The Return of Grady Sizemore?

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Per Ken Rosenthal (via Twitter), the Cincinnati Reds are in advanced talks with outfielder Grady Sizemore. The oft-injured Sizemore last appeared in the big leagues in 2011 with the Cleveland Indians.

From 2005-2009, Grady Sizemore was one of the best players in the entire league featuring a combination of power and speed. Sizemore joined the 30-30 Club in 2008 after hitting 33 homeruns and stealing 38 bases. During that five-year span Sizemore was worth 28.7 wins above replacement, ranking fifth in the MLB (despite only playing in 106 games in 2009).

After being a fairly durable player to start out his career, Sizemore fell victim to an endless pit of injuries.

He has undergone a myriad of surgeries on different parts of his body — back, elbow, sports hernias and both knees. The knees are the most worrisome of the bunch, considering they were of the microfracture variety.

No specifics on what type of deal Sizemore might get have leaked thus far, but one has to imagine it can’t be more than a minor-league deal.

Lastly, in case you were wondering how Sizemore’s career might have turned out if it were not for injuries then check out his ZiPS projections after 2008.