The Reds have elected not to tender a contract to infielder Jose Peraza, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). MLBTR had projected him to earn $3.6MM in his first season of arbitration eligibility.
This is a tough pill for the Reds to swallow, as it had seemed entering the 2019 season that Peraza could turn into a steady regular. But he fell far shy of expectations in the just-completed campaign.
There’s no questioning the depth of Peraza’s struggles. He stumbled to a .239/.285/.346 batting line in 403 plate appearances. He didn’t even grade as a positive overall baserunner despite his obvious talent in that regard. Though Peraza continued to show well with the glove, it wasn’t enough to convince the Reds to keep the faith entering a must-win season.
In spite of the difficulties, it’s still a bit of a surprise to see Peraza cut loose at 25 years of age and with three seasons of arbitration control remaining. He may not quite have turned into the player they hoped he would when they acquired him back in 2015, but Peraza was a 2.6 fWAR performer in 2018 and has at times shown an ability to produce at a league-average rate with the bat despite a minimal walk rate.
With Peraza out of the mix at shortstop, the Reds depth chart is presently topped by Freddy Galvis. The club picked up his option at $5.5MM. Whether he’ll end up serving as a utility piece or semi-regular at short remains to be seen.
Wow… This guy used to be the Braves top overall prospect back when they traded him to the Dodgers along with Alex Wood. What a drop off. He was really fast so I’m surprised to find out he had negative overall base running ability. I wonder what happened with him.
Hey StandUpGuy! I left a note for you on the Players that avoided Arbitration post. People are getting kinda angry though.
Thank you.
Brewers. Let Arcia walk and bring in Peraza for the same price.
Still waiting for a big move…. this isn’t it.
You didn’t have to wait long.
Some day we’ll look back on this as the start of that all-time great DP combination of Freddy Galvis and Josh VanMeter. Or, you know, hopefully a precursor to a Gregorius signing.
or Mike Moustakas
someone will get a good deal on this guy.
Good deal for no production
Can’t fault the Reds for this move. Peraza was given every opportunity to succeed by the organization, but it just seemed like he was never gonna turn the corner. He still has time to turn it around if another team picks him up, but Peraza to date hasn’t come close to meeting expectations.
Peraza > Profar
Preller < intelligence
Profar was worth 1.3 WAR last year, and projects for 2.2 WAR in 2020. Peraza was worth -0.6 WAR last year, and projects for 0.4 in 2020. Preller makes a lot of questionable moves, but preferring Profar over Peraza isn’t one of them.
Preller prefers Profar’s projections to Peraza’s projections. Say that three times and then wipe all that spittle off your screen.
Or say it with a Sid the Sloth voice.
Wait, did someone just mention projected war? How is that even a thing…
Indians?
He’s actually a better option than most of these league minimum banjo hitters they’ve used to fill out the roster the past few years, but I’d like to see them aim higher than Peraza at this point.
This is the kind of guy the Tigers should jump on, not the Jordy Mercers and Josh Harrisons….still young, experienced, position flexible and in a bigger park can tailor his swing to his speed instead of being tempted to bash balls outta the park. He doesn’t have the physicality or swing for it. Avila best get on the phone.
Not only that, but relatively cost controlled, and they literally have nothing to lose except the number one pick again. Which if Peraza is the reason that happens, they could flip him for more prospect capital.
Every time you hit a fly ball, you owe me 20 push-ups.
And were off!!
Yeah!!!!
Red Sox need a second baseman
Looks like they spent the money on Moose-Munch
Horrible move, well worth 3.6 million.
Good move, Peraza couldn’t hit and was expandable after Reds sign Mouse
Well now 2 of the guys involved in the Braves/Dodgers trade from a few years ago have been cut on the same day. Peraza and Culberson
Jose Peraza is the kind of guy the Royals always target. Slap hitter who can run. Maybe they’ll have a new philosophy under new ownership/manager but he seems to fit the mold. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him be a utility man there.
Would love the braves to grab him. Maybe spark a tiny bit of that success he had in the minors with us. Obviously there isn’t a clear position for him, so a minor league deal. This is more of a feel good “hope” than I practical thing
Now that CC is gone, this is a more realistic possibility albeit still quite low lol Speed, can play all over the field… he just has zero pop. So not sure a bench role is ideal to place on him.
Peraza if given the opportunity will be the table setter the Reds had hoped he’d become. He’s only one year removed from wrapping up a pretty solid season. I scratched my head at the acquisition of Dietrich last offseason, Iglesias made sense but I know they ate up a bunch of potential playing time away from Peraza, who I figured would be a starter after a nice ’18.. Anyway I like what I’ve seen of the guy and hope he gets the chance to fill his cup somewhere
Agree with the Tigers comment. Would be a nice add for a team that lacks depth up the middle for the bench
I had hopes for him, but the bottom line is that he’s the infield (a tad slower) version of Billy Hamilton. I never have been a fan of glove only players. It’s like having two pitchers in the lineup. One is annoying enough. Anyway, I wish him well and hope he really figures it out with an AL West team or overseas.