The New York Yankees decided not to offer the qualifying offer to shortstop Didi Gregorius, making him a free agent this winter.
According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Cincinnati Reds are showing interest in bringing Gregorius into the fold (via Mike Axisa and R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports):
The Reds are looking for an upgrade at shortstop — and that could mean reuniting with a former player, per MLB Network's Jon Heyman.
Didi Gregorius, originally a member of the Reds franchise, appeared in just eight big-league games with Cincy before being dealt as part of a three-team trade. (The Reds netted Shin-Soo Choo.) Gregorius has since become a quality shortstop with 20-plus homer potential. Over the last three seasons he has a 108 OPS+.
The Reds' incumbent shortstop, Jose Iglesias, is a free agent.
Gregorius missed nearly half the season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, and he struggled to get into a groove when he returned. The 29-year-old slashed .238/.276/.441 with 16 homers, and his walk rate was nearly cut in half while the strikeout rate increased.
However, there were promising elements to 2019, notably Gregorius' average exit velocity (via Ken Davidoff of the New York Post):
Gregorius’ average exit velocity of 87.6 miles per hour through Monday’s action marked his best in the Statcast era, an encouraging sign.
The Reds will be active this winter. They have already been rumored as a potential destination for Yasmani Grandal, and they could be a few impact bats away from contention in 2020.
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