Chicago Cubs sign outfielder Clint Frazier to one-year deal, per report

The Cubs continued making moves on Tuesday, as former superstar Cubs began getting signed elsewhere. While Javier Baez was off signing a six-year deal with the Detroit Tigers, the Cubs picked up former Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier on a one-year deal. According to Russell Dorsey the deal is currently pending a physical before being finalized.

The financial terms of the deal were not immediately available, but we will update this article once they have been released.

The 27-year-old Frazier has had some struggles during his tenure with the Yankees. Once considered one of the most exciting outfield prospects for the Bronx Bombers, Frazier has amassed a career line of only .239/327/.434 over five seasons. He has a decent career wRC+ of 105, and a career 0.2 fWAR, though his 2021 season was his worst in terms of WAR, with -0.9, and a wRC+ of only 83. He’s also somewhat of a defensive liability in the outfield, with a 2021 DRS of -11.

His 2020 season, however, was a different story with a line of .267/.394/.511, a whopping 149 wRC+, and 1.4 fWAR. This was over only 39 games in the shortened season, though, so certainly take those numbers with a grain of salt. Frazier ended the 2021 season early, after going on the IL for ongoing concerns involving vertigo, but any serious issues were ruled out.

Given Frazier’s limited use by the Yankees—he appeared in only 66 games for them last year, and has never played more than 69 games in a single season—the Cubs most likely view Frazier as a utility bench outfielder. Frazier has experience in both left and right field and that flexibility will be a boon to the Cubs.

Given his youth and the very strong 2020 season he had, it’s not out of the question that he might bounce back in a new environment. We shared an article about his upsides just last week.