Cincinnati Reds: Three shortstops who could backup up Freddy Galvis

If the season started today, Freddy Galvis would be the Cincinnati Reds starting shortstop. What other options are still available in free agency?

The odds of the Cincinnati Reds making a trade for Francisco Lindor or Corey Seager lose momentum every day. At this point, it seems unlikely that either shortstop will be dealt prior to the season. That puts Freddy Galvis front and center as the Reds starting shortstop. But who’s his backup?

Currently, the most likely option to backup Galvis is Alex Blandino. Not an exciting player to watch with the bat, Blandino has a solid glove and can definitely handle the position from a defensive standpoint. However, a career .238 hitter, Blandino leaves a lot to be desired when he steps to the plate.

Didi Gregorius, who ranked highly on the Reds list this offseason, signed with his old skipper Joe Girardi and joined the Philadelphia Phillies. Our friend José Iglesias signed a one-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles. Iglesias played Gold Glove-caliber defense during his lone season in Cincinnati last year and had a productive year at the dish as well.

The season has not yet begun, but most fans are not happy with the current situation at shortstop. Sure, Galvis has some pop in his bat and is a terrific defender, but his career on-base percentage is below .300, and until last season, one that saw a record number of home runs, Galvis never had a slugging percentage above .399.

Kyle Farmer can jump over to short in a pinch, but in terms of a player that give Galvis regular rest or fill in due to injury, the Cincinnati Reds are left with just Blandino. I’d expect the Reds to add at least one player to the mix before heading to Goodyear. Let’s take a look at three options.

1. Adeiny Hechavarría

Given the way he closed the 2019 season, it’s a bit surprising that Adeiny Hechavarría has yet to latch on with a squad. The 30-year-old from Cuba spent most of last season with the New York Mets before finding a home in Atlanta to finish the season. In 60 games with the Mets, Hechavarría hit just .204, but turned up the offense once landing with the Braves.

After New York acquired Joe Panik, Hechavarría became expendable and was released. After Dansby Swanson went down with an injury, Atlanta needed a shortstop and signed Hechavarría. After joining the Braves, Hechavarría’s bat woke up. The right-handed hitting Hechavarría slashed .328/.400/.639 in 24 games with Atlanta.

Adeiny Hechavarría has not been a huge run producer throughout his career and has yet to eclipse 100 games over the past three seasons. But, with Galvis as the primary shortstop, barring injury, Hechavarría wouldn’t be counted on to make more than a handful of starts. According to FanGraphs, Hechavarría has 20 defensive runs saved over his eight-year career.

Will Hechavarría be an All-Star in 2020? That’s highly unlikely. But, he could add depth to a position that’s very thin in terms of big league talent. Blandino and Farmer are both capable of playing the position, but the Reds best shortstop prospect (Jose Garcia) is still a few years away. Hechavarría could be a nice veteran presence on next year’s team.

3. Wilmer Flores

I, for one, am shocked that Wilmer Flores is still a free agent. No, he’s not an elite defender, but he can swing the bat. For a Cincinnati Reds team that finished 12th in runs scored and batting average, adding a bat like Flores’ to the squad would do nothing but help. The 28-year-old hit .317 last season for the Arizona Diamondbacks and finished with a 118 OPS+.

After six years in the Big Apple, Flores joined the D-Backs in the desert last season. A career .262 hitter with the New York Mets, Flores broke through offensively slashing .317/.371/.487 with 9 home runs and 37 RBIs in 265 at-bats. Despite a breakout season in 2019, Flores had a career-OBP of .303 before heading to Arizona.

Flores would bring some versatility to Cincinnati as well. Though he hasn’t played an extensive amount at shortstop since 2015, he Flores has 148 career starts at the position. The Venezuelan native also has experience at first, second, and third base.

Until last year, Wilmer Flores had four consecutive seasons of double-digit home runs. His nine dingers in 2019 were the fewest since Flores’ 2014 season in New York, but the right-handed hitting infielder played in just 89 games with the Diamondbacks last season.

Don’t discount the possibility of Christian Colón making the Opening Day roster. The former World Series hero is a non-roster invitee within the Cincinnati Reds organization. Jose Garcia still has some seasoning, as does Alfredo Rodriguez, but both received an invite to Goodyear as well. There’s still an outside chance that the Reds make a trade, but for now, the shortstop position is quite thin.