Clint Frazier knows firsthand what it looks like when things don’t work out for the Yankees — and now he’s urging the team to stop hoping for best-case scenarios.
The former Yankees outfielder, who spent his first five MLB seasons in the Bronx, tore into the team because he consistently relied on rebounding campaigns from struggling players rather than seeking tangible upgrades.
“Stop relying on the rebound player,” Frazier says said Wednesday during his “Life After The Show” podcast.
“If you’re hoping for players to bounce back rather than being proactive and spending money on the players who can potentially fill the positions of the guys you’re hoping will bounce back, then I think you can go in a better direction,” he added.
Frazier’s comments follow a quiet Winter Meetings for the Yankees who have yet to make a signing or trade — while AL East rival Orioles signed slugger Pete Alonso and the Blue Jays acquired Dylan Cease.
“I don’t know the formula the Yankees are using this winter; they keep saying we’ll see how the winter unfolds,” Frazier said. “The way it’s unfolding is that other teams are making moves.
“Now I know they have Ryan Yarbrough, Tim Hill and Trent Grisham. But can you really say the Yankees team looks that different? It feels like they’re holding on a lot to what 2025 was and hoping 2026 goes this way.”
The 31-year-old last played in the Majors with the White Sox in 2023, but has been an outspoken critic of the Yankees since the team cut him after the 2021 season.
The former top prospect slammed the Yankees in June for having “too many rocket scientists” influencing decisions, while later saying the organization wouldn’t win the 2025 World Series because “they’re being stupid.”
His comments even drew the ire of former teammate and new Hall of Famer CC Sabathia.
Frazier’s latest criticism was aimed at the team starting recent seasons with players left behind for years, while not allocating money for more established players.
“Before, all I heard was when George was with the Yankees and we were having a hard time [Steinbrenner] was still there, things would be different,” Frazier said.
“The Yankees need to spend like the Yankees again.”
Frazier came to the Yankees as the prized return in the 2016 Andrew Miller trade, but despite his Cashman-touted “legendary” bat speed and flashes of success, injuries and inconsistency ultimately led to his release.
In keeping with his experience, the former Gold Glove finalist pointed to a few current Yankees as examples of players the team should move on from instead of hoping for a rebound.
“There’s kind of an excess of sample size in some of these individuals from whom they can go further,” Frazier said. “There are other fish you can move, go and pounce and make the Yankees better.
“We know who those individuals are – Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, guys like that.”
Volpe is having a disappointing 2025 and will miss the start of next season after shoulder surgery. Wells posted a career-high in home runs (21), but otherwise saw most of his offensive numbers plummet.
Frazier mentioned Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams and left-hander MacKenzie Gore, both of whom have been floated in trade talks, as ideal targets for the Yankees — as they re-sign their struggling youngsters.
“You can take the load off those guys to go get some of these guys,” Frazier added. “You can package some of these guys that you hope return to Nationals.”
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