Former trade piece from Reds-Dodgers-White Sox Todd Frazier deal retires

Do you remember the Todd Frazier trade? After back-to-back All-Star seasons and a win in the Home Run Derby, the Cincinnati Reds made the decision to trade The Toddfather following the 2015 season.

Frazier was dealt to the Chicago White Sox, but it wasn't a simple one-for-one swap. Not only did it involve more than two players, it involved more than two teams. While Frazier ended up in the South Side of Chicago, the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Michah Johnson, Frankie Montas, and Trayce Thomspon, and the Reds landed Scott Schebler, Brandon Dixon, and Jose Peraza.

None of the three whom Cincinnati acquired in the deal really make a tremendous impact, but one of those players has decided to hang up his cleats. Dixon retired from professional baseball this past week after playing over 200 games in the big leagues.

Former Reds player Brandon Dixon, acquired in the Todd Frazier deal, retires

Brandon Dixon, who was a third-round draft pick out of the University of Arizona in 2013, made his major league debut in 2018 and played 74 games for the Reds that season while logging playing time at first, second, and third base as well as the outfield.

Dixon's defensive versatility helped him maintain a roster spot throughout his rookie season, but his bat was his undoing. Dixon managed to hit just .178/.218/.356 which resulted in the Reds non-tendering the utility player during the offseason. He was picked up by the Detroit Tigers and had his best year in the big leagues in 2019.

Dixon eventually lost his spot on the Tigers roster and played overseas before returning to the big leagues. Dixon joined his hometown San Diego Padres in 2022. Dixon played in 33 games with the Friars in 2023. After 234 career games, Dixon with retire with 22 home runs, 74 RBI and a .663 OPS.

The other two players the Cincinnati Reds acquired in the Todd Frazier trade are both out of Major League Baseball as well. Scott Schebler, who crushed 30 homers in 2017 for Cincinnati, signed a minor-league with the Colorado Rockies in 2022, but never made it back to the bigs. Jose Peraza was part of the New York Mets organization last season, but hasn't seen a major league field since 2021.

It's safe to say that no one really won that trade. The trio of players Cincinnati received amounted to little more than replacement level players, the Dodgers traded Frankie Montas midway through the 2016 season, and Todd Frazier was dealt to the New York Yankees a little over a year after arriving in Chicago. Frazier retired in 2021 having never returned to his All-Star form. If there's such thing as a lose-lose-lose deal, this was it.

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