Cincinnati Reds winter meetings buzz on Shohei Ohtani, Dylan Cease and adding an infielder
NASHVILLE — Two days into the winter meetings at the Opryland Resort, and the Cincinnati Reds remain on the hunt for more starting pitching, bullpen help and possibly even a switch-hitting corner infielder to add to their promising young roster.
Why haven’t they closed any more deals since last week’s quick strikes for reliever Emilio Pagán and swingman Nick Martinez?
Who might they land?
And will they leave Nashville this week with another deal done?
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The answer to the last one is easy: No.
“We’re not close,” team president Nick Krall said late Tuesday between meetings with free agents, rival teams and his management team.
Meanwhile, a sample of what we’re hearing so far — and what they’re saying:
What we're hearing
The drama and intrigue surrounding Shohei Ohtani’s free agency, and to a lesser degree Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s free agency, are holding up movement in most sectors of the player market, including what some smaller market clubs are trying to get done with second-tier free agents.
Specifically, big-market teams in the hunt to pay Ohtani a record sum for his services need to wait until they know what they’re paying or where they need to pivot next before getting serious about how to fill (remaining) roster needs.
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Agents for some of those next-tier free agents, in turn, say they don’t want to accept offers from small- to mid-market teams before knowing what their big-market suitors might offer if they miss on Ohtani or Yamamoto — the top free agent pitcher.
What they're saying
“No one’s communicated that to us,” Krall said. “Whether they’re privately thinking it, I can’t speculate on that.”
What we're hearing
The Los Angeles Dodgers (per manager Dave Roberts) and Toronto Blue Jays (per sources) are seriously involved in recruiting Ohtani, and the Dodgers are also in on Yamamoto.
What they're saying
“We have not had conversations with Yamamoto. We have not had conversations with Ohtani,” Krall said.
What we're hearing
The Reds have told some agents they hope to add a frontline starter via trades, even as they stay in touch on some of the middle-of-the-rotation free agents.
What they're saying
“I wouldn’t say it’s one or the other. I think we’ve worked in both markets,” Krall said.
What we're hearing
The Reds have engaged in trade talks with the Cleveland Guardians about former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber and the Tampa Bay Rays about Tyler Glasnow, 30, who pitched a career-high 120 innings in 2023 — but are cautious about the injury histories of both.
What they're saying
Krall wouldn’t address specific players, but on concerns about signing or trading for anyone with injury histories, he said the free agent process helps mitigate that because it comes with pre-offer review of past medicals and post-offer physicals.
“You have to figure out what your risk tolerance is,” he said.
What we're hearing
The Reds have talked to the Chicago White Sox about 2022 Cy Young runner-up Dylan Cease, who has made at least 32 starts each of the past three seasons and has two years of club control remaining before free agency, albeit “nothing concrete” at this point, according to a source. The Sox have put a high price on the hard-throwing Cease, and what they get might, again, be impacted by who gets left out of the Yamamoto sweepstakes.
What they're saying
Krall: “We’re just kind of seeing what all’s out there and how we can best operate.”
What we're hearing
The Reds, who met twice with switch-hitter Jeimer Candelario’s agents at last month’s GM meetings, remain interested in the corner infielder, which could essentially turn Spencer Steer into a full-time outfielder and have implications for the status of one or two other infielders. But Candelario, who could be in line for a three- or four-year deal, is one of those players whose market appears to be on hold pending Ohtani.
What they're saying
Krall, during a lengthier description of how various right- or left-handed hitting additions might fit the roster: “You could add a switch-hitter that plays the infield that you can move somebody — you could push Steer in the outfield more.”
What we're hearing
Did we mention the Reds are not in on Ohtani?
What they're saying
“Not unless it’s spelled with a ‘w’ “ — Krall.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How Shohei Ohtani, Dylan Cease shaping Cincinnati Reds offseason plans
