The young Reds are adding to their core with a veteran presence in the infield, agreeing to a deal with Jeimer Candelario, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand late Wednesday night. The club has not confirmed the move, which is pending a physical.
Candelario was among the top hitters moved at the 2023 Trade Deadline, dealt from the Nationals to the Cubs — where he started his career — for Minor Leaguers DJ Herz and Kevin Made. While injuries limited him to just 41 games with Chicago in 2023, Candelario still posted one of the best offensive seasons of his career.
In his age-29 campaign, Candelario compiled a .251/.336/.471 slash line, posting the highest OPS (.807) of his career in a full season — he had an .872 OPS for the Tigers in the shortened 2020 season. He hit a career-high 22 homers and finished with 39 doubles, tied for sixth most in MLB.
Candelario is a switch-hitter who can face both right-handed and left-handed pitching, hitting righties (.813 OPS) slightly better than lefties (.792 OPS) in 2023. Apart from 2022, the New York native has always walked at an above-average clip. Candelario’s chase, whiff and barrel rates were roughly average in 2023, but he crushed fastballs, hitting .318 with a .601 slugging percentage against four-seamers.
A solid defensive infielder from 2018-2020, Candelario performed poorly the next two seasons in terms of Outs Above Average. But he rebounded in 2023, grading out at slightly above average in OAA while splitting time at third base and first base with the Cubs. With the Nats, Candelario played exclusively at the hot corner.
Candelario made his debut with the Cubs in July 2016 but was part of a notable deal at the following year’s Trade Deadline. He was dealt to the Tigers along with Isaac Paredes, who had an excellent 2023 for the Rays, for catcher Alex Avila and pitcher Justin Wilson. Candelario signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Nats last offseason before being traded back to the Cubs on July 31.
