Cincinnati Reds Rumors: Jocketty Says Todd Frazier Will Not Be Traded

Per a report from the Cincinnati Enquirer’s John Fay, Cincinnati Reds general manager Walt Jocketty says the team will not be trading third baseman Todd Frazier before this year’s deadline.

Frazier is hitting .283/.344/.606 with 25 home runs, 54 runs batted, an fWAR of 4.2 and a wRC+ of 158. Needless to say, teams would be lining up at Jocketty’s door to acquire the third baseman if he was available.

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But are the Reds making the right move by hanging on to him?

Most baseball experts and fans agree that players with expiring contracts like Johnny Cueto, Aroldis Chapman and Mike Leake should be shopped, but there’s been more debate on players such as Frazier. With Frazier in the midst of a career season, his trade value obviously would be tremendous. A team like the New York Mets, who may be without David Wright for the rest of the season, would undoubtedly love to acquire the New Jersey native. Additionally, Frazier is already 29 years old, so his worth may not get higher than it is right now if he declines with age as many players do.

Adding to his trade value is the fact that he’s under team control through 2017. However, that’s exactly why some (including myself) feel it’s best to hang on to the Reds’ star.

The Reds are probably not going to be contenders this year, barring a monumental turnaround, but I don’t believe the sky is falling for the franchise and dealing Frazier now wouldn’t be advantageous. Frazier is a piece the club can build around in the coming years along with Joey Votto and Devin Mesoraco. Some are calling for a fire sale and complete rebuild of the franchise, but as our own Ashley Davis wrote last month, that might not be totally necessary.

With a solid core in place to go along with some talented young prospects who are approaching (or already at) the big league level, it might not be all that long before the Reds are competitive again. If the team plays their cards right this month and adds some quality hitting prospects by dealing the likes of Cueto and Chapman, the team could legitimately be competitive again in the next season or two.

If things don’t go as planned and the Reds continue to struggle in the coming years, the team can start looking to trade Frazier as his contract nears its end. His value could decline by then, but right now, he’s a player that the organization can build their offense around and could be the centerpiece of the next Reds team to reach the postseason.

Next: Five Reds players who should be shopped at the trade deadline