Report: Former Yankees OF Clint Frazier, Cubs Agree to 1-Year Contract

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.