Reds continue savvy bargain shopping with signing of former Red Sox first round bat

After all of the excitement around their pursuit of Kyle Schwarber, things for the Cincinnati Reds have settled down quite a bit this offseason. There is still some Luis Robert Jr. trade chatter that involves the Reds, but the idea that Cincinnati was going to throw their financial weight around finally on the free agent market pretty much died once Schwarber returned to Philly. However, that doesn't mean they haven't been staying busy and their latest move does have some real upside.

It is clear that the Reds are looking to upgrade their outfield this offseason. Barring what is looking like an unlikely transition to the outfield for Elly De La Cruz, Cincinatti is going to have to either look at external options or place a whole lot of hope in Hector Rodriguez.

While the Reds didn't completely address their outfield deficiencies, they did at least make a play for a lottery ticket. On Christmas Eve, the Reds signed Michael Chavis to a minor league deal that could easily have real implications for their big league roster in 2026.

Reds sign Michael Chavis to minor league deal in latest outfield depth maneuver

Chavis may be familiar to eagle-eyed fans as he was the Red Sox's first round pick in the 2014 MLB Draft and he was one of their better prospects ahead of his MLB debut in 2019. Chavis showed a bit of power in the majors, but persistent issues with strikeouts caused him to bounce around for a few years before seemingly being forced to play over in Japan albeit only for a short stint before this signing.

This is a funny signing in a number of ways, though it comes with basically zero risk as a minor league deal. While Chavis' Triple-A numbers last year with the Dodgers were good and he has real potential, he is also 30 years old and has had major contact issues in MLB over a pretty significant sample. At some point, Chavis just is what he is.

However, not all the news is bad here. Great American Ball Park could be a great fit for Chavis assuming he can put the ball in the air more than his last season in the majors in 2023 with the Nationals. In addition to that, Chavis did post an .896 OPS in 283 plate appearances at Triple-A last season, although those numbers did come in the offense-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Is this move going to move the needle much for the Reds next season? Sadly, it isn't likely given Chavis' strikeout issues that have been a constant. However, it is still nice to see Cincinnati building some real depth, although adding an impact bat is a goal that remains elusive.