The Reds are acquiring shortstop Kyle Holder in a trade with the Phillies, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter link). Both teams have officially announced the trade, with cash considerations heading to the Phillies in return. The move will free up a space on Philadelphia’s 40-man roster, so the Phils’ signing of Didi Gregorius could soon be officially announced.
The Yankees selected Holder with the 30th overall pick of the 2015 draft, and he proceeded to hit .264/.317/.350 over 1744 PA in New York’s farm system. Holder then moved to the Phillies as a selection in December’s Rule 5 Draft, and as per Rule 5 stipulations, Holder will now have to remain on Cincinnati’s active roster for the entire season, or else the Reds will have to offer him back to the Yankees.
With Gregorius back in the fold, Holder was an expendable part in Philadelphia, but he could potentially play a larger role for the Reds. Given Cincinnati’s lack of shortstop depth, in fact, Holder might even be in line for some action in the starting lineup, unless the Reds add a more established infielder between now and Opening Day. To that end, MLB.com’s Jon Heyman tweets that the Reds are still hoping to acquire Amed Rosario from the Indians, after reports linked Cincinnati to Rosario earlier this week.
While Holder hasn’t hit much in the minors and he has yet to play even Triple-A ball, he is a well-regarded defender whose glove may already be big league-caliber. Holder has played mostly shortstop in the minors but has also seen time at second and third base, so he could serve as a valuable utility asset on the Reds’ bench.
Way to one up the Cardinals, boys!
If we’re getting Luis Castillo, that would be great!!
why ?
Lol. Seriously – thanks to MLBTR Staff for their professionalism. Not easy to stay the course and report on the mundane rumors and transactions too
Big counter move to Arenado.
Holder? I just met her!
Well played !
Filler to help the SS position until something better comes along?
minor league numbers are not bad…
.667 OPS in minors is the definition of bad numbers
So were the Reds shortstop of the future that can’t hit major league pitchers
A 26 y.o. who has yet to crack AAA doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in anyone. That only standout stat is his 46 walks in ’19 which doesn’t say much.
No.
But, Holder is interesting. In 2015 he was generally regarded as the best defensive player in the draft.
He also played point guard for a couple years in college. He’s bright, athletic, & probably won’t develop in any kind of linear fashion. He learned a couple other positions to.
I’m really curious to see how he pans out. Reds might be a good opportunity for him.
more of a Holder than a filler.
Well he checks the “plays shortstop” box, so that’s a plus I guess. He’s a good defensive SS but not much to look at with the bat at all.
We signed the player you wanted but you can have our dog crap instead.
Exactly
I mean, Galvis’ agent is sitting two feet from his phone.
Galvis signed with Baltimore
Unbelievable fielder. 1st rounder.
Paul Janish 2.0
Nice historical reference
This guy hasn’t played above AA yet in his career. This can’t be their starting SS choice for 2021, can it?
to be fair they were gonna start Garcia, who hasnt even played in AA yet.
Vader … Garcia played MLB last year … be it , not very well
you’re right, I’m just not really counting a small stint in which he struggled as much as Holder’s 2019.
Another NO HIT wonder. Wow, what a move.
NOT
Kyle Holder may never hit but you definitely can’t get a ball past him though playing shortstop. Great later inning guy for defense, but probably won’t hit much.
Too darn cheap to sign a real shortstop so you trade for Philadelphia’s hand me downs?
You’re just lucky he is not a famous guy’s brother otherwise the Phillies would hold onto him for dear life.
we traded Irvin already. we should have 39 now.
Irvin was traded to make room for Moore.
Holder for Didi.
ah there you go. forgot about Moore.
Hoping Cincy trades for Trevor Story.
They would not pay a SS 10 MIl, there are not paying Trevor 18.5. Plus the Rox want to sign him long term. If I am Story, I go FA next year.
Cincinnati offered T.Beaur the QA. And he refused it. Making him a FA. After dealing R. Iglesias and his $9 Million plus this year. And freeing up money from no Archie Bradley,A.Desco, K.Casili etc. There is room on the books to add Trevor Story. To me, he is the one piece that could get them over the hump.
Not happening.
Plus, they offered Bauer knowing he would never take the qualifying offer. There was literally zero chance they ever had to pay that contract, they just wanted a draft pick
They keep forgetting to trade Segura
IF the Reds & Indians cannot reach agreement on Amed Rosario, why doesn’t Cinci shift targets to Yu Chang?? Likely gotten at cheaper cost. Chang still has 5 yrs of control & an option remaining. I think if he gets a legit shot he wold surprise people..
CLE has a habit of dealing middle INF types to Detroit/Cinci/ Pitts that work out to some degree (Jhonny Peralta, Willi Castro, Brandon Phillips, Erik Gonzalez),,
I was hoping the Reds were going to grab Didi and then get Bauer. Now we really know what baseball in Cincinnati is gonna look like this year
I think Cincy is going to have Kyle Farmer play SS. I was hoping the Reds would of signed an established SS. WE SUCK AGAIN!
