Disgruntled Jackson Frazier puts a ‘cold’ Cubs front office on blast

The signing of Jackson Frazier (then known as Clint) last winter kind of epitomized the offseason plan the Cubs front office went with – rolling the dice on a mix of additions that, if everything played out perfectly, might be able to surprise some folks and help the team be competitive.

Frazier, a former first-round pick by Cleveland, had fallen out of favor in the Bronx after he never really developed into what the Yankees were hoping for when they acquired him in the deal that sent Andrew Miller to the Tribe back in 2016. On paper, the fit with Chicago made perfect sense – they were a team with plenty of moving parts and it seemed likely he’d get a real chance to see regular at-bats for a team that was pretty clearly re-building.

Instead, after struggling through just 45 big league plate appearances, the Cubs designated Frazier for assignment in mid-June in a move the 28-year-old called ‘cold’.

“The biggest thing for me was, why did they sign me?” he told the Sun-Times. “I had other chances to potentially go other places.”

It’s not like Frazier did a lot in his limited playing time, batting just .216/.356/.297 during his time in Chicago. Since going back to Iowa, things have gotten even worse for him, thanks to a case of the yips that has totally unraveled his approach at the plate. He’s batting just .100 since running off a hitting streak in July and there’s next to no chance he latches on anywhere on a big league deal next spring.

Cubs, Jackson Frazier never really seemed to get on the same page

Looking at the Cubs’ outfield mix, there will be even fewer reps available in 2023 than there were early this year. Ian Happ returns for what could be his final year in pinstripes and Seiya Suzuki will handle the duties in right field, coming on the heels of his rookie season. Top prospect Brennen Davis will likely make his big league debut at some point – and guys like Nelson Velazquez, Christopher Morel will factor into the mix, as well.

Regardless of the plans on the North Side, Frazier admitted he wants no future with the Cubs. The only reason he accepted his assignment to Triple-A this summer was so he wouldn’t have to forfeit the remainder of the $1.5 million on his contract.

It’s an unceremonious end to the relationship, to be sure. Things didn’t go as planned, but sometimes that’s how reclamation signings go. Perhaps the front office could have handled the DFA a bit more tactfully, but it’s still rare to see a player call out a team like this regardless.