Cincinnati Reds' moves aim at improving offence – MLB News
Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday, Dec. 12, were reported to have agreed to a deal with Jack Hannahan. Although the news needs confirmation, the one-year, $2 million, contract will put him with Shin-Soo Choo who the Reds brought in along with Jason Donald as part of a three-team, nine-player trade on Tuesday that relocated centre fielder Drew Stubbs to northeast Ohio.
This was a surprising move; but one that the Reds seemed to have been weighing for quite a while now. Trading Drew Stubbs to Cleveland Indians and bringing in Shin-Soo Choo is a move that will go a long way to determine the team’s success.
Having been known for his batting prowess and the consistency, Shin-Soo will be a source of strength for the Reds’ offence. His presence will not only keep the batting lineup intact but also adds strength to it.
As for Drew, this past season was not a particularly impressive one for him. Appearing in 136 games, he had 493 at-bats wherein he batted .213 with .277 OBP, something that the Reds would definitely want improved.
Walt Jocketty, Reds general manager, seemed to have somehow endorsed that view.
"Drew is a great young man, and he really helped contribute to our club the last few years," Jocketty said. "He does everything well. Maybe if he's in a new environment and hears different voices, he'll get back on track offensively, because he still has a chance to be a very good player."
Another player that the Reds traded was Didi Gregorius. Being the Reds’ No. 5 prospect, his batting average dripped when promoted to Majors in September this year, having had only a single in 20-at bats after he had .278 in 81 games for Double-A Pensacola in 2012 and .232 in 48 games at Triple-A Louisville. So the time had come for the Reds to make the move.
"I've always really liked Didi and liked the way he goes about playing the game," general manager Jocketty said. "It was difficult, but we have Zack Cozart as our shortstop for the next five years, at least, and it was tough for Didi to crack the lineup."
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