Another infielder! Who knew?

Wick Terrell, at wickterrell,  January 7, 2023, 1:08 a.m. EST  19 Remarks / 19 NewTell this tale.Post this to Facebook (new window opens).Tweet about this (opens in new window)SHARE Every sharing choiceMatt Dirksen/Getty Images photoWhen the Cincinnati Reds declined Joey Votto’s option earlier this summer, they informed the future Hall of Famer that there would not be enough plate appearances for him in 2024. That was difficult to accept after taking a brief look at the team’s available infield choices. However, it makes sense because infielders Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Spencer Steer, Jonathan India, Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, and Noelvi Marte all made significant contributions to the squad in 2023.With so many infielders already in tow and the team’s former face already out of the picture, I write with a wrinkled brow that the Reds have supposedly added another infielder. Despite the strange match between the two players on paper, Jeimer Candelario will be a Cincinnati Red in 2023, as MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported early on Thursday morning. This confirms the speculations that have been circulating for days.

All winter long, the Reds have been in need of a right-handed hitting outfielder. Is it possible that Spencer Steer, who demonstrated his adaptability by spending a significant amount of time there last year, will inevitably spend more time there? Could that indicate that the Reds are thinking about pitching and relocating some of their present infield depth?

Is Jonathan India capable of playing outfield? Would they actually cast Elly De La Cruz in CF and pull a “Nick Senzel” move?

For the time being, all we know about Candelario is that he just finished a ~3 WAR season in 2023, splitting his 576 PA between the Chicago Cubs and the Washington Nationals with a 119 OPS+. With 42 doubles in the 2021 season, the switch-hitting 3B/1B topped all of MLB. Overall, since the 2020 season began, his OPS+ is 112. Though he has never been regarded as a major power source, he has also never spent an entire season calling a ballpark like GABP home, so maybe as he approaches his 30-year old season, he is now in a position to take advantage of that

Candelario was estimated to sign a 4-year, $70 million contract, placing him as the 13th overall free agent on MLB Trade Rumors’ Top 50 free agent rankings going into the summer. Although the exact terms of the deal are still unknown, that would clearly place him in a unique position in terms of Cincinnati’s free agency spending.

Jeff Passan of ESPN.com has confirmed that there is a three-year, $45 million guarantee; however, some publications have reported that there is a $15 million option for a fourth year.