SPORTS

Trade rumors never had Todd Frazier concerned

John Fay
jfay@enquirer.com
Todd Frazier says he hasn't been paying much attention to the rumors that he would be traded.

Todd Frazier has made it clear he wants to remain a Red. But it came as no relief to him that general manager Walt Jocketty told The Enquirer that Frazier will not be traded.

"I wasn't even thinking about it to be honest with you," he said. "Until my agent says something or Walt says something, I'll start thinking about it.

"It wasn't really a relief. It was a lot hearsay. It was all pretty much nothing. I wasn't worried or relieved at all."

Frazier, of course, is from New Jersey. The New York Mets are looking for offense. Frazier met with the New York/New Jersey media when the Reds played the Mets last week.

And the rumors were born.

Frazier's friends got caught up in it a bit.

"You know those people over there – those New Jersey, New Yorkers – they hear something and they maximize it 100 percent," he said. "It's just the way it is. They listen to the radio. They read the newspapers, whether it's New York Post or Asbury Park Press. They ask about this stuff.

"They're like, 'man, this is true. Where you going to live?' It all just people making rumors."

Frazier is a little anxious about something else being talked about these days in baseball. He is in the thick of race to win the starting spot at third base on the National League All-Star team.

Frazier trailed St. Louis' Matt Carpenter by 62,940 votes in the last update. Each had over 6 million votes. The starters will be announced Sunday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.

"Sunday can't come any quicker," Frazier said. "Either way, it's going to be exciting."

Frazier will likely know before the Reds depart for Washington.

"I have a little bigger smile, you'll know," he said.

Frazier is nearly a lock to make it as a reserve. The reserves and pitching staffs will be announced Monday at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

Closer Aroldis Chapman and ace Johnny Cueto are other strong candidates.

TINSLEY ON LEAVE: Assistant hitting coach Lee Tinsley was placed on administrative leave Friday.

Tinsley was arrested in Carroll County, Kentucky for driving while impaired. Tinsley, 46, is in his second season with the Reds.

"We're still gathering information," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "With the holiday weekend, the police report is not going to be out until next week. Lee is on administrative leave. That's as much as we're going to say about that. It's kind of fact finding at this point in time."

The Reds did not add a coach to fill in in Tinsley's absence.

WELCOME BREAK: The Reds enjoyed Thursday's off day – only their second in 32 days.

"It was great," Price said. "It was kind of a long challenging run with extra innings and rain delays. The bullpen certainly has been highly taxed. It was a good time for us to have a little time away and kind of get rested."