Three Outfielders the Cincinnati Reds Should Consider Signing in Free Agency
Another free agent outfielder is off the board after Teoscar Hernandez signed with the Dodgers on Friday night.
Here are three outfielders the Reds should consider signing in free agency:
1. Randal Grichuk
Sep 3, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks left fielder Randal Grichuk (15) hits a single against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images / John Hefti-Imagn ImagesGrichuk is a player that hasn’t gotten a ton of buzz this offseason. Grichuk is a 33-year-old right-handed hitter coming off one of the best seasons of his career where he played in 106 games for the Diamondbacks and slashed .291/.348/.528 with 34 extra-base hits and a wRC+ of 139. Grichuk had an OPS of .913 against left-handed pitching, but was also above average against right-handed pitching in 2024, with an OPS of .801. The downside of Grichuk is his age and the fact that he is not a good defender. In the past three seasons, Grichuk has had outs above average of -3, -6, and -4.
2. Anthony Santander
Sep 24, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Baltimore Orioles right fielder Anthony Santander (25) hits a solo home run during the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn ImagesSantander, like Grichuk, is also coming off one of the best seasons of his career. The 30-year-old right-handed hitter slashed .235/.308/.506 in 2024 with 71 extra-base hits and a wRC+ of 129. Santander doesn’t have huge splits, with an OPS of .822 against left-handed pitching and .793 against right-handed pitching. The downside is Santander might be out of the Reds price range and he’s not a good defender. Over the past four seasons, his outs above average has been -3, -2, -6, and -7.
3. Jurickson Profar
Oct 9, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar (10) singles in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game four of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images / Denis Poroy-Imagn ImagesProfar is coming off the best season of his career where he slashed .280/.380/.459 with a wRC+ of 139. He struck out in just 15.1% of his plate appearances. He also had 53 extra-base hits and 10 stolen bases. Profar is a switch hitter who excelled from both sides of the plate in 2024. He had an OPS of .823 batting right-handed and had an OPS of .885 batting left-handed. Eight of his 24 home runs came while batting left-handed and the other 16 came from the right side. However, Profar has been a bit inconsistent throughout his big leage career with just four seasons with a wRC+ over 100 (2018, 2020, 2022, 2024) in 11 seasons and he is not good defensively. He played 148 games in the outfield for the Padres in 2024 and had -7 outs above average. He was 29th in outs above average out of all Major League left fielders.
