New York Yankees

Former New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier has reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs, per multiple sources.

The 27-year-old had a tough 2021 season, hitting just .186 with five homers, 15 RBI, 20 runs and a .633 OPS in 66 games while missing a major chunk of the season because of concussion symptoms.

Frazier, who was Cleveland's No. 5 overall pick in the 2013 draft, has never lived up to expectations. In five seasons he's hit .239 with 29 homers and 97 RBI in 228 games. He's never played in 70 or more games in a season. 

When the Yankees traded for him in 2017 as a part of a deal that sent Andrew Miller to Cleveland, general manager Brian Cashman was convinced he had hit the jackpot. 

"Frazier has an electric bat," he told reporters at the time. "His bat speed is already legendary. He's got all the tools. He can run, he can hit, he can hit with power. He can play all three outfield positions. A very exciting, high-energy guy that shows up for the national anthem in a dirty uniform."

But concussion issues hampered him in the 2018 and '19 seasons. 

"I didn't speak as much on how much the concussion stuff was bothering me out there," he told reporters in September 2020. "I was having issues with my depth perception. I felt symptoms at times but wanted to play and struggled with it."

Those issues returned in 2021. After his struggles this past season, the Yankees designated him for assignment and ultimately released him last week after he was unclaimed on waivers.

The Cubs will be hoping Frazier can be revitalized in Chicago and live up to his potential, similar to how Joc Pederson played well for the Atlanta Braves in its World Series run after the Cubs traded him midseason. That came after a poor 2020 season for Pederson with the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

While Frazier has never reached the heights of Pederson—who hit 36 dingers in 2019 and had four seasons with 25 or more home runs—he has the talent to put up similar numbers. He'll reportedly be given that chance with the Cubs. 

In the aftermath of their agreements with Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, the Texas Rangers could turn to the trade market to free up space in their infield.

Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the New York Yankees are pursuing a trade with the Rangers for 2020 Gold Glove winner Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Sunday the Rangers agreed to a seven-year, $175 million deal with Semien.

On Monday, Passan reported Seager agreed to join the Rangers on a 10-year, $325 million contract.

Kiner-Falefa has played shortstop, third base and catcher in his career. He won the AL Gold Glove at third base last year after leading the league with seven defensive runs saved, per FanGraphs.

After Elvis Andrus was traded to the Oakland Athletics before the start of the 2021 campaign, the Rangers moved Kiner-Falefa over to shortstop. His defense didn't suffer, as he ranked third among all qualified players at the position with 10 defensive runs saved.

Kiner-Falefa doesn't boast a lot of power in his swing, but he makes enough contact to hit for a solid average. The 26-year-old has a .265/.316/.354 slash line in 392 games with the Rangers.

Since the start of 2020, Kiner-Falefa has a .273 batting average with 11 homers and 63 RBI in 216 games.

The Yankees ranked 22nd in FanGraphs' defensive value in 2021. Their shortstops, primarily Gleyber Torres, finished tied for 26th in MLB with minus-15 defensive runs saved.

Kiner-Falefa wouldn't be the big splash acquisition that Yankees fans would get excited about, but his defensive skill set would be an upgrade for the team in 2022 and beyond.   

Clint Frazier is officially a free agent after the New York Yankees released the 27-year-old outfielder.

New York designated Frazier for assignment last week, which effectively signaled the end of his run in the Bronx. Manager Aaron Boone said his public goodbye Monday.

Frazier arrived in July 2016 as a centerpiece of the Andrew Miller trade. He ended that season as the 27th-best prospect on MLB.com after finishing with 16 home runs and 55 RBI across Double-A and Triple-A.

But the Georgia native has since become an example of how top prospects are never a guarantee in terms of achieving stardom in the majors.

In 228 MLB games, Frazier has a .239/.327/.434 slash line. He had double digits in homers just once, finishing with 12 in 2019.

It looked like the 2013 first-round pick turned a corner in 2020, when he slugged .511 and had a .394 on-base percentage over the pandemic-shortened campaign. Instead, the Yankees placed him on the injured list with vertigo on July 2, and he never returned to the field for the remainder of 2021.

