The New York Yankees reportedly won’t deal outfielder Clint Frazier, who was recently optioned to Triple-A, for a rental.
On Sunday, the New York Yankees optioned outfielder Clint Frazier to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Coming as a surprise to some, many thought Frazier could be dealt in a trade chip. The Bombers could’ve traded him for a rental, such as San Francisco Giants left-handed pitcher Madison Bumgarner or New York Mets right-hander Zack Wheeler. Both Bumgarner and Wheeler are soon-to-be free agents.
However, Andy Martino of SNY is now reporting that dealing Frazier won’t be the case.
Martin writes, “As SNY has reported, the Yankees like Wheeler, understanding that his season has been better than some of his statistics suggest. The rumor mill has linked the Yanks to Bumgarner, though the club’s actual interest in the San Francisco lefty has been lukewarm so far.
“The Yanks are also willing to deal Frazier in the right situation, but will be very careful in doing so. He is an above-average major league hitter with five years of team control remaining before free agency. Simply put, the Yankees will not move years of Frazier for a few months of a Wheeler or Bumgarner, according to multiple major league sources.”
Frazier in his 53 games for the Yankees this season hit .283 with 11 home runs and 34 RBIs. He was ultimately optioned to make room for Edwin Encarnacion, who the Yankees acquired in a trade this past weekend with the Seattle Mariners.
When the Yankees demoted the 24-year-old outfielder, Frazier was initially surprised. He truly felt he contributed a lot to the ballclub’s success this year. However, he’s staying positive and looking forward to improving with his new team.
Frazier told James Kratch of nj.com that he’s “happy to come down here with a great group of coaches who are obviously going to make this an easier transition than it could have been. … There’s room for a lot of improvement out there that I have to make up for.”
