The David Wright era may be coming to an end.

The Mets' captain no longer seems to have a stronghold on third base, as is evidenced by the Mets' move to grab free agent third baseman/first baseman Todd Frazier on Monday night. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic was the first to report the two-year, $17 million deal for the New Jersey native.

It might be the smartest move the Mets have made all winter for a myriad of reasons.

The move allows Asdrubal Cabrera to move to second base, effectively solidifying the infield. It's his preferred position and one he's more familiar with, and the Mets' defense gets a whole lot better with Cabrera and Amed Rosario up the middle and Frazier, a plus-defender, at the hot corner.

Frazier, a one-time Yankee who will be 32 next week, gives the Mets a run producer at a key run-producing position, as well as injects more power into an increasingly powerful lineup. The downside? He swings and misses a lot but he gets on base at a high rate (career .321 OBP and .779 OPS).

Mike Moustakas might be the best third baseman on the market and one of the top in the game, but the Mets are heavily invested in restocking their farm system. Since the former Kansas City Royals' third baseman received a qualifying offer, the Mets would have had to give up a draft pick and international bonus pool money, something they were extremely reluctant to do.

Frazier also brings strong clubhouse leadership and a light, loose playing style. He's not the new David Wright, but this move signals the Mets' move away from their past into the future. The club has been waiting on Wright to recover from his back and neck injuries, but after missing the entire 2017 season and undergoing two more surgeries in the fall, they finally see what the rest of baseball sees: The captain isn't coming back the same.

Whatever the Mets can get from Wright, they'll take. Maybe that means clubhouse leadership and maybe that means a few at-bats off the bench late this summer. It also may mean part of his salary for the third year in a row. But they made a smart decision to open up their wallets and solidify their infield and bring in player who solves several problems instead of holding out hope for a full Wright recovery.

Abbey Mastracco may be reached at amastracco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @abbeymastracco. Find NJ.com on Facebook.