Cincinnati Reds: 3 questions we hope to answer at the Winter Meetings

3. Will the Reds replace Billy Hamilton?

While, to me, this is the least of the Reds problems this offseason, it appears the front office feels differently. After non-tendering Billy Hamilton last week, the Cincinnati Reds now have a hole in center field and seems the Reds are exploring adding a skilled veteran this offseason.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to the Reds finding a veteran to plug into the outfield for a year, but recently it’s been reported that Cincinnati is pursuing A.J. Pollock. I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of that move. In the end, I believe the Reds will be outbid for Pollock’s services and that’s fine by me.

Pollock is very good defensively and has a better bat than Billy Hamilton, but the guy can’t stay on the field. The best ability is availability, and has only played in 237 of a possible 486 games over the past 3 seasons due to injury. I can’t see the Reds dropping a bunch of money on a player who’s played in fewer than 50% of the games over the last 3 years.

Rather than chase after Pollock, maybe the Reds should go after a player like Denard Span, Adam Jones, or Jon Jay. Any of those players would likely sign a one-year deal and be a stopgap for the Reds No. 2 prospect Taylor Trammell.

There’s also the idea of moving No. 1 prospect Nick Senzel to the outfield. If the Reds choose to go this route, which I’m not opposed to at all, they might be best to put Scott Schebler in center field and Senzel in left.

Like I said, finding a center fielder, unless it’s Pollock, is not a giant priority for the Cincinnati Reds. We may not have a new center fielder at the conclusion of the Winter Meetings on Thursday. Whatever happens, however, hopefully Reds Country gets some answers this coming week. Here’s hoping the Reds get the pitching.