Frazier suffered a concussion during spring training in 2018, and he experienced lingering effects across that season. He later admitted his depth perception had been affected when he was playing in the outfield.

Looking ahead to 2022, Frazier's health is an obvious question mark. Still, his minor league profile and 2020 performance make him a clear target for a rebuilding team or one looking to contend on the cheap.

And a fresh start—away from the pressure that comes with playing in New York—might be what he needs to rediscover his stride in MLB.

The New York Yankees announced Monday that they traded utility player Tyler Wade to the Los Angeles Angels for a player to be named later or cash considerations. 

The move didn't come as much of a surprise after the Yankees designated him for assignment last week along with Clint Frazier and Rougned Odor. 

That meant Wade could be claimed off waivers by another team. Instead, the Yankees came to terms with the Angels on a deal. 

Wade hit .268 with five RBI, 31 runs and 17 stolen bases in 103 games, posting a .677 OPS. He played every position for the Yankees last season except for first base, catcher and pitcher. 

While the Yankees will likely look to upgrade the utility role this winter—Wade is just a career .212 hitter—he nonetheless proved to be an important depth piece for the team in 2021. His .354 on-base percentage was a career high. 

The Angels will be hoping he can build on that this upcoming season. At just 26, he still may have untapped potential. At the least, they've acquired a versatile depth piece. 

Wade is not as big of an offseason addition as the signing of starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard to a one-year, $21 million deal. But the Angels clearly aren't resting on their laurels as they attempt to build a contender around Mike Trout, reigning AL MVP Shohei Ohtani and Anthony Rendon and return to the postseason for the first time since 2014. 

Former New York Yankees shortstop and current Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter refrained from providing any extensive remarks after free-agent shortstop Carlos Correa said that the Hall of Famer didn't deserve any of his Gold Glove Awards.

"I didn't think much about it. I don't know how my name came up. My Spanish is not that good. I still haven't seen it. I don't know how my name was brought up, but it doesn't even warrant a response," Jeter told Craig Mish of Sports Grid on Friday (via Mike Cugno of CBS Miami). "I mean, I can go a lot of directions, but I won't."

Correa initially made his comments on Me Gustan Los Deportes (via Hector Gomez of Z101 Digital):

Jeter is a five-time Gold Glove winner, claiming the award in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010.

Correa, who played for the Houston Astros from 2015 to 2021 before entering free agency, won a Gold Glove and a Platinum Glove after his work this year.

New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier and infielders Rougned Odor and Tyler Wade have been designated for assignment, the team announced Friday. 

The players can now either be traded or placed on outright waivers. If a player is claimed by another club, he is immediately added to that team's 40-man roster. If a player clears waivers, he can be sent to the minor leagues or released. 

Frazier, 27, had the worst season of his career in 2021, slashing .186/.317/.633 with five home runs and 15 RBI in 66 games. Complicating things was the fact he missed time with neurological issues and vision problems. 

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said at the GM meetings that the club had "expectation and optimism" that Frazier's health issues were behind him. It's unclear if his health issues played a role in the team's decision to DFA him. 

Frazier has spent his entire five-year career with the Yankees, averaging .239/.327/.434 with 28 home runs and 97 RBI. 

Odor joined the Yankees in 2021 after seven seasons with the Texas Rangers. The second baseman underperformed, hitting .202/.286/.379 with 15 home runs and 39 RBI in 102 games. 

The 27-year-old's designation does not come as a surprise given New York's pursuit of a shortstop this winter, which will move Gleyber Torres back to second base. 

Wade, who has played second base, shortstop and in the outfield, has spent his entire five-year career with the Yankees. He slashed .268/.354/.323 with five RBI in 103 games. 

None of the Yankees' decisions come as a surprise. The club is interested in upgrading in several areas, which means cutting ties with players this winter. New York has been linked to Carlos Correa, Freddie Freeman and Starling Marte, among others. 

The Yankees finished the 2021 season third in the American League East with a 92-70 record and fell in the AL Wild Card Game to the Boston Red Sox.  

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is entering the final year of his contract, but it sounds like the team doesn't want him to make it to free agency.

Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner told Ken Davidoff of the New York Post that he's willing to consider signing Judge to a contract extension. Though he acknowledged Judge's impact on the franchise, Steinbrenner noted that there have been no talks of a long-term deal as of yet.

