Reds GM Nick Krall Discusses Offseason Plans
Reds general manager Nick Krall spoke with reporters (including C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic and Mark Sheldon of MLB.com) this afternoon about the club’s winter plans. Unsurprisingly, the Cincinnati front office will be on the lookout for shortstop help in the coming months.
“We lost Freddy Galvis. Shortstop would be something you’d like to address,” Krall replied when asked about the roster’s biggest need. Galvis, who led the Reds with 31 starts at the position last season, is now a free agent. He’d figure to come cheap if Cincinnati wanted to bring him back, but it’s arguable the now-contending Reds should pursue an upgrade at the position regardless.
Krall noted the organization remains high on touted prospect José García, but the 22-year-old slumped to a brutal .194/.206/.194 line over his first 68 MLB plate appearances. Krall didn’t rule out the possibility of García competing for a big league job next spring, but further minor-league seasoning seems likely considering García looked overmatched after making the jump from High-A to the majors this past season.
The top of the free agent shortstop market includes Didi Gregorius, Marcus Semien and Andrelton Simmons, as well as KBO star Ha-Seong Kim. Cincinnati also makes sense as a potential Francisco Lindor suitor. It’d be a bit surprising to see the Indians trade the face of their franchise to an in-state rival, but the teams did line up on the three-team Trevor Bauer deal last summer.
Speaking of Bauer, he’s now the only ace-caliber pitcher available in free agency. Krall said the Reds have had preliminary, “not substantial” contact with Bauer’s camp to this point. Surely, the Reds would love to keep the reigning NL Cy Young winner in the fold, but they’ll face plenty of competition for his services. Even if Bauer departs, a 2021 rotation led by Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray and Tyler Mahle would be an enviable group.
One other candidate for the rotation is Michael Lorenzen. The 28-year-old, primarily a reliever in recent seasons, hopes to earn a rotation spot in spring training. That’s a possibility, Krall confirmed, but the rest of the Reds’ offseason moves will shape Lorenzen’s ultimate role. Cincinnati has a few high-end bullpen pieces beyond Lorenzen, but the GM noted the organization is looking to lengthen the relief corps, preferably by adding hurlers with minor-league option years remaining. Optionable players are more likely to be found in trade, on waivers, or via minor-league free agency than by shopping at the top of the free agent market. To that end, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Reds make a low-cost bullpen addition or two this winter.
NL Notes: Kemp, Reds, Susana, Mets, Dodgers
Matt Kemp stated last February that he was hoping to add four or five more seasons onto his career, and with the 2020 campaign and Kemp’s 15th MLB season now in the books, nothing has changed about his future plans. “That’s always been one of my goals, is to at least play until I was 40 years old,” Kemp said in an interview on the Power Alley show on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM. Kemp is still focused on capturing that elusive World Series ring, and “as long as I can continue to help a team win and do some great things in the game of baseball, I’m going to continue to do this thing until I can’t do it any more.”
The 36-year-old Kemp was an All-Star as recently as 2018, though he endured an injury-shortened 2019 season that led to minor league deals in 2020 with both the Marlins and Rockies, the latter coming in June. Kemp hit .239/.326/.419 with six homers over 132 plate appearances for Colorado, working primarily as a DH and pinch-hitter and only playing left field in one of his 43 games. It remains to be seen if the Rockies or another team will give Kemp another chance at extending his career, though his prospects at another contract would definitely get a boost if the National League fully adopts the designated hitter.
More from around the NL…
- Shortstop was a big problem area for the Reds last season, and since Jose Garcia struggled badly during over 68 PA in his rookie season, he looks to still be a season or two away from being a big league contributor. C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic (subscription required) looks at some of the possibilities available to the Reds on the offseason shortstop market, though it remains to be seen if Cincinnati will have the payroll flexibility to pursue top free agents like Didi Gregorius or Marcus Semien. Rosecrans also notes that the Reds have also scouted Ha-Seong Kim of the Korea Baseball Organization, who wouldn’t necessarily carry quite as large a price tag, though several teams are expected to check into Kim’s services when he is posted.
- Speaking of international talent, Dominican right-hander Jarlin Susana is an intriguing (and unattached) prospect heading into the January 15 international signing period. Baseball America’s Ben Badler has more on the 16-year-old Susana, who is 6’5″, 195 pounds, and hit 96mph during a showcase for scouts earlier this week. Susana also has “a sharp breaking ball” along with that fastball, which usually clocks in the “the low-to-mid 90s.” Many of the top prospects in the 2020-21 international class have already unofficially agreed to deals with teams, though Susana isn’t yet linked to anyone, making him an interesting option for clubs with available bonus pool space. The Mets and Dodgers were among the teams who had evaluators in attendance at Susana’s showcase.
Reds Designate Pedro Strop, Select Jose Garcia
The Reds announced that they’ve reinstated reliever Pedro Strop from the injured list and designated him for assignment. In other moves, the club selected infielder Jose Garcia and optioned outfielder Travis Jankowski to its alternate site.
If this is the end of the right-handed Strop’s run with the Reds, it’ll go down as short-lived and unmemorable. The former Ranger, Oriole and Cub signed with the Reds for a one-year, $1.825MM guarantee in the winter, but he threw a mere 2 1/3 innings of three-run ball (one earned) before landing on the IL earlier this month with a right groin strain. The 35-year-old Strop does bring a quality MLB track record to the table, though, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him end up with another team if he’s healthy.
The Reds aren’t wasting any time with Garcia, who will start at shortstop for the team Wednesday. It’s a big leap for the 22-year-old Garcia, who hasn’t yet played above High-A ball, where he slashed .280/.343/.436 with eight home runs and 15 stolen bases in 452 plate appearances last season. Garcia’s now the Reds’ seventh-ranked prospect at Baseball America, which writes that he has the potential “to jump to the top of Cincinnati’s system with continued performance.”