The non-tender date is coming up on Monday. Teams will have until 8pm ET to decide whether or not to keep players around for the 2020 season. There are several candidates for the Cincinnati Reds who could be non-tendered contracts and become free agents. MLB Trade Rumors has a full list for every teams candidates. For the Reds they only list two players: Infielder Jose Peraza and pitcher Kevin Gausman.
Both players are looking at raises in arbitration if they are brought back. Guasman is projected to get a bump up to $10.6M, while Peraza is looking at a bump up to $3.6M. It feels like a virtual guarantee that Gausman is either going to be non-tendered because of that price, or he’ll sign a new contract (with say, an added year) with a lower AAV before Monday night. It’s just too difficult to see the Reds pay a non-starting pitcher that kind of money.
With Jose Peraza things are a little more difficult. We’ve seen the highs and lows with him over the last two seasons. He’s going to be 26-years-old next year. But in two of the last three seasons he’s posted an OPS+ of 62 or 63 – which is among the absolute worst in the game of baseball for a non-pitcher. It was that middle season, 2018, that gives some hope – when he hit .288/.326/.416 and posted an OPS+ of 98. Still, he’s coming off of a year in which he has significantly negative value to the team and is getting a raise of nearly a million bucks. And as things stand right now, he’d be a $3.6M bench player. While that’s not an outrageous price for a bench player – it’s an expensive one for a bench player who didn’t hit at all in two of the last three seasons.
Top 25 Offseason Trade Candidates
Heading back to MLB Trade Rumors, Jeff Todd and Steve Adams looked at the top 25 players that could be on the market. Some of the players are guys we’ve already written about, such as catcher Omar Narvaez, Dylan Bundy, and Mookie Betts. There are some interesting names on the list – like Francisco Lindor! But there’s also some less-talked about names like Andrew Benintendi, Trevor Story, and Trey Mancini. At the end of the day just about everyone is available for trade if someone else is willing to make the deal. But some of these players could be easier to acquire than others.
David Schoenfield shared his own list over at ESPN this week. The most enticing player in my opinion on his list is Joc Pederson, who crushed 36 home runs last season for the Dodgers.
On the prospect side of the ledger, MLB.com’s Jim Callis, Mike Rosenbaum, and Jonathan Mayo all chimed in on 30 prospects – one from each team – who could be dealt this offseason. Their Cincinnati Reds candidate is a bit of a confusing pick: Vladimir Gutierrez. That’s a confusing pick because he’s coming off of a season in which he posted a 6.04 ERA for Triple-A Louisville. He was just named as the Reds #14 overall prospect, and he’s still got some stuff to work with and he’s going to be 24-years-old next season – but you’d be selling at an all-time low point on him, too.
I mentioned this earlier in the offseason, but I hope the Reds work out a deal multi-year deal for a lower AAV with Gausman. He’s got good stuff but he isn’t worth the price tag as a reliever. Offer $11m/2 years or $15m/3 year’s with escalators for games started/finished.
With Peraza, I just can’t justify that price tag for a bench role when guys like VanMeter and Blandino will be on hand for league minimum and are likely just as productive.
Schebler is another non-tender possibility.
Those 2 had almost 0 production and jose is young. He also got screwed for time because our manager gave crap player all the time. Bell needs to let guys play. Like winker sure his splits are not great but we he played every day they were like 250 and 300+ now he puts someone in there to hit 260 270 and winker drops to 270 and nothing. The average is way better to let most guys play and you dont see the astros or Dodgers playing platoons nearly as often
Dodgers play a lot of platoons
Totally agree with you Hotto4Votto, time to let Peraza go. He cannot hit and his defense is to inconsistent. Gausman would be nice to hang on to if he would re-negotiate his contract. Schebler should be non tendered and VanMeter should stick but I am not sure about Blandino making the club.
Agreed
Gausman they need to figure a way to keep him at lower annual salary add at least one year. I feel he has closer stuff actually and could replace Iglesias if he is a piece in a trade with maybe Winker and Barnhart towards another position like SS or LF
If I was him, I would reject any offer like that from the Reds.
If I am non-tendered, I would check around the league to see if there are any starter offers, if not, then I would consider signing it.
No…No…No on Peraza. I would not pay him $7.50 an hour to play for my team. Time to cut bait and admit your scouting department was wrong on him.
+100.
Needs a change of scenery.
Even though he looked really bad, if Tyler Anderson is Non-Tendered, I would offer him a contract.
Minor league if I can get it.
He need to get out of Colorado.
Not everywhere it’s not.