"Look, he's a great Yankee. He's one of the faces of the franchise," Steinbrenner said. "He's a great leader, great in the clubhouse. It's definitely something I'm willing to talk to [general manager Brian Cashman] about. But nothing formal has happened yet."

Judge had one of the best years of his young career in 2021, slashing .287/.373/.544 with 39 home runs and 98 RBI. Those were his highest totals since his standout rookie season in 2017.

The Yankees have made the playoffs in each of Judge's five full major league seasons. But New York hasn't advanced to the World Series since 2009. Last season was particularly disappointing, as the team failed to find any consistency and was bounced in the American League Wild Card Game by the rival Boston Red Sox.

Judge has been open about his desire to remain in New York. During a Q&A with Fanatics Live last week, the 29-year-old outfielder said being a Yankee for the rest of his career "would be a wish of mine, a goal of mine, to finish my career as a Yankee, but you never know what the cards hold. If it was up to me, I’d be a Yankee for the next 10 years, for sure."

New York has a long history of dishing out big-money deals. But it hasn't retained one of its homegrown players with a large extension since Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter signed a 10-year, $189 million contract before the 2001 season.

The Yankees, who signed manager Aaron Boone to a new three-year deal earlier this offseason, have multiple holes to fill in free agency. Cashman said that shortstop is "an area of need." The team will likely seek improvements to its outfield and starting pitching rotation as well.

Carlos Correa does not appear headed to the Bronx.

Matthew Roberson of the New York Daily News reported the Yankees prefer a "stopgap" solution at shortstop rather than breaking the bank for either Correa or Corey Seager. Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner seemed open to the idea of signing Correa when he spoke to reporters earlier Wednesday.

"He's obviously a great talent. And, look, I think, hopefully, most people have moved on from that. I mean, I think it's only healthy to move on from things like that instead of stewing on it year after year," Steinbrenner said, alluding to the Astros' cheating scandal.

The Yankees used a platoon at shortstop last season that included Tyler Wade and Andrew Velazquez. Their performances were a far cry from the halcyon days of Derek Jeter manning the 6 hole; the position has been a significant source of concern since Didi Grigorious' departure after the 2019 season.

With the Yankees equipped with an unlimited budget and two major stars in Correa and Seager on the market, they seemed like a natural fit for both. Correa didn't win over any fans with his comments regarding Jeter's defense, but those wounds would quickly heal once he puts on pinstripes.

It's possible that Seager, Correa and Trevor Story wind up driving one another's prices down to the point the Yankees feel comfortable handing out a multi-year deal. If they go the stopgap route, Andrelton Simmons could be an intriguing option with high defensive upside. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers want to bring shortstop Corey Seager back to the team, but the New York Yankees are also in the mix for the free agent.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported the interest in Seager, who hit .306 (.915 OPS) with 16 home runs and 57 RBI in 95 games for L.A. last year.

The 27-year-old has spent his entire seven-year MLB career with the Dodgers, who selected Seager with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2012 draft.

This offseason's free-agency class is loaded at shortstop, with the Houston Astros' Carlos Correa and the Colorado Rockies' Trevor Story about to get paid big bucks. A pair of middle infielders who can play short or second in the Toronto Blue Jays' Marcus Semien and the New York Mets' Javier Baez are available as well.

The Yankees need infield help. Gleyber Torres played the bulk of games at shortstop for them this year, but he hit just .259 with a .697 OPS and struggled in the field with 19 errors.

The Yanks shouldn't give up on Torres as he enters his age-25 season, but a move to second is probably best for him in 2022. That would leave a gap at short, where Seager could slide in.

The Dodgers appear to be undergoing a makeover for the 2022 season, with free agents including Seager, starting pitchers Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw, closer Kenley Jansen and infielder/outfielder Chris Taylor.

L.A. already has over $200 million committed to its 2022 payroll, so it would appear that the team needs to make some tough decisions.

The Dodgers appear to believe that Seager is a core piece for their future, however, as they look to return to the World Series after winning it all in 2020.

Regardless of where Seager winds up, he's bound to get a huge deal, and that goes for the rest of the top middle infielders on the market.