The Cubs have outrighted Clint Frazier off their 40-man roster, after the outfielder cleared waivers. According to ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers, Frazier has elected to accept the assignment to Triple-A Iowa, rather than elect free agency.
Chicago signed Frazier to a one-year, $1.5M deal just prior to the lockout, and about a week after the Yankees released the outfielder (essentially an early non-tender, as Frazier was projected to earn $2.4M through the arbitration process). Frazier has hit .216/.356/.297 over 45 plate appearances this season, with his campaign broken up by a missed month of action due to an appendectomy. Frazier was designated for assignment last week, and it is perhaps a sign of how his stock has fallen that no teams put a claim on a player who isn’t far removed from being one of baseball’s top prospects.
There was some speculation that Frazier would refuse the outright assignment and instead test the open market again, but there is logic in his decision to remain in the Cubs organization. For one, Frazier might just be looking to get some consistent playing time after his lost month, and his market surely wasn’t helped by his lack of production this far in 2022. It stands to reason that Frazier might get another chance in Chicago later in the season, should the Cubs move some veteran players prior to the trade deadline.
The fifth overall pick of the 2013 draft, Frazier is now in his sixth MLB season, and he showed some flashes of his potential during his five years in the Bronx. However, a lack of consistency and some health issues kept Frazier from locking down a regular spot in the Yankees’ lineup, and vertigo-like symptoms kept Frazier off the field for most of the final three months of the 2021 season.
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