The New York Yankees released Clint Frazier and two other veterans to clear some roster spots.
They had to open up five roster spots last week to protect their most prized prospects from being taken in the Rule 5 Draft, and Frazier was one of the cuts.
He has an underwhelming .239/.327/.434 career line and struggled mightily in 2021, with vision problems and dizziness.
He is said to be healthy now, so rebuilding teams should be heavily interested in his services.
These three franchises should be all over Frazier.
3. Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies could benefit from adding a talent like Frazier.
He is not very consistent and will require patience, but at 27 years old and having had moments of success, he should be a target for the Rockies.
He shouldn’t cost too much, and Colorado doesn’t have a terribly deep outfield.
At the moment, Raimel Tapia, Sam Hilliard, and Charlie Blackmon are the projected starters in the outfield.
Hilliard is strikeout prone and inconsistent, while Blackmon is aging quickly.
Frazier could feast in the thin air of Colorado.
It could be a good fit.
2. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ rebuild has seemingly taken forever to materialize.
The organization continually trades their stars for prospects.
Right now, they might have something brewing if they can hold onto Bryan Reynolds and if they can somehow get more out of Mitch Keller.
However, they need all the talent they can get, and if it comes in the form of an affordable contract, even better.
Frazier would be a low-cost gamble for a team in need of offensive performers.
Granted, he has been underwhelming for much of his stint with the Yankees, but he had moments in which he looked like a difference-maker.
In 2020, for example, Frazier slashed .267/.394/.511 with eight homers in just 39 games.
He has amazing bat speed, and a newfound ability to take walks.
His defense remains bad, but he has shown a willingness to work on it in the past.
For a Pirates team that currently projects to start Yoshi Tsutsugo and Ben Gamel on the outfielder corners, going after Frazier is a no-brainer.
This Ideal Pittsburgh Pirates 2022 OF:
LF, Clint Frazier
CF, Bryan Reynolds
RF, Seiya Suzuki— Kody Duncan (@TalkPirates) November 24, 2021
1. Texas Rangers
The last-place Texas Rangers were very bad in 2021, but seem determined to land at least one impact player during free agency.
They have been connected with lots of high-profile free agents, such as Trevor Story, Corey Seager, Clayton Kershaw, and Starling Marte.
Evidently, the Rangers are in talent acquisition mode: they want to return to contention soon, and they know that while 2022 may be a bit on the optimistic side, 2023 and 2024 are good targets.
A young, talented hitter like Frazier is exactly the type of signing a team like the Rangers should be considering right now: cheap and with loads of upside.
Right now, Leody Taveras is slated to be the Rangers’ center fielder in 2022, and Adolis Garcia should man right field.
The newly-acquired Billy McKinney is currently at the top of the depth chart in left.
Not sure if waiver claims are the same in the off-season as regular season, wondering if Rangers would take a shot at Clint Frazier. Only Baltimore would be ahead of them in the order I think, claims submitted by tomorrow?
Seems like the sort of guy a rebuilding team could use— Texas Rangers Fans UK (@TexasRangers_UK) November 20, 2021
Frazier right now would start over McKinney, and there is a case to be made that, in raw talent, he is at least on the same level as Taveras and Garcia.
It’s definitely a worthy gamble for general manager Chris Young and the Rangers.
NEXT: Mets Badly Need To Address Starting Pitching During Free Agency