White Sox get All-Star Todd Frazier as part of three-team deal

The Chicago White Sox acquired All-Star third baseman Todd Frazier from Cincinnati in a three-way trade that sent the Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers a trio of prospects each Wednesday, continuing the White Sox’s rebuild-on-the-fly, the Reds’ dismantling and the Dodgers’ hoarding of young assets.

Frazier, 29, heads to Chicago two years before free agency and slots into the middle of a revamped lineup with Brett Lawrie (who will shift to second base), Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro to complement Jose Abreu, Adam Eaton and Melky Cabrera.

The Reds received infielder Jose Peraza, outfielder Scott Schebler and utilityman Brandon Dixon. Peraza, a speedy shortstop/second baseman, is the main return – and was the centerpiece of the proposed deal that almost saw Cincinnati trade closer Aroldis Chapman to the Dodgers during the Winter Meetings. With the Reds not keen on the prospect package the White Sox were offering, the Dodgers jumped in to the deal and were happy to take the three from Chicago.

Trayce Thompson, the brother of basketball star Klay Thompson, excelled toward the end of the season and can play center field. Second baseman Micah Johnson and right-hander Frankie Montas both have plus-plus tools – Johnson gamebreaking speed and Montas a fastball that has reached 103 mph and could play in the rotation or the bullpen.

Cincinnati, facing a teardown that could include the trade of longtime Reds Brandon Phillips or Jay Bruce, had shopped Frazier and asked for top-level prospects from each team, multiple sources involved with the discussions told Yahoo Sports. With the White Sox loath to deal shortstop Tim Anderson, who could reach the major leagues this season, Cincinnati went back to Peraza, 21, as the anchor for the deal.

Gone is Frazier, a first-round pick in 2007 who grew into the team’s biggest source of power. He whacked a career-high 35 home runs in 2015, though his struggles after an All-Star Game in which he won the Home Run Derby were palpable. Frazier hit just .220/.274/.390.

The White Sox paid heavy in young players, to the Dodgers’ benefit. Thompson, 24, hit .295/.363/.533 and played an above-average center field during his 44 major league games. Johnson, 24, struggled after winning the White Sox’s second-base job out of spring training and spent a majority of the season in Triple-A, where he batted .315/.375/.466. Montas debuted in 2015 as well, pitching in the rotation and in relief, where he could end up because his arsenal for now consists of only fastball and slider.

Los Angeles chose the prospect package over Frazier because of an offensive logjam and the flexibility three more young assets provide. The Dodgers intend to play Justin Turner, coming off microfracture surgery, at third base, and with any trade market for him hindered by the surgery, keeping him and adding to their cache of prospects looks like the proper play.

Especially with what it could net the Dodgers: a top-of-the-rotation pitcher. Whether it’s Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez, one of the Cleveland Indians’ power arms or even Sonny Gray, the frontline starter the Oakland A’s have said they’re not trading, the Dodgers’ enormous volume of young players puts them in prime position to strike.

And while their offseason thus far had lacked major maneuvers as the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants both loaded up their rotations with a pair of new starters, the Dodgers have plenty of time – and plenty of options – to keep pace in the National League West.