The Cincinnati Reds enter the offseason with the expectation of making a splash in free agency and they may turn to a familiar face to do so.
The Reds are showing interest in shortstop Didi Gregorius, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.
Gregorius, who began his career with the Reds after signing as an amateur free agent in 2007, didn't receive a qualifying offer from the New York Yankees, which means he isn't attached to draft-pick compensation.
After spending four seasons in the minors with Cincinnati's affiliates, Gregorius debuted with the Reds in 2012 and played eight games for them before he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Following two less-than-spectacular seasons in the desert, Gregorius was dealt to the New York Yankees, where he'd become an established hitter in the heart of their lineup for several seasons.
From 2016-18, Gregorius hit 72 homers and drove in 243 runs in the Bronx.
The Netherlands native only played in 82 games last season after missing time while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Upon his return, the 29-year-old hit .238/.276/.441 with 16 home runs.
Cincinnati already employs shortstop Freddy Galvis, but Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams recently said the club is willing to bring in a free agent to give the team's offense a boost.
"To go out and sign an open-market free agent to a big-dollar multi-year contract is not something we've done, but it isn't something we will shy away from," Williams said last month, according to Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "You have to define how big is big. Given our market size, we want to try to avoid deals that are too big to digest, but we understand how to compete for talent on the free-agent (market), which is part of the strategy this year."
