Cincinnati Reds 2016-2017 Top 5 Offseason Priorities

Infield Defense

While the Reds found an absolute gem in Adam Duvall, not just with his 30+ home run power, but also with his excellent defense in left field alongside all-world Billy Hamilton, who even took another step forward in 2016 when healthy, by all reports, their infield defense was in bad need of such a find.

Eugenio Suarez is not a guy who will win Gold Gloves, but he also won’t cost you anything at the position either. He’s an average defender with solid instincts and an arm that grades out statistically much worse than it truly is, which makes me wonder if the move from short to third this year was simply some adjusting to making those throws that made his arm look worse than it actually is, as he has always had excellent grades on his arm.

Suarez, however, was the singular bright spot in the infield. Zack Cozart is an elite defender if he can stay healthy, but he’s also played 174 games in the last two seasons, and he’s 31. He played through a nagging knee injury this season on the same knee that he hurt significantly in 2015. When he was out, the team relied on either defense-first, no bat guys like Ivan DeJesus, or a guy like Jose Peraza, whose defense at shortstop has led to him being tried at 2B, LF, and CF already by the Reds because they want his contact and speed in the lineup. Brandon Phillips struggled defensively, having taken significant steps backward from the elite defender he once was at second base now that he’s reached 35 years old.

While I don’t exactly understand the statistical measures of first base due to the guys who get rated well and who doesn’t based on watching them, Joey Votto was rated as one of the worst fielding first basemen in the game. I don’t think he’s at that level, but he certainly was not the high-end defender he’s been in the past this season. Whether that had to do with Phillips’ decline next to him or what it was, he was notably less as a defender at the position than he has been in the past.

So where do they go from here?

The big thing that the team could do is target some help on the bench. Dilson Herrera, acquired in the Jay Bruce trade, will certainly help, and he could be ready immediately in 2017, but it’d be best for sure to have more than just Herrera as back up plans. Phillips has one more season left at $14M, but he’s resisted trade moves the Reds have attempted recently, so the team may have him on the roster, and Price tends to play his guys like Phillips through thick and thin, so Phillips will have a role.

For bench guys defensively, there are few options on the free agent market, with Ruben Tejada really being the only one. The best option would be for the Reds to scan the waiver wire, Rule V draft, and the trade market for guys they could grab that would play average to above-average defense at multiple positions. Could they acquire a guy like Eduardo Escobar or Danny Santana in a move to get Ervin Santana from the Twins by adding in another prospect? That should be the type of deal they should explore this offseason.

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