Cincinnati Reds pick up 2020 option on Freddy Galvis

Despite the writing largely being on the wall for the Cincinnati Reds as August approached, the club was still quite active in trying every last effort to make the 2019 a winning one. That included a willingness to take on salary even as they sank in the standings, with the likes of Kevin Gausman and Freddy Galvis picked up to augment the stretch run.

Both of those players came with team control for the 2020 season, though, and the Reds took the first step towards signaling those were moves with an eye on the future as much of the present on Thursday. According to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, the Reds are going to pick up the 2020 option on Galvis, a $5.5 million commitment to the veteran infielder.

As Heyman noted in said tweet, Galvis bonked 23 dingers in 2019, a career best, while also sporting a career best 92 OPS+. And while that’s far from world-beating, pair that with the excellence he brings with his glove in the middle-infield, and you could certainly do worse - especially at just $5.5 million.

Of course, whether or not he’s the shortstop for 2020 is yet to be determined, as rumors of a potential deal to keep free agent Jose Iglesias around have circled for quite some time. There’s also the presence of Jose Peraza, who had the job before losing it to Iglesias. Galvis, of course, spent most of his time after coming to the Reds at 2B alongside Iglesias, but the vast majority of his professional career has come as a plus defender at shortstop.

With that trio around as well as the infield abilities of Josh VanMeter, Alex Blandino, Derek Dietrich, Nick Senzel, Kyle Farmer, and a host of potential free agent options, the Reds sure have several directions in which they could go this winter, including the idea of trading Galvis elsewhere should they choose to pursue other options. All they signaled today, though, is that they think highly enough of Galvis to think he’s worth that amount of money, even if it means that’s a value on the trade market elsewhere.