Reds: 3 players Cincinnati wishes were still on the roster for 2021

1. Former Reds shortstop José Iglesias

Following the 2019 season, former Reds President of Baseball Operations Dick Williams had a decision to make. He could attempt to negotiate a free-agent deal with 2019 starting shortstop José Iglesias or simply pick up the final year of Freddy Galvis’ deal and move him from second base to play shortstop for the 2020 season.

Williams chose to let Iglesias walk and keep Galvis. It was a disastrous decision. As I mentioned earlier, there was little positivity to glean from Galvis’ performance last season. Unfortunately, the Reds again face a 2021 campaign in which the shortstop position will need to be addressed.

During his lone season in the Queen City in 2019, José Iglesias was more than the Cincinnati Reds could have ever expected. Signed as a free agent in February of 2019, Iglesias provided his usually exceptional defense but also produced a surprisingly solid offensive season.

The former All-Star slashed .288/.318/.407 with a career-high 11 homers and 59 RBIs as a member of the Reds. As a result of his productive year in Cincinnati, Iglesias inked a two-year $6M deal with the Baltimore Orioles. Once again, Iglesias rewarded the Orioles for their confidence.

Establishing career-best marks in batting average (.373.), OBP (.400), and slugging (.556), Iglesias could have provided a solid bat to a Cincinnati team desperate for any type of offensive production during the 2020 season.

Instead, the Reds paid Galvis $5.5M for the 2020 season in which they tried to give his job to a rookie who had never played above High-A ball. Ouch! Now the Cincinnati Reds front office may be forced to pay much more in free agency to fill a need they could have addressed with a fraction of the cost by signing José Iglesias.