Chicago Cubs should go young in trade acquisitions this offseason

Chicago Cubs: Clint Frazier

As he plays in a big market for the New York Yankees, Clint Frazier‘s potential status with the team in 2020 has been dissected a lot since the offseason began. It makes sense that he would be a trade candidate, as the Yankees already have Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks, and Jacoby Ellsbury (yes, he’s still in the league) under contract for 2020, plus they are expected to bring back long-time veteran Brett Gardner.

The 25-year-old Frazier did prove that he could hit big league pitching in 2019, as he hit 12 home runs and 14 doubles in just 69 games while posting an OPS of .806. However, Frazier’s attitude has come into question, as he failed to make himself available to the media after a game last year while publicly criticizing the team after being sent to the minor leagues.

A trade would offer a fresh start for Frazier. He’s seen significant time in both right and left field, so whether he would fit with the Cubs would depend on whether the team does indeed move Schwarber and/or whether Jason Heyward could continue to play center instead of right, as he did when the Cubs acquired Nicholas Castellanos earlier this year. Frazier is considered a subpar defender.

The Yankees would almost certainly want pitching in return for Frazier, something of which the Cubs don’t have a lot to spare. However, NJ.com reports that Frazier’s trade value has gone down over the past year. Would the Yankees be willing to include Frazier as part of a package for, say, Jose Quintana? If the Yankees are willing to throw in a pitching prospect, perhaps that would interest the Cubs.