3 mid-tier free agents the Reds could sign at the MLB Winter Meetings

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Free agents Jose Abreu and Jacob deGrom have agreed to terms with their new teams. Abreu is headed to the World Champion Houston Astros and deGrom will join their AL West rival, the Texas Rangers. Abreu and deGrom were two of the biggest free agents available this offseason.

As fans of the Cincinnati Reds know all too well, their team will not be shopping for free agents of that caliber. Typically, Nick Krall and the penny-pinching Reds ownership going looking in the bargain bin for the likes of Tyler Naquin and Brandon Drury; solid contributors who could fill a short-term need.

But let's pretend that the Reds front office has the eyes set a bit higher during the MLB Winter Meetings. Let's look at three mid-tier free agents the Cincinnati Reds could target this week.

1. The Reds could target free agent OF Robbie Grossman during the MLB Winter Meetings.

The Cincinnati Reds must address the concerns in the outfield. Whether it's via trade of free agency, there's no way in the world that Nick Krall can, in good conscience, allow manager David Bell to field an Opening Day lineup with Jake Fraley, TJ Friedl, and Nick Senzel in the outfield.

Robbie Grossman is a veteran outfielder who'll be looking to improve upon his numbers from a year ago. Grossman opened the year with the Detroit Tigers and was eventually traded to the Atlanta Braves. Combined, Grossman slashed .209/.310/.311 after hitting .239/.357/.415 the year before.

Grossman can play both corner outfield spots, and being a switch-hitter, the 34-year-old would offer Bell a lot of flexibility to shuffle the starting lineup as he sees fit. Currently, Cincinnati's outfield is dominated by left-handed hitters (Fraley, Friedl, and Michael Siani).

Robbie Grossman is not Cody Bellinger by any stretch of the imagination, but the San Diego native has a career-OPS+ of 101 and an OPS+ of 105 the past three seasons combined. Grossman would be a solid addition to the Cincinnati Reds outfield.

2. The Reds could target free agent LHP Drew Smyly during the MLB Winter Meetings.

There has been a lot of rumblings about the Cincinnati Reds need to just go all-in with their young group of starting pitchers. After all, during a rebuilding season, shouldn't the Reds see what they have in the form of Brandon Williamson, Levi Stoudt, and others?

While that line of thinking isn't irrational, fans saw last season how the trio of Tyler Mahle, Luis Castillo, and Mike Minor helped balance out Nick Lodolo, Hunter Greene, and Graham Ashcraft. Reds Country should expect the front office to add at least one veteran starter this offseason to help shoulder the load.

Drew Smyly has been a solid, yet unspectacular starter throughout his major league career. The left-handed has played for seven different franchises throughout his career and was part of a World Championship team in 2021.

Smyly has a career-ERA of 4.10, but posted a 3.47 ERA in 22 starts last season for the Chicago Cubs. At 33 years old, Smyly no longer relies on top-end velocity and his strikeout numbers have been down the last two seasons (8.0 K/9).

But during that same span, Drew Smyly has posted a solid 105 ERA+ and 1.292 WHIP. If the Cincinnati Reds are looking for a solid, veteran starter, the former second-round pick out of the University of Arkansas could fit the bill.

3. The Reds could target free agent RHP Brad Boxberger during the MLB Winter Meetings.

Perhaps it's time to bring Brad Boxberger back home. The reliever has spent the past two seasons with the Cincinnati Reds division rival, the Milwaukee Brewers. But Boxberger was originally drafted by the Redlegs all the way back in 2009.

Boxberger was part of the deal with the San Diego Padres that brought starting pitcher Mat Latos to the Reds. The right-hander has since developed into a solid major leauge reliever and has an All-Star appearanace in 2015 to show for it.

Boxberger has covered 128 innings over the past two seasons for the Brew Crew. Along with a 3.15 ERA during that span, Boxberger has also recorded five saves and 151 punch outs.

The Cincinnati Reds bullpen was a disaster last season, sans Alexis Diaz. While the Reds are excited to see players like Lucas Sims, Tony Santillan, and Tejay Antone return, adding a surefire veteran like Brad Boxberger would be a wise decision on the part of Cincinnati GM Nick Krall.

The Reds could really use another lefty in the bullpen to join Reiver Sanmartin, but Boxberger's splits were roughly identical. Signing the 35-year-old to a one-year deal could be a low-risk move that may fetch the Reds an additional prospect at next year's trade deadline.

Next. Dream starting lineup for the 2023 Cincinnati Reds. dark

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