The Cincinnati Reds continued their rebuild for the future on Wednesday, trading All-Star third baseman Todd Frazier to the Chicago White Sox in a three-team deal that also includes the Los Angeles Dodgers. The White Sox announced full details of the trade:
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports initially reported the trade.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports confirmed Frazier was going to Chicago. Heyman added the Dodgers were getting Montas, Micah Johnson and Trayce Thompson. Rosenthal reported Cincinnati was getting shortstop Jose Peraza, outfielder Scott Shebler and second baseman Brandon Dixon from the Dodgers.
Frazier, 29, hit .255/.309/.498 with 35 home runs and 89 RBI in 2015. He was named an All-Star for the second straight season and became beloved in Cincinnati when he won the Home Run Derby, which was held at Great American Ballpark.
The Reds have been floating Frazier's name on the trade market alongside closer Aroldis Chapman for a good part of the offseason. While Frazier and Chapman have become pillars of the organization since arriving in the big leagues, both are nearing free agency—a no-no for a Cincinnati team in the midst of a rebuild. Frazier and Chapman stand to be among the highest-paid players at their respective positions, and the Reds are coming off a 98-loss season.
It stood to reason, then, that Cincinnati would look to cut bait now for a package that can help the team build for the future.
"If the Reds don't strip down their team, they'll probably continue to float somewhere in the middle," Buster Olney wrote in November at ESPN.com. "Given the limitations of their market and their budget, they'll never really spend enough to contend with the best teams in the National League, and with Frazier, Votto and the collection of young pitching they have developed, they'll probably never be so bad that they'll pick near the beginning of the draft."
Frazier is set to hit unrestricted free agency following the 2017 campaign and is arbitration eligible. The White Sox will assume what's sure to be a hefty payday for each of the next two seasons and may want to start discussing an extension right now. Frazier was eighth in wins above replacement among third basemen last season and is fifth over the last two, per FanGraphs.
At minimum, Frazier should command a deal on par with or greater than the five-year, $95 million contract Boston handed Pablo Sandoval last winter. He's a good defensive player who has belted 64 home runs and stolen 33 bases over the last two seasons. While most would prefer he were more patient at the plate—Frazier had over three times as many strikeouts as walks last season—he's still a boost to any roster he joins.
The White Sox will hope that's the case after giving up a young, promising pitcher with the goal to win big in 2016.
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