With infield depth thin, the Reds trade for infielder Santiago Espinal
GOODYEAR, Ariz — When Cincinnati Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall woke up on Wednesday morning, the Reds’ depth was crumbling.
Noelvi Marte is about to begin an 80-game suspension. TJ Friedl is out indefinitely with a fractured wrist. Matt McLain is getting a second opinion on his injured shoulder, and surgery is on the table.
Krall was scouring for options, and he started conversations with the Blue Jays about a trade on Wednesday morning. By noon, he made an offer. Then at 4:45 Pacific Standard Time, the Reds traded for Toronto Blue Jays infielder Santiago Espinal, dealing pitching prospect Chris McElvain.
When Krall left the Reds’ spring training facility for the day, he felt better about where the roster stood as the Reds continued to work toward contending in 2024.
“This is a move you make to get better,” Krall said.
Espinal has been a slightly below average hitter for his position across his four-year career. He made the AL All-Star team in 2022 and has a standout reputation as a defender.
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Espinal, 29 years old, is under contract for three more years and gives the Reds some badly needed reinforcements in the infield. He can play second base, third base and shortstop.
According to reports out of Toronto, Espinal was on the roster bubble this spring. In 2023, he posted a mere .644 OPS and statistically made very weak contact when he put the ball in play.
Krall noted that Espinal has had good stretches at the plate in his career, and Espinal’s defense is what the Reds value the most.
At the start of the day on Wednesday, outfielder Spencer Steer was the Reds’ second baseman and backup shortstop because of how much the depth chart has changed due to two injuries and a suspension. Espinal strengthens the Reds’ defense and provides depth that the Reds didn’t have available to them.
“He’s a really quality utility infielder who can play all over and give guys some days off,” Krall said. “This guy is a good fit for the club. With McLain going down and TJ Friedl going down, we were trying to get some more versatility on the club. He plays quality defense at three different positions. He has hit in the past. He knows the role. He has a chance to be a quality player on this club.”
The Espinal trade was finalized minutes after Reds manager David Bell announced that McLain would start the year on the injured list. At the start of spring training, there wouldn’t have been room for Espinal on the roster because of how many infielders they had available to them. McLain’s injury was one of the catalysts that made the Reds look outside of the organization for infield depth.
The Reds’ infield depth was supposed to be the strength of this year’s team. Heading into spring training, they had seven potential every day players in the infield. They were so set that Steer and Jonathan India started playing in the outfield.The Reds struggled adding minor league depth in the infield during the offseason because of how much depth they already had. Free agents who were looking for playing time didn’t think they’d be able to get many at-bats with the Reds, so they signed with other teams. The Reds signed Josh Harrison and Tony Kemp to minor league deals before the start of the spring, but both players elected free agency after the Reds informed them that they wouldn’t make the Opening Day roster.
Before the Reds added Espinal, they would have had a platoon of Stuart Fairchild and Mike Ford or Nick Martini in the lineup on an every day basis. Now, Espinal gives the Reds a third option in that mix. Fairchild and whoever wins the position battle between Ford and Martini will both still likely receive a good amount of at-bats.
Espinal gives the Reds a chess piece that they badly needed.
When a ground ball pitcher like Graham Ashcraft is on the mound, the Reds can start India, Espinal, Elly De La Cruz and Jeimer Candelario in the infield with Steer, Will Benson and Jake Fraley in the outfield and Christian Encarnacion-Strand at designated hitter.
When the Reds want to get their strongest lineup against right-handed pitching on the field, they can start Encarnacion-Strand, India, De La Cruz and Candelario in the infield, Steer, Benson and Fraley in the outfield and Ford or Martini as the designated hitter.
Throughout the offseason, Krall stressed the importance of building a deep roster as the Reds added players like Candelario. When that depth was on the verge of running out, he went to the trade market, added Espinal and got the Reds some more.
To add Espinal, they traded 2022 sixth-round pick Chris McElvain, a 23-year-old pitcher from Vanderbilt who posted a 3.75 ERA last year between Low-A and High-A. He’s not listed among MLB Pipeline’s top-30 prospects in the Reds organization. He’s known for having an impact breaking ball, has a three-pitch mix and has been working on adding velocity during his tenure with the Reds’ organization.
With higher expectations for the 2024 season, the Reds were willing to deal a young pitcher to strengthen their big league roster.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: With infield depth thin, the Reds trade for infielder Santiago Espinal