Hopefully we get Bauer back but I seriously doubt that.
no way Bauer comes back to us now. No way!!
Irvin and Holder for cash. Phillies amassing that money for something. Signing JBJ? Trading for Benitendi? Signing Bauer? Trading for Trout? (Let the man dream).
With the cash they got in those two deals, they can afford Refsnyder.
Or buy lunch for Panda.
Really? That much.
I doubt the cash is anything substantial. Holder probably is the amount you pay for a Rule 5 Draft pick in December and they had to get rid of Irvin so they weren’t in a good bargaining position. If they got $1 million for both I’d be surprised.
Phillies tend to take Rule V guys to trade. they did that with Burdi, Drew Jackson, etc. likely figured they could hold onto Holder or deal him later if need be. not a bad use of a roster spot.
So he was selected by the phillies last year and the reds this year?
As Kenny Rogers once said, “You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away and know when to run.”
The problem is I don’t know which one the Reds are doing and I don’t think they do either.
Ahmed Rosario will not be a difference maker. Whoever starts at shortstop unless his last name is Story will hit seventh in the lineup in front of Barnhart and the pitcher making thirty percent of our lineup sad. I am hoping the Holder move is totally coincidence. The Reds have spent the entire offseason acquiring the 41st player on everyone’s roster after a new player for that team has been acquired.
Aquino for A. Rosario, get it done CIN!!
Aquino and…?
Now you go package Saurez and prospects for Story.
If you’re a Reds fan and looking for a positive here as you click through Baseball-Reference trying to figure out what a Kyle Holder is, well, here it is: It’s possible that Holder is the best defensive SS in the NL right now, and I’m saying that fully aware Lindor is now in the NL and Story remains in the NL. This guy was a first round draft pick (back end) even though he started playing baseball late. At draft, the scouts said his glove would play in the majors at a plus level immediately, but that his bat needed work. The Yankees kept him in the lower minors working on his hitting and pushed him to AA full time in 2019. His .265/.336/405 slash line at AA Trenton is not bad, equating to a 119 WRC+. Trenton is not a good hitters park and he hit that before he even got to hit against the MLB rocket ball that was being used in AAA and MLB in 2019. Wouldn’t shock me at all if he hit .250 with 10-12 HRs with plus-plus defense. There’s a reason the Phillies grabbed him in the Rule 5 draft in case they were left short a SS, and there’s a reason the Reds just traded for him. If nothing else, his glove is a carrying tool. He shouldn’t be your plan A, but he’s not a bad fall back option based on his glove alone. That out of the way, they still should go out and get another full-time SS and push Holder to the bench, or return him to the Yankees!
A new strategy has been announced for the upcoming 2021 season..
This adjustment is due to the team’s acquisition of a key player component..
This change will affect both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball..
This will be the first strategy of it’s kind, ever. in Major League baseball.
In 2021 the Cincinnati Reds will begin kicking field goals and punting.
Again, this innovative approach is due to the team’s recent addition of a new……………………….
HOLDER !!
Do the Reds owners see how little they make themselves look when they make moves like this after being outclassed by real men WITH money getting major league talent instead of guys who cant even play in AA ball. The biggest move by a Reds owner this off seasons was purchasing a stake in Skyline Chilli! That tells it all.
Here’s your new SS Reds fans. Since Holder is bound by rule 5 draft rules the Reds have to keep him or give him back to the Yankees
And they Get$50 K back.
My guess, is they sent the 100K to the Phils..
Maybe chipped in a pizza or 2.
So much negativity here. However I do understand the frustration. I have been a diehard Reds fan since 1975. However Reds are a small market team and that has never changed. Covid has made it even worse. Our owner is who he is. Honestly I don’t know what his net worth is or what he wants his profit margin to be. Maybe we will get lucky just like the Mets got lucky and have a deep pockets owner who is ready to spend freely. Reds spent a lot of money last year and not many complained. Sadly it didn’t work out and no one really hit the baseball for the Reds. To be fair as many know a lot of baseball players did not hit the baseball last year. Votto’s contract is a big problem IMO. He is not worth his what, $20m per year and probably has not been for last few years. Cudos to the Reds a small market team for signing him when they did but their mistake was giving him a no trade clause. Most of the time when you sign a player for that long you know they probably are not going to give you much value in the last 2-3 years of the contract. Large market, deep pocket teams can absorb that kind of contract. I would have signed Votto but not included the no trade. Anyway until baseball changes it rules and has some sort of hard salary cap the division between the very rich and not so rich will continue to be a real thing.
I have been Reds fan for as long as I can remember even playing in white sox system many years ago. I am baffled at the way they have attempted to piece together a winning team. Last years’ team had the pitching but there is no possible way they expected to win enough games at 1-0. Even though Votto had crazy off-year even with him hitting like we all know he can would not have helped what was a recipe for disaster line-up. I mean can they get some hitters n some guys that constantly get on base. It is never going 2 be the same with Reds always a lower market franchise who occasionally spend money but do so incorrectly. I feel for their pitchers who must feel as thou they have to be perfect every appearance.