Third baseman Jeimer Candelario has agreed to a contract with the Cincinnati Reds, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com and C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic.
The deal, which is pending a physical, is reportedly worth $45 million over three years and includes a club option in 2027 for $15 million.
The Reds will be Candelario’s third team in less than a year. The Chicago Cubs acquired Candelario, 30, at last year’s trade deadline in a deal with the Washington Nationals.
After a rough season with the Detroit Tigers in 2022, Candelario bounced back in 2023, slashing .251/.336/.471 with a career-best 22 homers and 70 RBIs.
The Tigers non-tendered Candelario after the 2022 season and he signed a one-year, $5-million deal with the Nationals.
Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reports the Toronto Blue Jays — who have a hole at third base after Matt Chapman entered free agency — were in contact with Candelario’s camp this winter.
The Dominican-born Candelario originally signed with the Cubs in 2010. He broke into the big leagues with the Cubs in 2016 before he was dealt to the Tigers at the trade deadline the following year.
In 746 career games, Candelario is batting .243/.325/.414 with 88 homers and 318 RBIs.
This has been a transformational off-season for the Reds after the club did not pick up Joey Votto’s contract option. The Reds were already rumoured to be open to moving some infielders before the addition of Candelario, and those talks will likely continue as Cincinnati tries to add pitching talent to a team featuring multiple rising stars in the field.
