Reds: Gauging depth at shortstop after adding Dee Strange-Gordon

The Cincinnati Reds‘ front office made a strange addition on Sunday, agreeing to terms on a minor-league contract with infielder Dee Strange-Gordon. How does Strange-Gordon’s presence affect Cincinnati’s depth at shortstop?

While I’m not so sure the Reds pursuit of a starting shortstop is over quite yet, with spring training just a couple weeks away, Cincinnati is running out of time to add more depth up the middle of their infield. Strange-Gordon’s deal gives the team a veteran presence and some speed, but I’m not quite sure that adding a player who hit .200 last season really moves the needle.

Dee Strange-Gordon is not going to give the Reds what they need.

Last year’s Reds team lacked offense. More than that, it lacked base runners. The team’s .212 batting average was the worst in the National League and Cincinnati’s .312 on-base percentage was good enough for 13th among all NL clubs. However, the Reds power was on full display, ranking fourth in the league in home runs (90).

Strange-Gordon brings a career on-base percentage of .319, however, over the past three seasons, the two-time All-Star has a collective OBP of .293. That’s not exactly going to give Reds Country much confidence.

Let’s take a look at the Cincinnati Reds depth chart at shortstop as is stands currently. I’ll forewarn you, it’s not very good. Perhaps the rumored addition of Jonathan Villar will help boost the team’s offensive profile a little bit more. Until then, this is what Cincinnati’s shortstop situation looks like heading into spring training.

The Reds have two prospects who could start at shortstop.

Heading into spring training, it seems unlikely that José García or Alfredo Rodriguez will find a spot on the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day roster. But, there’s an outside chance that one or both could make there way to Cincinnati after starting the season in the minor leagues.

Both García and Rodriguez are sure to get an invite to spring training. García is on the 40-man roster and showcased some fine defensive skills in 24 games last season. While Rodriguez has yet to make his big league debut, the 26-year-old possesses major league talent, at least defensively, and a strong showing while in Goodyear could give him a boost heading into the season.

The recent additions of Kyle Holder and Dee Strange-Gordon signal that Cincinnati’s front office and coaching staff have reservations about handing the keys at shortstop to García. I can’t really blame them on that, as until last season, the young infielder hadn’t even taken a swing in Double-A ball.

Having said that, a strong performance in spring training coupled with an improvement in the minors will certainly get José García noticed. The 22-year-old already has the ability to field the position defensively, but he was outmatched at the plate. If García shows the can hit at the highest level, his ascension to the bigs could come quicker than some fans and pundits may think.

Dee Strange-Gordon is a questionable addition for the Reds.

Several teams could use a player like Dee Strange-Gordon on their team. The Cincinnati Reds are not one of them. Strange-Gordon is a fine player who’s had a solid career. In 2015, Strange-Gordon led the league in hits (205), stolen bases (58), and batting average (.333). Since that time, Strange-Gordon’s numbers have been average at best.

In the five years since his back-to-back All-Star campaigns, Dee Strange-Gordon has a slash line of .280/.311/.352 with 120 RBIs. While known for his speed on the base paths, the game has changed so much that the stolen base is a lost art in Major League Baseball, and very few teams even utilize a player’s ability to swipe a bag in favor of analytics.

Could the addition of Dee Strange-Gordon be part of bigger plan for the Cincinnati Reds? There’ve been rumors throughout the offseason that Cincinnati was looking to move Mike Moustakas’ contract off the books. Might adding Strange-Gordon give Nick Krall the ability to feel confident trading away last year’s prized free agent addition?

Strange-Gordon would be an adequate second baseman, and player you could platoon with Nick Senzel who has a ton of experience playing on the infield dirt. I know I’m spitballing here, but perhaps the addition of Dee Strange-Gordon is part of a bigger plan. Or, it could just be Cincinnati trying their hand at adding a journeyman to fill a need while not spending a ton of money.

Kyle Farmer can be the Reds starting shortstop.

The deeper we get into the offseason, the more I think that Kyle Farmer will be the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day shortstop. Frankly, I’m okay with that. I’m a big fan of what Farmer brings to this team and I think he can handle the duties of being the everyday shortstop. The key to Farmer playing that role is that Cincinnati needs someone to fill the void of utility infielder.

That’s where Dee Strange-Gordon comes in. While it may not be popular, unless the Reds swing a trade for a player like Willy Adames or sign a free agent like Jonathan Villar, Kyle Farmer is the team’s best option at shortstop. Again, I’m okay with that, as Farmer brings great glove work and a fantastic attitude to the clubhouse.

No, Farmer is not going bring elite offensive talent. A career .242 hitter, you can expect Farmer to give you solid at-bats, but he’s to be considered the No. 8 hole hitter. Given the talent Cincinnati has on the roster, that’s okay. The big boppers in front of Farmer can more than hold their own in the batter’s box, though we didn’t see that in 2020.

Reds Country needs to stop holding out hope that Cincinnati’s front office is going to make an earth-shattering move this winter. We’ve seen the direction this team is going. The Reds are looking to be competitive while at the same time cutting payroll.

That’s why Curt Casali, Archie Bradley, Brian Goodwin, Raisel Iglesias, Anthony DeSclafani, and Trevor Bauer will be playing elsewhere in 2021. Combined, the Reds avoided paying $22.5M for the quartet of Casali, Bradley, Iglesias, and DeSclafani. Throw in Goodwin’s likely bump to over $3M via arbitration, and Cincinnati saved about $25M by moving on from those five players.

None of those players, outside of Trevor Bauer, were going to make a huge impact on this year’s ball club. Furthermore, the Reds were never going to compete for Bauer’s services on the open market. The Reds sunk their money into last year’s free agent class by bringing Shogo Akiyama, Nick Castellanos, and Mike Moustakas to town.

If those three players, along with Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suárez play up to their potential this season, then Cincinnati can afford to go into 2021 with Kyle Farmer as the starting shortstop. If the Reds see more of the same from those five players, then it’s going to be a long season, regardless of who is playing shortstop in 2021.