*Photo from the Oneida Dispatch*
Clint Frazier was in need of a fresh start after a rocky beginning to his career. The Chicago Cubs need outfielders as they look to fill the roster. It was a match that needed to be made. The Cubs and Frazier have agreed to a one year, $1.5 million deal with $1 million in bonuses, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. The Cubs have confirmed the deal.
At the start of his career, Frazier was the 5th overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft, and had excitement abound surrounding him. He was traded from the Cleveland Indians to the New York Yankees in the 2016 Andrew Miller trade. Ever since he made his debut however, Frazier has struggled with concussions and other health issues, and was DFA'd and released by the Yankees earlier this offseason.
Last season in the Bronx, Frazier struggled to a .186 batting average and .633 OPS, hitting just 5 home runs with 15 RBI, drawing 32 walks while playing just 66 games, once again bitten by injury. The team had initially diagnosed his injury this season as Vertigo, but that was soon changed, although the exact injury was not specified after that. It was, however, bad enough to hold Frazier out for the rest of the season.
Across parts of 5 big league seasons with the Yankees, Frazier has a .239 batting average and .761 OPS, with 29 career home runs and 97 RBI's, stealing 7 bases and drawing 85 walks in 228 regular season games. In 4 playoff games, Frazier has one home run and one single, striking out 4 times in 6 at bats, all coming in the 2020 playoffs.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone was hopeful his former player could turn it around, saying that "Fortunately for him, his story is not complete from a baseball standpoint. The bottom line for Clint is, he’s a guy with a lot of ability. It’s just a matter of he’s dealt with some injuries and different things that kept him off the field at times. But I feel if he gets the right opportunity and stays healthy, he still has a really good opportunity to write a really good career story."
The deal for Frazier and the Cubs is only for one year, but he is still in his arbitration years, so he is technically under club control for a few more seasons, as he won't hit free agency until after the 2024 season, as things currently stand. He also still has one year of minor league options left, so Frazier can safely be sent to the minors if he is struggling or they need to create roster room.
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