Reds rumors: Cincinnati among teams interested in Didi Gregorius

If the latest Reds rumors are true, Didi Gregorius could return to Cincinnati.

Who says you can’t go home? If the latest Reds rumors are true, that’s exactly what the Cincinnati front office is hoping for. According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Cincinnati Reds are among the teams that love Didi Gregorius. Do Nick Krall and the front office executives love Gregorius enough to bring the former farmhand home?

Didi Gregorius was said to be on the Reds wishlist last offseason, but the shortstop decided to sign a one-year/$14M contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. The short-term “prove-it” deal turned out to be a wise move for Gregorius, as he enters this offseason as the best shortstop available on the open market.

Gregorius has a nice mix of both defense and offense. For his career, Gregorius is a .265 hitter with a career slugging percentage of .433. The left-handed hitting Gregorius has 120 career home runs and 457 RBIs over his nine big league seasons.

A poor defensive performance during his 2019 season with the New York Yankees lowered Gregorius’ career defensive runs saved (DRS) to -7. Following rehab from Tommy John surgery, Gregorius posted -10 DRS that season. Last year with the Phillies, Gregorius showed improvement defensively, and for his career has been an average-to-above-average defender.

But let’s face it, if these latest Reds rumors are accurate, Cincinnati is after Didi Gregorius for his bat, not his glove. Adding Gregorius to the lineup would fill a need and elevate the offensive profile of next year’s team. With the majority of the Reds lineup likely to return, shortstop is the one position where an offseason addition could really help boost Cincinnati’s anemic offense.

The Cincinnati Reds have already been rumored to be interested in adding a starting shortstop this offseason, and these latest Reds rumors would suggest that Gregorius might be the No. 1 target. The former Cincinnati farmhand would likely be seeking a multi-year deal; something that might fit in well with the Reds plans for José García.

Prior to last season, García hadn’t seen action above high-A and it showed. While his glove is major league-ready, García’s bat is not. If Cincinnati is able to sign Gregorius to the three-year/$39M contract predicted by MLB Trade Rumors, the Reds would be set at the shortstop position for the foreseeable future.