Frazier: Good field, good hit, good fit
3B says he’d like to stay with Sox beyond contract
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Todd Frazier has been with the White Sox for a little more than two weeks, and it already feels like home. So much so that Frazier is talking like he wants to be with the Sox beyond the two years he’s under team control.
“If the atmosphere is like this, this is where I want to play for the rest of my life,’’ Frazier told the Sun-Times on Saturday morning. “It’s awesome; it’s a great time. The guys have been nothing but great to me, and I’m here to help as much as I can. When they welcome you as they’ve welcomed me, I want to return the favor.’’
“That’s great to hear,’’ said general manager Rick Hahn, who traded a package of top prospects — Trayce Thompson, Frankie Montas and Micah Johnson — to get Frazier, an All-Star at third base in his last two seasons with the Cincinnati Reds. “He’s still getting to know us, we’re still getting to know him, and it’s a matter of making sure there’s comfort on both sides for a long-term relationship.
‘‘When we acquired him, [I thought] this could develop into something more than the two years he’s under control.’’
Frazier is thinking the same thing.
“Most definitely,’’ Frazier said. “Whenever he wants to [discuss an extension], that would be great. I haven’t even been to the city yet, and I feel like this is true to where I need to be right now. It’s a fun place. You can be here in Arizona [during spring training]. It’s a fun team.’’
It’s early, but Frazier knows a good vibe, and he’s enjoying it with the Sox.
“Very much so,’’ said Frazier, 30, who had spent his entire professional career with the Reds. “I feel comfortable; I feel like I belong. It’s weird. You don’t know what to expect, to be honest, and it’s really been a fun time so far.’’
Frazier will make $8.25 million in 2016 and will be arbitration-eligible for the last time in 2017 before he becomes eligible for free agency.
He adds a power bat to the middle of the lineup, a good glove to the infield and an upbeat presence to the clubhouse. That he already is at a midseason comfort level is “crazy,” Frazier said.
“It is,’’ he said. “It’s something you don’t take for granted. It’s something you don’t joke about. I feel like I’m just starting out again. It’s a new chapter. It’s [only] baseball, but you still have to figure out a whole new team, whole new friendships, and it’s been a really easy process for me.’’
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