The Reds added a shortstop on Saturday afternoon with an exchange for Rule 5 to choose the Phillies’ Kyle Holder, but the team is still looking for a starting 2021 shortstop.
Holder, 26, was chosen by Yankee rule 5 in December. The former first-round player is an above-average defender on the shortstop, but has done just 0.667 OPS in his five years on the Yankees’ minor league system. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the deal for the first time.
The Phillies needed to make room on their list of 40 men after agreeing to a deal with shortstop Didi Gregorius in a two-year, $ 28 million deal with the Phillies.
With Gregorius, Andrelton Simmons and Marcus Semien off the board, the Reds probably face two options: switching to a shortstop or stick with Jose Garcia, 22.
The team believes in Garcia for the future. He will be 23 in April, but the Cuban did not have a plate appearance above the A-ball when he debuted in the major league last August. With none …