Cincinnati Reds: 3 outfielders most likely to be traded this offseason

1. Jesse Winker is the most likely outfielder to be dealt this winter.

Jesse Winker appears to be a man without a position, for the moment anyway. According to Rob Manfred, the league has no plan to implement the universal DH in 2021, though the idea may be on the table once again when negotiations come around after next season. Winker started just 13 of his his 54 games in the outfield; all the others came as a designated hitter.

The good news for Winker is that he had a solid season at the dish. The 27-year-old, who’s entering his first year of arbitration eligibility, hit .255/.388/.544 with 12 home runs and 23 RBIs. At one point during the season, Winker was the hottest hitter in all of Major League Baseball. From August 4th through the 31st, Winker slashed .397/.484/.859.

Unfortunately, Winker couldn’t keep up the frenetic pace and was humbled during the month of September. During the final month of the 2020 season, Winker hit just .104 and had only three extra-base hits. This has been Winker’s MO for sometime, as the left-handed slugger can get white-hot, but then becomes ice cold.

There is no better time like the present for the Cincinnati Reds to trade Jesse Winker. This was the first season, albeit only a 60-game sprint, in which Winker was relatively healthy. He also put up a career-high in OPS+ (142). Winker is a below-average defender and may be of great value to an American League team in need of a designated hitter.