As suitors emerged for Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor, could the Cincinnati Reds swoop in and get a deal done?
It’s no secret the Los Angeles Dodgers are interested in Francisco Lindor, as they go to the trade market in search of a star. The San Diego Padres have also surfaced as a suitor for the Indians’ star shortstop despite seeming to have the left side of the infield locked down.
But another suitor has now emerged. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Cincinnati Reds have engaged the Indians regarding Lindor. Any talks appear to be at an early, exploratory stage, but Cincinnati’s interest is noteworthy.
The Reds have made a couple of notable moves already this offseason, signing Mike Moustakas (four years, $64 million) to play second base and Wade Miley (two years, $15 milion) to come in as the No. 4 starter behind Luis Castillo, Trevor Bauer and Sonny Gray.
The Reds and Indians did business at last year’s trade deadline, as Bauer went to Cincinnati and Yasiel Puig went to Cleveland in a three-team deal that included the Padres. As the Reds look to add another bat, Lindor is on the radar.
Speaking during the press conference introducing Miley on Wednesday, general manager Nick Krall addressed the avenues to keep improving the team.
Whether it’s the trade market or the free-agent market, we’ll do whatever we can to keep improving this club,” Krall said.
“You’ve got to have teams that are willing to trade players. I think it’s up to those teams. We’ve had talks in the trade market, and we’ve also had them in the free-agent market.
The Reds have a group of young players they could deal from, including Nick Senzel, Jonathan India, Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo. Greene, India and Lodolo are their top-three prospects, as ranked by MLB.com, and Senzel arrived in the big leagues last year. The Indians could very well ask for three of those four in a deal for Lindor, and the Reds could offload shortstop Freddy Galvis (23 home runs last year and due $5.5 million in 2020, the final year of his contract).
The Reds have not made the postseason, or even won 80 games, since Dusty Baker’s final season as manager in 2013. The front office seems bent on ending that drought, and even if they don’t get Lindor it’s inevitable the Reds will make at least one more noteworthy move this offseason. In that light, with the expectation of moves still to come, the makings of the 2020 NL Central champions exist in Cincinnati.