Reds’ interest in Josh Naylor could signal position change for Cincy’s young slugger

Word on the street is that Terry Francona may be looking to reunite with one of his former players. The Cincinnati Reds have recently been linked to a pair of Cleveland Guardians — Josh Naylor and Lane Thomas.

While Thomas is an obvious fit for a team that is desperate for help in the outfield, Naylor is bit more outside the box. Sure, his offensive profile is great and the former All-Star is viewed as an above-average defender, but he plays first base. Don't the Reds already have that covered?

If the Reds trade for Naylor, he'll be locked in at first base. The Reds had a revolving door at the position last season, but much of that was due to injuries. If everyone is healthy, the Reds arguably have three first baseman (Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Jeimer Candelario) already on the roster. But perhaps the Reds' rumored pursuit of Naylor would see one of those three players change positions.

Reds’ interest in Josh Naylor could signal position change for Christian Encarnacion-Strand

Looking at the Reds' roster as currently constructed, Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain look to be cemented at their respective positions for the next five years. But the corners are bit of question mark. The Reds had high hopes for Noelvi Marte, but after last year's disastrous performance, Cincinnati would do well to start the 23-year-old in the minor leagues. Steer is a versatile defender, but he's below-average at almost every position.

So the conversation then shifts to the duo of Candelario and CES. Could one of those two players move to the hot corner? Candelario has plenty of experience at third base, but his defense was atrocious last season. Candelario's -9 outs above average were outpaced by only Marte's -11 OAA. Candelario was worth -6 OAA at third base and -3 OAA at first.

This is where Encarnacion-Strand could enter the conversation. A former third baseman during his time with the Minnesota Twins, could CES return to his old position and have success there in 2025?The slugger played 98 games at third base during his minor league career and has nine games there under belt in the big leagues.

Encarnacion-Strand committed 27 errors at the hot corner during his minor-league career and an .896 fielding percentage definitely raises doubt about his ability to stick there. Steer is another option, but his -6 OAA while playing third base in 2023 don't offer much hope either.

All of this is why the pursuit of Naylor becomes confusing. Unless Nick Krall has something else cooking on the back burner, trading for Naylor seems to add to the Reds' already overcrowded infield and still leaves the team vulnerable at third base. Naylor's bat would definitely play at Great American Ball Park, and perhaps that's what Cincinnati is focused on.

More Cincinnati Reds News and Rumors