Bargain Free Agents the Cincinnati Reds Should Keep on Their Radar

The Cincinnati Reds have well-documented needs this offseason. They'll be trying to find a left fielder while working on a bullpen that finished with a crippling 11-31 record and an ERA over 4.00. It's possible the bullpen may be fixed internally as Tony Cingrani and Sean Marshall get healthy. Of course, there's also the addition of Cuban star Raisel Iglesias.

Like with any mid-market franchise, the Reds won't have the dollars to chase free-agent prizes like Nelson Cruz or Melky Cabrera. But while they won't be in the mix for these headliners, there are still some well-established bargain free agents that the Reds should target.

1. Nori Aoki

If you think I'm piling on a beaten topic, know that I considered Aoki as the target for the Reds long before the local Cincinnati media caught on. Not that I had some brilliant epiphany—it was just obvious, especially for a team that finished with the second-worst team OBP in the game.

If you're wondering why the Reds scored so few runs, there's your answer. Unless you're expecting a Red to hit the ball to the smoke stacks every at-bat, how are the Reds supposed to manufacture offense with no one on base?

That's where Aoki comes into play. There's been some backlash to this idea, with critics citing Aoki's age, declining fly balls, poor base-running numbers, etc. But don't let it distract you. Aoki needs to be targeted because Aoki occupies first base.

Revel in this man's consistency for a moment. He’s hit .288, .286 and .285 in three seasons in the big leagues, with healthy OBPs of .355, .356 and .349.

The difference between the 2013 Reds offense and the 2014 Reds offense, besides an egregious discrepancy in injuries? Shin-Soo Choo's leadoff OBP was .423 in '13. Last year, rookie Billy Hamilton's was .292.

It doesn't matter if Aoki's doubles and home runs are in steady decline, because what's not in decline is his ability to reach first. With a healthy Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Devin Mesoraco and Todd Frazier, guys on base will surely equal more runs scored.

Charlie Wilmoth of MLBTradeRumors.com believes Aoki will likely command a two-year, $16 million contract.

2. Michael Morse

The other obvious choice for the Reds is Michael Morse, who was signed off the scrap heap last season and became a cog of a team that eventually won the World Series.

Morse is slashing a career .281/.335/.473. Although his power numbers have fluctuated over the past few seasons, he did have a career-high 31 homers in 2011.

However, for a team like the Reds, who were blasted by injuries last year, they may approach Morse with extra caution. From Jeff Todd of MLBTradeRumors.com:

"

That slightly unfortunate, essentially minor injury could probably be forgotten in large part were it not for Morse’s lengthy docket of maladies. The towering slugger has missed significant time over each of the last three seasons – to say nothing of several earlier DL stints – for various aches, pains, and strains. In the aggregate, since that 2011 full-season breakout, Morse has averaged 107 games and 416 plate appearances a year. In particular, acquiring teams that intend to utilize him in the outfield will need to account for the distinct possibility that a full year of production may not result.

"

Todd thinks Morse will command a two-year, $22 million contract, which would be on the upper end of salaries the Reds may entertain taking on.

Between these two options, Aoki appears to be the better choice, as Morse and his power are simply not what the Reds need to improve the offense.

3. Phil Coke

The Reds have to address their bullpen. While the rest of the team may point to injuries, the bullpen, after the month of May, really has no excuse for how poorly it performed in 2013 with a bunch of players known to be capable of holding leads.

Phil Coke is coming off a decent year with the Detroit Tigers in which he went 5-2 with an ERA of 3.88. His K/9 was 6.4 and his K/BB was 2.05, a nice recovery from 2013 when it was just 1.43.

The 32-year-old left-hander earned $1.9 million last season, but expect that price tag to rise a little considering how well he performed compared to 2013. Still, this should be someone the Reds could afford. And considering how versatile the Sean Marshall situation is, this might be an excellent addition to a bullpen in need of help.

YanksGoYard.com writer Joe Vitulli expects a little over $2 million a year for Coke:

"Coke made $1.9 million last season on a one year deal. He will likely get a raise to about $2 million and want at least a two year deal. A two year $4-$4.75 million deal sounds about right for the lefty."

4. Jason Grilli

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Jason Grilli is another name that could be had to help a bullpen in desperate need of it. You might remember him as the Pittsburgh Pirates closer who was traded to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim last year as a "change of scenery" move. The 38-year-old right-hander finished last season 1-5 with a 4.00 ERA in just 54 innings pitched between the Pirates and the Angels.

But we know these are hardly the numbers used to define the efficacy of a bullpen arm. His ERA was actually much better in the American League (3.48), but his K/9 was 9.5 for the year and his K/BB was 2.71. Again, while none of these numbers were mind-blowing, he did perform at a much higher level with the Halos than he did in Pittsburgh.

At his age, 38, he may only command a one-year deal. He made just over $4 million last season, but considering his 2013 season, he could be had at a bargain price.

If Grilli does nothing for you, just consider the current late-inning right-handers: Do Logan Ondrusek and Sam LeCure (once a very reliable arm) do much to inspire your confidence?

5. Nate Schierholtz

Before you laugh yourself to the X-button, again, consider the headline—these are bargain free agents. And in order to be had for a bargain, you typically have to be coming off of a poor season. Such is the case with this 30-year-old right-hander.

He had an abysmal 2014 campaign. Between the Chicago Cubs and the Washington Nationals, Schierholtz slashed .195/.243/.309. Perfect for someone who could be acquired for next to nothing.

Don't let this speak for his career. He's slashing a career .253/.302/.405. Consider his 2013 campaign, where he slashed .251/.301/.470 for the Cubs. In 2012, he slashed .257/.321/.417 between the San Francisco Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies.

This isn't the answer to left field for the Reds. But this makes for an extremely enticing low-risk, high-reward candidate, assuming the 2014 outlier is just that.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.