4 Players Yankees Definitely Would Trade Clint Frazier For

Situations like this one are what the term "embarrassment of riches" was created to represent. Despite raking to the tune of a .283 batting average and 11 home runs, 24-year-old outfielder Clint Frazier was optioned to the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate in Scranton as Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton returned from their respective injuries.

The logjam in the Yankees outfield would suggest that Frazier will be used as a trade chip, but Brian Cashman and Co. made clear they are unwilling to ship a premium young talent like Frazier off for a one-year rental in the Madison Bumgarner/Zach Wheeler mold. However, if one of these controllable assets were offered to New York, perhaps they'd be enough to convince the Yankees to make a swap.

4. Marcus Stroman - SP, Blue Jays

In a year where not much is going right for the Toronto Blue Jays, Marcus Stroman has returned to his old form, pitching to the tune of a 3.23 ERA in 16 starts. Frazier could be a great addition to the plethora of young talent in Toronto's system, which includes Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio, and Bo Bichette. Sending Frazier north of the border gives the Jays another power bat, while the Yankees get a young, controllable arm.

3. Trevor Bauer - SP, Indians

While he hasn't pitched to the same level he has during his 2018 All-Star season, Bauer is under team control for one more season and remains one of the more experienced arms on the trade market. While sending Frazier, who was drafted by the Indians and traded to the Yankees in the Andrew Miller deal, back to Cleveland would be pretty ironic, it makes sense for both parties involved. The Indians get some pop at the top of their lineup, while the Yankees can add an established starter with playoff experience.

2. Whit Merrifield - 2B, Royals

By virtue of playing for the cellar-dwelling Royals, Merrifield's production has flown under everyone's noses. The 30-year-old has led the AL in steals in 2017 and 2018, and he led the AL in hits last year with 192. He's currently pacing the senior circuit with 94 hits this year. Merrifield can line up at almost every position and has three more years on his contract, which would be a more than adequate return for Frazier.

1. Max Scherzer - SP, Nationals

If the Yankees want to turn back the clock to the George Steinbrenner days, they should go big name hunting and look to pry Scherzer away from the sliding Nationals. Obviously this trade would be difficult to pull off, as Scherzer would command an enormous haul of prospects to go with Frazier. Not to mention, the Nationals front office may have a hard time letting go of baseball's best pitcher. Still, if they do decide to sell, there's no piece more valuable in Washington than Scherzer, and perhaps the Yanks would be willing to gut their farm system in order to complete a deal.