Report: Reds 'open for business' at Winter Meetings
The Winter Meetings are set to begin Dec. 7 and the Cincinnati Reds are expected to be active. Very active -- the club is in full rebuild mode and has plenty of movable assets.
According to a report, the Reds are "open for business" this week with third baseman Todd Frasier on the table:
Frazier, a Rutgers product, owns a .257 average with 108 homers and 324 RBI over his five seasons in Cincinnati.
#Reds are "open for business" on everyone at winter meetings, source says. Todd Frazier included.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) December 7, 2015
In addition to Frazier, it was reported that Chapman was close to being traded to the Dodgers on Sunday:
Frazier is relatively inexpensive and under arbitration until he is a free agent after the 2017 season. Chapman has just one season left on his contract.
It will be interesting to see if the team tries to move more expensive assets and how much money they would be willing to eat to accomplish the trade. Joey Votto, a perennial MVP candidate, is signed through 2023 making about $25 million per season. Brandon Phillips is signed through the 2017 season, but is making $27 million over those two years. Jay Bruce, a huge trade asset prior to 2014, saw his value drop after back-to-back seasons hitting under .226, though he did mash 26 homers last season.
