Former Guardians' top-100 prospect should unequivocally be on Reds' radar

George Valera is so highly regarded that the former top-100 prospect may not fall to the Cincinnati Reds through the waiver process, but that doesn't mean that president of baseball operations Nick Krall shouldn't do everything he can to bring him to the Queen City.

The Cleveland Guardians surprisingly designated Valera for assignment this week. A top prospect in the Guardians' farm system for over seven years, Valera has an injury-riddled history. In fact, it's questionable if he'll even be ready for spring training after suffering a knee injury midway through last season.

But even with that troublesome past, the Reds should take a swing at adding Valera to the 40-man roster. Even after Tuesday's additions of Luis Mey and Tyler Callihan, the Reds have an extra spot available.

Former Guardians' top-100 prospect George Valera should be on Reds' radar

If there's one thing that all Reds fans want to see this offseason, it's the addition of a power-hitting outfielder. Though Valera is a left-handed hitter, in the mold of Jake Fraley, TJ Friedl, and Will Benson, he should still be on Cincinnati's radar.

Valera has tremendous raw power and a good eye at the dish. While a 27% strikeout rate isn't ideal, Valera balances that with a career 14.5% walk rate and .358 on-base percentage. During the past two seasons, Valera crushed 28 homers in 169 games and posted a .427 slugging percentage at Triple-A.

The Reds are said to be looking to bolster the outfield, and if Valera becomes available, they should make the move. Having not yet made his major league debut, Valera is pre-arb eligible and available for the league minimum — that sounds like someone the Reds typically target, right?

The only downfall is the lack of minor-league options. Valera is out of them, meaning that he'd have to pass through waivers in order to be outrighted to the minor leagues. But since so many outfielders on Cincinnati's roster (including Benson) have minor-league options remaining, the Reds could always shuffle the active roster in order to keep Valera in the organization.

Of course, even if the Reds did secure Valera, that shouldn't be the only outfielder Cincinnati adds this offseason. While the Reds have abundance of talented infielders on the roster, the same cannot be said about Cincinnati's outfield.

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