If the rumors hold any truth to them, the Cincinnati Reds seem to be on the verge of acquiring Shin-Soo Choo from the Cleveland Indians. Such an acquisition would finally fill the major void that has been the leadoff spot in Cincinnati's lineup.
Danny Knobler of CBS Sports sent out this tweet earlier today referencing an article that he wrote regarding the trade details:
Reds deep in talks on deal to acquire Shin-soo Choo from Indians for Stubbs and Gregorius. cbsprt.co/UfMpzf
— DKnobler (@DKnobler) December 11, 2012
The proposition includes Cincinnati sending outfielder Drew Stubbs and shortstop prospect Didi Gregorius to Cleveland in exchange for Choo and a to-be-determined player. Gregorius seems to be a key player in the trade as Knobler references possible trade talks between Cleveland and Arizona that would include the Indians sending a shortstop to the Diamondbacks in exchange for pitching.
The Twitter universe has been blowing up around the Reds community with regards to the article. Cincinnati Enquirer and Reds beat writer, John Fay, had this to say about Choo's production compared to Reds leadoff hitters:
Lead man scored 83 times (43 percent). Choo reaches 297 and scores 42 percent of the time, that's 128 runs from leadoff vs. 83. #reds
— John Fay (@johnfayman) December 11, 2012
Talk about an offensive cure. Choo has the ability to bring a dynamic spark to the leadoff role. That's a plus-45 in the run production category.
Cincinnati Reds and 700 WLW radio personality, Lance McAlister, couldn't wait to get his Sports Talk show rolling following the news of a possible deal:
yes, I'm warming up in the bullpen and will take your calls on Stubbs/Choo with Sports Talk 7:05. #Reds
— Lance McAlister (@LanceMcAlister) December 11, 2012
With all of the excitement of a possible trade, let's take a look at what Choo would bring to the Reds. His .283 BA and .373 OBP in 2012 would replace the .213 BA and .277 OBP that Stubbs was able to produce. Choo also cracked 43 doubles and 16 home runs. He is no slouch on the base paths either, swiping 21 bases in 28 attempts.
The stats seem to speak for themselves. The Reds would be achieving what Walt Jocketty and crew had set out to achieve as soon as the offseason began—find a way to get runners on base in front of Joey Votto.
Be sure to chime in with your thoughts and opinions below.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
- Login to post comments