Reds rumors: Dee Strange-Gordon at shortstop is laughable

Is this really the direction the Cincinnati Reds front office wants to take? The latest Reds rumors suggest Dee Strange-Gordon as a potential fit at shortstop. Forgive me for chuckling at the idea, as Strange-Gordon is a two-time All-Star, but 32-year-old has started a grand total of 13 games at shortstop since 2013.

Willy Adames and Strange-Gordon, via CBS Sports, have piqued Cincinnati’s interest of late, as the team is looking for their Opening Day shortstop. Adames, I completely understand, and with Wander Franco waiting in the wings, it makes complete sense that the Tampa Bay Rays may be looking to deal the young infielder. But, Strange-Gordon? C’mon!

The Reds rumors surrounding Dee Strange-Gordon are concerning.

Let me say that this in no way is meant to discredit Dee Strange-Gordon as a baseball. Were the Cincinnati Reds looking to pursue Strange-Gordon in order to fill a bench role, while it would be odd considering the current roster makeup, I’d have no issue at all.

But if Nick Krall and the front office are looking at Strange-Gordon to be the team’s Opening Day shortstop, they better rethink that idea, and quickly. Outside of a few starts over the last few years, Strange-Gordon hasn’t seen consistent action at shortstop since his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013.

Furthermore, Dee Strange-Gordon is coming off a horrendous season in 2020. In 33 games for the Seattle Mariners, Strange-Gordon hit .200/.268/.213. Strange-Gordon has never hit more than four home runs in a season and the speed that used to make him a terror on the base paths is not there anymore.

Strange-Gordon stole 60 bases in 2017, and has swiped 55 total bags the last three seasons combined. Entering his 11th major league season, Strange-Gordon will be 33-years-old shortly after Opening Day.

The Reds rumors centered around Willy Adames show urgency.

While the Reds rumors surrounding the idea of Dee Strange-Gordon as the team’s starting shortstop are laughable, the latest rumors centered around potentially acquiring Willy Adames are less concerning and show a sense of urgency form the Reds front office.

While Adames has a high strikeout-rate (36.1%), he’s a slick-fielding shortstop who can hit for average and is pre-arbitration eligible, meaning he won’t cost much in terms of salary. However, it would cost the Cincinnati Reds something in return, and teams should always be leery of doing business with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Still, of all the Reds rumors recently, the idea of trading for Adames makes the most sense. With José García in need of more time at the minor league level, Adames gives Cincinnati a legitimate shortstop for the foreseeable future. As for Dee Strange-Gordon, I wish him the best, but let’s hope he’s not the Reds choice for the team’s Opening Day shortstop.