Utility player Dee Strange-Gordon agreed to terms with the Cincinnati Reds on a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training on Sunday, according to a source with knowledge of the deal.
Strange-Gordon, an All-Star in 2014 and 2015, spent the last three seasons with the Seattle Mariners. The left-handed hitter struggled in 2020 with a .200 batting average, a .268 on-base percentage and one extra-base hit in 75 at-bats. His .482 OPS was well below his career .679 OPS.
More:Reds get high compensatory draft pick in wake of Bauer signing
He will compete for a utility role on the Reds' roster and he does have experience at shortstop, although he made just four starts at the position in the last two seasons. Strange-Gordon, 32, started his career as a shortstop with the Los Angeles Dodgers, then moved to second base when he played for the Miami Marlins.
When Strange-Gordon played for the Mariners, he played shortstop, second base, center field and left field. He has elite speed, but he's never hit for much power. He led the National League in stolen bases three times and he won a batting title in 2015 when he had a .333 batting average.
He stole 22 bases in 27 attempts in 2019, the first time he stole under 30 bases in a season since 2013, and he was limited to just three stolen bases last year.
More:Cincinnati Reds sign free-agent reliever Sean Doolittle to one-year contract
The Mariners, a rebuilding team, reportedly tried to trade Strange-Gordon prior to the 2020 season, but didn't find any teams that wanted to take on his $13.5 million salary.
He ceded playing time to Shed Long Jr., a former Reds prospect, and Dylan Moore during the 2020 season, and started just five games in September.
He had a $14 million club option for 2021, which Seattle bought out for $1 million to make him a free agent.
Strange-Gordon had four or five teams interested in him this offseason, according to a report from MassLive.com, but the Reds were light on guys who can play shortstop and his speed should give him a decent chance to make the Major League roster. Shogo Akiyama was the Reds' only player with more than four stolen bases last year.
Strange-Gordon has missed some time in recent years with injuries. He went on the Injured List with a right great toe fracture in 2019, plus two stints in 2019 (right wrist contusion and strained left quad).
Strange-Gordon is the son of three-time All-Star pitcher Tom "Flash" Gordon and his brother, Nick, is an infielder in the Minnesota Twins' organization. He changed his jersey from "Gordon" to "Strange-Gordon" last September to honor his late mother, who was killed when he was 7 years old.
Playing for the Marlins in 2016, Strange-Gordon homered in the team's first at-bat after the death of teammate José Fernández. It was his only home run of the season and he fought tears as he rounded the bases.
"That was the best moment of my life, to hit a home run for him," Gordon said afterward.
The Reds remain without a clear everyday shortstop on their roster. Jose Garcia is the leading internal candidate and Kyle Farmer started 10 games at the position last year. The club has talked to free agent Jonathan Villar, but they haven't reached an agreement, and the Reds have continued to look at possibilities on the trade market.
Source link
