Reds rumors: Dee Strange-Gordon weighing multiple offers

The Cincinnati Reds are in the mix for the services of Dee Strange-Gordon. If the latest Reds rumors are true, we could know very soon where he’ll be playing. According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, Strange-Gordon is deciding between four to five offers and his decision could come very soon, perhaps by the end of the week.

We know the Reds to be one of those handful of teams based on the reporting from C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic who’s sources claimed that Cincinnati had “checked in” on Strange-Gordon.

Reds rumors surfaced that Dee Strange-Gordon could play shortstop.

The idea behind bringing Dee Strange-Gordon to Cincinnati is a curious one, as the 32-year-old is five seasons removed from his time as an All-Star and Gold Glove Award-winner. Furthermore, the front office’s focus all offseason was said to be on adding a shortstop, a position Strange-Gordon hasn’t played consistently since 2013 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

I’ve said this once, but I’ll say it again; if the Cincinnati Reds front office is looking to Dee Strange-Gordon to be the team’s everyday shortstop, that idea is laughable. Strange-Gordon is no longer a starting shortstop. He’s a very capable role player, and one that can fill in admirably at second base.

But if Cincinnati’s front office is looking for a short-term answer at shortstop, then the team should just role with the combination of Kyle Farmer and Kyle Holder. That would give David Bell a left-handed and right-handed platoon and average (Farmer) to above-average (Holder) defense at the position.

There are more capable options than Dee Strange-Gordon.

Again, I don’t want to pile on Dee Strange-Gordon, but he doesn’t fit what the Cincinnati Reds need. Mike Moustakas was signed to a four-year/$64M contract to play second base. Like Strange-Gordon, Moustakas is a left-handed hitter. I see no value in bringing Strange-Gordon for a reserve infield role.

Furthermore, while Strange-Gordon is capable of playing the outfield as well, Cincinnati already has a plethora of talented outfielders, and unless MLB institutes the universal designated hitter for the 2021 season, David Bell will have to get very creative in order to give necessary at-bats the quartet of Nick Castellanos, Jesse Winker, Nick Senzel, and Shogo Akiyama.

While Cincinnati may be in the mix for Dee Strange-Gordon, they’re not alone. At this stage of his career, it’ll be interesting to see if the utility infielder decides to sign with a contender or looks for avenue of increased playing time. Either way, we’ll likely see an end to these Reds rumors in the coming days, if not by the end of the week.