White Sox acquire Todd Frazier from Reds in 3-team trade with Dodgers

Bob Nightengale | USA TODAY Sports

All-Star third baseman Todd Frazier has been traded to the Chicago White Sox in a three-team deal that also involves the Los Angeles Dodgers, the White Sox announced on Wednesday.

Frazier's trade will accelerate the Cincinnati Reds' rebuilding program that gained steam with the July trade of ace Johnny Cueto and the attempted trade of closer Aroldis Chapman, whose trade to the Dodgers fell through after details of an alleged domestic violence incident emerged. Frazier, 29, is under club control through 2018 and his reasonable salary - he'll make $7.5 million in 2016 - and power-hitting ability (64 home runs the past two seasons) made him one of the game's most marketable trade assets.

In return, the Reds will receive infielder Jose Peraza, outfielder Scott Schebler and infielder Brandon Dixon from the Dodgers, who acquired Peraza from the Braves in July.

The #Dodgers get Frankie Montas, Michah Johnson, Trayce Thompson; #Reds get Jose Peraza, Scott Schebler, Brandon Dixon. @JonHeymanCBS 1st. — Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 16, 2015

Now, they will flip Peraza and receive three prospects from the White Sox, all with major league experience: Pitcher Frankie Montas, center fielder Trayce Thompson and second baseman Micah Johnson. Montas is expected to the prize of the bunch - he reached the majors after posting a 2.94 ERA and striking out 108 in 112 innings at Class AA Birmingham.

Thompson, 24, is the brother of Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, and he batted .295 with a .896 OPS in 135 plate appearances with the White Sox. his father, former NBA center Mychal Thompson, is a sports talk radio host in Los Angeles.

It also seems likely the Dodgers are far from done dealing. Thompson joins a very crowded outfield in Los Angeles that includes All-Star center fielder Joc Pederson, Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford, Yasiel Puig and Scott Van Slyke. Thompson or Pederson - both young and cost-effective - could prove attractive in a larger deal for a player such as Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez.

The Reds will receive one once-highly regarded prospect in Peraza and two emerging ones in Schebler and Dixon - a seemingly light return given Frazier's value. Peraza, 21, did not win the second base job in Atlanta last spring and was shipped to the Dodgers in July. He had a .694 OPS and 33 stolen bases for the Braves' and Dodgers' AAA teams, and went 4 for 22 in a late-season audition in Los Angeles.

Schebler, 25, was a 26th-round pick in 2010 who debuted with the Dodgers in June and has a career .828 OPS in the minors. Given the Dodgers' outfield depth, he was not in their immediate plans. Dixon, 23, a third-round pick in 2013, is a versatile player - he can play second, third and any outfield spot - and reached Class AA in 2015. He's been somewhat old for the levels he's played at, however.

And Peraza's acquisition may indicate momentum for a deal sending veteran second basema n Brandon Phillips out of Cincinnati. Phillips, however, can veto any trade.

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