier’s deal helps. With Jake Cronenworth, Ha-Seong Kim and Jurickson Profar all under contract, the Padres are set at second base, where Frazier best profiles. With the financial savings, President of Baseball Ops A.J. Preller can look to re-invest those savings into the pitching staff or in finding an impact bat for an outfield corner.