Another big name that’s been mentioned numerous times since free agency began is off the market. Todd Frazier has been traded by the Cincinnati Reds to the Chicago White Sox in a three team trade that involved the Los Angeles Dodgers and seven players.
So who is going where? The All-Star third baseman is going to the Chicago White Sox. The Reds will receive shortstop Jose Peraza, infielder Brandon Dixon and left fielder Scott Schebler from the Dodgers, while the White Sox are sending pitcher Frankie Montas, second baseman Micah Johnson and centerfielder Trayce Thompson to the Dodgers, with Frazier being at the epicenter of all this player movement.
Frazier himself might actually be moved to the outfield, but that remains to be seen. Right now, it’s more likely that the White Sox will move Brett Lawrie to second base to make Frazier, a home run derby champion in Cincinnati last year, a two-time All-Star (2014 and 2015) and a hitter of 64 home runs over the last two seasons, happy with where he’s at, although his fielding suggests he might need a different position to be less harmful defensively to the team.
The Reds wants prospects and got them. Peraza was the Dodgers’ fourth-ranked prospect last season, and Schebler was ranked 13th. The Dodgers are happy with their yield, and not just because of the talent they received and how they’re going to play with them, but mostly in how it positions them to make further deals. We still haven’t seen the Dodgers make anything too fancy this offseason, and the free agent market isn’t filled with players to throw big money at, not to mention letting Zack Greinke slip away. However, they believe that with Montas, Johnson and Thompson they’re better positioned to make moves in the market.
For the White Sox, it’s about winning now. They haven’t made the postseason since 2008, and haven’t won a series since the 2005 World Series. Since 2012 they’ve posted only losing records, and it’s time to move up the ladder of the AL Central, hoping that Frazier’s hitting can get them there. The Reds are in rebuilding phase. The Dodgers? They want a world series, but for less money than they’ve spent in recent years. Not that it helped them get very far in the playoffs.