Former Yankees Top Prospect Available; Should Cardinals Take Chance To Add Depth?

Should the Cardinals take a chance on a former Yankees top prospect?

The St. Louis Cardinals have plenty of outfield depth, but it could never hurt to add more. 

St. Louis currently has young phenom Jordan Walker, Tyler O'Neill, Dylan Carlson, and Lars Nootbaar at the big league level. The Cardinals also have Juan Yepez and Moisés Gómez at the minor league level but on the club's 40-man roster. The Cardinals have struggled in the pitching department this season and if they were interested and making a trade for a hurler it likely would mean dealing at least one outfielder from this crew. 

If the Cardinals were looking to add even more veteran depth at the minor league level, one player the club could consider is former New York Yankees top prospect Clint Frazier after he reportedly was released by the Texas Rangers, according to the Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant.

Frazier signed with the Rangers ahead of the 2023 season to a minor league deal and after slashing 250/.350/.442 along with a home run in 15 games with the Triple-A Round Rock Express was released Monday. The 28-year-old was drafted in the first round of the 2013 MLB June Amateur Draft by the Cleveland Indians and was traded to the New York Yankees. 

The outfielder made his MLB debut with New York in 2017 and spent parts of five seasons with the club. Frazier at one point was the Yankees' No. 2 prospect but injuries and inconsistent play have deterred his career. In five seasons with the Yankees Frazier slashed .239/.327/.434 to go along with 29 home runs and 98 RBIs in 228 games played. Frazier joined the Chicago Cubs in 2022 and appeared in just 22 games. 

Frazier may not be a starting big league outfielder, but he still has some upside and years of MLB experience under his belt. If the Cardinals were to look for pitching help it likely would mean trading an outfielder -- most likely O'Neill at this point -- so adding another MLB veteran to the minor leagues on a cheap contract certainly wouldn't hurt. If Frazier were to shine in the minors and the Cardinals were bitten by the injury bug maybe he could be brought back to the big leagues as a depth piece. If he were to struggle, it wouldn't impact the big league club in any way. 

At this point there's no indication where Frazier will sign, but maybe the Cardinals should look into a move. 

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