MLB Rumors: Jeimer Candelario Lands $45M Reds Contract After Cubs Exit in Free Agency

The Cincinnati Reds reportedly agreed to a contract with veteran third baseman Jeimer Candelario in free agency on Thursday.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Candelario and the Reds came to terms on a three-year, $45 million deal, continuing what has been a busy offseason for the organization.

After previous stints with the Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers, Candelario split last season between the Washington Nationals and Cubs, slashing .251/.336/.471 with a career-high 22 home runs and 70 RBI in 140 games.

The 30-year-old Candelario broke into the majors with the Cubs in 2016 before getting traded to the Tigers the following season.

He spent parts of six seasons with Detroit, signed with Washington for one year and got dealt to the Cubs at the trade deadline last season as a rental meant to help the Cubs reach the playoffs.

While Chicago fell short of the postseason, Candelario enjoyed a career year and parlayed it into a big contract with a team on the rise.

Cincinnati is stacked with young talent both offensively and in the pitching ranks, which is. a big reason why it exceeded expectations last season with an 82-80 record after losing 100 games the previous year.

Candelario has primarily played third base during his MLB career, but he has experience at first base as well, and it was his most played position with the Cubs, appearing in 21 games at first.

The Reds will have the luxury of playing him at either corner infield spot, but first base may prove to be his main position in Cincinnati as the replacement for potential future Hall of Famer Joey Votto, who the Reds opted against re-signing.

Candelario will bring a veteran presence to a lineup that has a chance to be one of the best in baseball in the near future, provided young stars like Elly De La Cruz, Spencer Steer and Matt McLain develop as hoped.

The Reds addressed their pitching earlier in free agency with the signings of Nick Martinez and Emilio Pagán, and now Candelario could prove to be the final piece of the offensive puzzle.