In-house shortstop options for the Cincinnati Reds.
The first option for the Cincinnati Reds is to stick with who they have, avoid spending big in the upcoming market, and bring in someone via waiver claim or low-cost/minor league signing.
This isn’t the most attractive option, but with names like Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager, Trevor Story, and others possibly on the market next offseason, saving the money now could come in handy later.
Farmer played well in his 32 games this season, hitting .266 with a 329 OBP, and playing better defensively than Galvis. The Reds also still have former first-round pick Alex Blandino who can play a decent shortstop. He owns a .238/.349/.305 career slash with an 11.7% walk rate in 92 career major league games.
The Reds can also mix in Alfredo Rodriguez, a former highly-regarded international prospect who is now 26 and has a glove that can handle the shortstop position, but a bat that lags behind.
Perhaps some combination of these three options can play well in short stints until Jose Garcia has had a few months in the minor leagues. Garcia has hit well in the lower levels of the minor leagues, but hadn’t seen a pitch above High-A before playing 24 games at the major league level this season.
If the Cincinnati Reds are high on giving Garcia the chance to take over shortstop duties full-time, they won’t have to spend big money on a stopgap option.