As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, the Cincinnati Reds have traded Todd Frazier to the White Sox and received prospects Jose Peraza, Scott Schebler and Brandon Dixon from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-way trade. I wrote nearly 1000 words on the topic yesterday, so if you missed that, it’s a good place to start. Obviously, I think that my opinion is the right one, but what are they saying nationally about the trade?
Fangraphs | Jeff Sullivan
The bulk of the critical response I’ve seen says the Reds are getting shafted. I don’t think it’s quite that bad — Frazier’s value took a hit, and both Peraza and Schebler are near-ready useful pieces. Peraza could turn into an interesting starter. But there’s no question Peraza can be only so good, and some might believe the Reds should be aiming for higher ceilings. Near-ready players are just players who’ll be ready while the Reds continue to look up at the rest of the division.
Sports Illustrated | Cliff Corcoran
There are sure to be those who think the Reds could have done better than that trio in a trade for Frazier, but it looks like they did just fine. Peraza, who was reportedly the key piece in the failed Chapman trade, is a significant prospect at an up-the-middle position, and Schebler could be a productive middle-of-the-order bat with production comparable to Frazier’s, albeit without his defensive value.
ESPN | David Shoenfield
He’s (Peraza) still very young — doesn’t turn 22 until April — but I’m not sure the bat is ever going to provide much value at the major league level. The Reds could also move him back to shortstop, where he played earlier in his minor-league career, although the Reds will probably slot him at second (and trade Brandon Phillips), Eugenio Suarez at third and keep Zack Cozart at short.
Frankly, I’m not sure why the Reds didn’t just trade Frazier to the White Sox for their trio. Obviously, the Reds’ scouts and front office rate Peraza highly.
Baseball America | JJ Cooper
Jose Peraza keeps getting passed around like a White Elephant gift. He’s a solid all-around player. Not a star, but very useful regular.
— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) December 16, 2015
Yahoo Sports | Jeff Passan
Remember how the Braves were huzzahed for the return they got on Shelby Miller? Flip it 180 degrees and that’s feeling on Reds’ for Frazier.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 16, 2015
ESPN | Dan Szymborski
If you didn’t get my implication, let me be blunt. I think the Reds got as much for 2 years of Frazier as they did for 1 year of Simon.
— Dan Szymborski (@DSzymborski) December 16, 2015
Minor League Ball | Bobby Glover
From the Reds point of view, I struggle to understand this deal. I accept the need to rebuild and move Frazier, but I am not sold on the return. The Dodgers return features more depth and diversification than what the Reds received. This begs the question of whether or not the Reds would have been better off just dealing with the White Sox directly. The only reasonable assumption to make is that the Reds place a very high value on Peraza– high enough to accept two fairly mediocre secondary pieces rather than take what the White Sox were offering for Frazier.