I wouldn’t give Peraza a roster spot at league min, let alone at his projected salary. He doesn’t provide excess value offensively or defensively, and he’s even below replacement level offensively. His only value is some positional flexibility. His attributes are replaceable, pretty easily.
What I can not understand is, if you are going to non tender someone, why not do it before you set your 40, saving those young people?
With the hope that you can do one of two things: Agree to a contract at a lower price with them and keep them around, or find someone else willing to pay them what they are due in arbitration and trade them to that team in order to get something in return.
In Paraza’s defense he should have been given a better opportunity early on due to his 18 performance. Instead Dietrich was given the nod, and we all know how that transpired. I never know what the teams objective is anymore. Based on Peraza’s performance lad season then no I wouldn’t tender him but I feel like he’s more the player from 2018. Gausmam is a low contract candidate at multiple years. Let Schebler go. I just feel like the aaReds don’t even know their own plan.
I’m going to go against the grain and say that the Reds should offer Schebler a deal unless he’s still hurt. I’m pretty sure he would be a good bench player at the least.
The thing about Schebler is that he’s likely our 5th best OF option for next season. At this point you have to assume the Reds have factored in Senzel, Winker, Ervin, and Aquino into their OF plans. Since the Reds appear resistant to really playing Ervin in CF, and they traded for a defense-first CF in Jankowski, he’s more likely than not ahead of Schebler due to being an actual CF.
Of course Senzel could move back to 2B, but it’s likely only in the event of upgrading CF with an outside addition. So that doesn’t open up a spot either. Plus the Reds are known to be targeting corner OF help (Castellanos and Ozuna). Adding either would likely take Schebler out of the equation entirely.
That’s all before considering the fact that Schebler was brutal both in ML and AAA last season and then had shoulder surgery, which likely makes him less effective. I believe, not 100% sure, he’s out of options, meaning the Reds don’t have the option of allowing him to rediscover something in the minors.
He won’t be cost-prohibitive, but he also doesn’t fit on the roster well with the other pieces, and st this point doesn’t have the option of waiting for an opportunity in the minors.
Sure if healthy, based on his track record prior to last season he’s a decent option. But that doesn’t answer how he fits on this team. Do you keep him on the roster over any of the four guys mentioned above? I wouldn’t. Ervin offers a nice platoon option for Winker where Schebler does not. Maybe you platoon him and Aquino? But that puts limits on bench flexibility, even with a 26th man. Personally, I’d keep him over Jankowski for sure, but for the time being it’s hard to assume that the Reds would considering they went out and acquired him.
I am in the minority here but I hope they can find a way to keep Peraza.the guy is durable and has a great attitude. never takes a play off. Raise your hand if you think Senzel and Winker will play a full season? we need a durable back up that can play both infield and outfield. Peraza fits the bill.
The off season has been underwhelming in my opinion so far what has been accomplished thus far to really make this a better team? Let’s hope something happens at the winter meetings in about 8-10 days from today.
I think he has 1 option left.
Also, since has less then 5 years, he cannot refuse an assignment.
So maybe we tender him, and send him to the minors.
It is interesting to see the Reds being attached to fewer and fewer FAs. Even Didi is now being linked to the Phillies. It’s all rumors, and truth be told, I guess it doesn’t really seem like there’s much on the market to really get the team where it needs to be. As a fan, that’s the most discouraging part, to see how hard it really will be to get this team to level where it can actually contend.
Part of me would not be surprised to see the window pushed back, and key players traded. Maybe even Castillo, unfortunately. I think it does say something that despite the pitching we have, Grandal chose some place else to go… White Sox seem committed to winning in the next few years, and finally, the Angels too. Maybe we can inch closer in our division, with Cubs and Pirates and Brewers all struggling, but is that because of our FO, or because other teams have had their windows close. Those are my post-turkey Monday thoughts.
With Girardi now their manager, I’d not be surprised if Didi goes to the Phillies. A lot of fans are disappointed that Grandal went to the White Sox, but I’d rather wait a little while on Tyler Stephenson. The key to an improved offense lies in who the Reds acquire for centerfield.
With Grandal it was not just about the offense. He would have helped the pitching as well, so it was improvement on both sides. Not sure how high the Reds went, but would have liked them to keep going until they signed him. Agree they need a big boost in the OF as well.
The Reds are doing this the way they have done in recent years: They need a car. They go to buy the car, but it looks more expensive than they expected. They get a good deal on a used bike on the way home. They boast about the bargain. They battle for fourth place again.
Moose! That’s a cool addition. Ah well, maybe my post helped stir things up