Will the Cincinnati Reds land a big-time shortstop in free agency or trade? Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Reds reportedly prioritizing addition of top-tier shortstop

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 11/30/20

The Cincinnati Reds need an upgrade at shortstop, and it appears they're willing to spend in order to make it happen.

According to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Reds are "prioritizing" the addition of a top-tier shortstop and are pursuing multiple players, including Francisco Lindor and Trevor Story via trade and Marcus Semien, Andrelton Simmons and Didi Gregorious via free agency.

Sources: #Reds are prioritizing the addition of one starting shortstop and are pursuing multiple options to address that need: Francisco Lindor and Trevor Story in trade; Marcus Semien, Andrelton Simmons, and Didi Gregorius via free agency. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 30, 2020

It was reported earlier this month that the Cleveland Indians intend to trade Lindor before Opening Day, making it a very real possibility for the Reds to acquire him. Story isn't necessarily in a similar situation to Lindor, but the Colorado Rockies intend to entertain offers for him.

When it comes to Semien, Simmons and Gregorious, it won't be easy for the Reds to acquire any of those players. The trio is receiving plenty of interest from teams across Major League Baseball.

Still, the Reds need to, at the very least, attempt to acquire one of those five players. Last season, they rolled out a shortstop unit that included Freddy Galvis, Kyle Farmer and Jose Garcia, which didn't work out as the three combined received a total of 0.1 fWAR.

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