Cincinnati Reds: Freddy Galvis should be the starting shortstop in 2020

The Cincinnati Reds made a shrewd move acquiring Freddy Galvis off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays. Galvis has made a great first impression and should be Reds starting shortstop next season.

After acquiring Freddy Galvis last week off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays, most of Reds Country just assumed that his spot on the 2020 roster was a virtual certainty. If there was any doubters, Galvis has dispatched those thoughts with a solid debut for the Cincinnati Reds. Though his primary position may be in question, Galvis will certainly be on the 2020 roster.

Since acquiring Galvis last week, the switch-hitting infielder has gone 9-of-17 (.529) with 1 home run and 3 RBIs. Though we haven’t seen Galvis take the field at shortstop yet for the Reds, that should become his permanent home in 2020.

When the Reds picked up Galvis off waivers, I thought it was a home run for Dick Williams and Nick Krall. After all, with José Iglesias entering free agency at season’s end and José Peraza woefully underperforming this season, the acquisition of Galvis gives the Reds some insurance heading into 2020.

Galvis has a $5.5M club option for next season, that given his recent performance, the Reds are all but assuredly going to pick up. The Reds could chose to not pick up the option, but Cincinnati would have to fork over $1M if they allowed Galvis to enter free agency.

That’s unlikely to happen, especially when you consider what it’ll likely cost the Reds to retain Iglesias for 2020 and beyond. The Reds shortstop is sure to be looking for more than a one-year deal, but Cincinnati would be silly to offer Iglesias anything more than the $5M guarantee that Galvis received last offseason.

We all love Iglesias’ elite-level defense, but when it comes to an overall picture of his value to the team, he and Galvis offer a very similar profile. Iglesias has a 1.4 WAR while Galvis is sitting at 2.0 WAR on the season. While Iglesias has shown a penchant for clutch hitting throughout the season, his OPS+ (87) is 13 points lower than Galvis (100).

Furthermore, while playing Galvis and Iglesias alongside each other for the remainder of this season offers the Reds elite defense and solid offensive production, a middle infield of Galvis (shortstop) and Josh VanMeter (second base) could provide a major lift in Cincinnati’s run production.

While VanMeter has the versatility to play all over the diamond, the excess of talent in the outfield and All-Star presence of Eugenio Suárez at third base, warrants the majority of VanMeter’s playing time coming from playing second base. VanMeter is already sitting on a 1.0 WAR in 53 fewer games played than Iglesias this season.

If Cincinnati’s front office is able to bring back Iglesias on a very team-friendly deal, I’ll have no problem watching him flash the leather on a nightly basis while donning a Reds uniform. However, any contract for Iglesias that values him as more than just a utility infielder would be excessive.

Iglesias is having a career-year and should be commended for it. But, is this season a springboard to what Iglesias is going to be heading forward, or will he return to the type of player that had a career OPS of .678 before joining the Cincinnati Reds this offseason?

The Reds cannot afford to make mistakes when it comes to signing veteran players to long-term contracts. With a middle infield of Galvis and VanMeter, plus the likes of José Peraza and Alex Blandino under team control for at least the next three seasons, a multi-year extension for Iglesias seems like a no-no.

Obviously, Iglesias will not have to wait around as he did this past offseason. His production this season warrants a multi-year deal, but it may not be with the Cincinnati Reds. Galvis provides more than enough stability for the shortstop position in 2020, which was going to be entrusted to Peraza before Scooter Gennett‘s injury.