Reds eyeing trade for Cleveland shortstop Amed Rosario

The Cincinnati Reds are in need of a shortstop, and they appear to be looking to their in-state rival for help.

Entering this offseason, the Cincinnati Reds‘ biggest area of need was at shortstop. The team was hoping to reunite with Didi Gregorius but feared he could command a pricey deal on the open market. Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened on Saturday, as the Philadelphia Phillies re-signed Gregorius to a two-year, $28 million contract. Now, the Reds have scrambled back to their backup plan.

Days ago, Mike Puma of the New York Post and MLB insider Jon Heyman reported that the Reds have considered trading for Amed Rosario of the Cleveland Indians. Shortly after the Gregorius deal was reported, Heyman noted that the Reds are “still hoping to land” Rosario.

Rosario’s stint in Cleveland could be a short one

Rosario has been a member of the Cleveland organization for less than a month. Rosario, shortstop Andres Gimenez, pitcher Josh Wolf and outfielder Isaiah Greene were traded by the New York Mets in exchange for superstar Francisco Lindor and veteran pitcher Carlos Carrasco. With the Reds’ reported interest, he might not have to travel far for his potential third team of his career.

An international free agent signing back in 2012, Rosario has been a highly-regarded prospect prior to making his MLB debut with the Mets in 2017. At that season’s trade deadline, Rosario ranked second on the Top 100 prospects list, only behind Yoan Moncada of the Chicago White Sox.

Rosario was solid at the plate in the 2019 campaign as he slashed .287/.323/.432 with 15 home runs and 72 RBI in 157 games. At shortstop, however, Rosario committed 17 errors in 548 defensive chances (.969 fielding percentage).

This past season, Rosario recorded a .252 batting average and a .643 OPS while hitting four home runs and 15 RBI in 46 games. Rosario received 37 starts at shortstop, while Gimenez logged 22 starts. Rosario would commit just two errors in 107 defensive chances (.981 fielding percentage), as opposed to Gimenez’s one error in 77 chances (.987).

Rosario recently settled with Cleveland for $2.4 million to avoid arbitration this upcoming season. The young shortstop is under team control until the conclusion of the 2023 campaign. That greatly benefits the Reds, but it could come at the expense of some prospects, which Cleveland would surely welcome with open arms.

With limited shortstop options available, it will be interesting to see if Cincinnati can successfully pull the trigger on a trade for Rosario.

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