Cincinnati Reds Make Three-Way Deal and Land Shin-Soo Choo

According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Reds have officially acquired Shin-Soo Choo. The deal looks to have involved the Reds, Diamondbacks and Indians:

"

choo goes to #reds. done deal.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 11, 2012"

It seems as though the Diamondbacks really liked Reds prospect Didi Gregorius, as opposed to the Indians' Asdrubal Cabrera:

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#dbacks like didi gregorius, who'd be under their control for 6 yrs (as opposed to 2 for asdrubal). #3way

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 11, 2012"

The trade seems to make complete sense for the Reds, who have been in search of a leadoff hitter since the last pitch of their season was thrown. Leadoff was an obvious issue for the Reds during their 2012 NL Central title run.

Despite a team .254 on-base percentage, the Reds were able to produce enough runs to win 97 games. They can thank their team ERA of 3.34 for that. Choo brings a career .289 batting average and .381 on-base percentage to the top of the Reds order. This is undoubtedly an improvement over the team numbers from 2012.

In the process, the Reds lose a major asset on defense. Drew Stubbs may not have produced much at the plate, but Reds pitchers were often grateful that he was manning center field.

Keep a look out for more details as they come in:

"

#reds also get jason donald in choo deal. working on rest. theres a lot more.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 11, 2012"

There seems to be much more to follow.

Update: The official deal is as follows, according to Zack Meisel of MLB.com:

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"...the Tribe traded the right fielder to the Reds in a three-team, nine-player exchange that sent outfielder Drew Stubbs and pitcher Trevor Bauer to Cleveland and shortstop Didi Gregorius to Arizona.

"The Indians also receive relievers Matt Albers and Bryan Shaw from the D-backs. Cleveland sent Choo, infielder Jason Donald and cash to the Reds and southpaw reliever Tony Sipp and first baseman Lars Anderson to Arizona."

"

Be sure to chime in with your thoughts on the deal. Does this solve the Reds' problems at the top of the batting order? 

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