PHOTOS: Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos speaks to the media

Bobby Nightengale | Cincinnati Enquirer

As soon as the Cincinnati Reds signed outfielder Nick Castellanos on Monday, the trade rumors surrounding Nick Senzel started immediately.

It made sense. The Reds have a crowded group in the outfield and Senzel could draw the most interest from teams on the trade market. Senzel was rated as one of the top 10 prospects in baseball at this time last year and he’s shown he can play center field, third base and second base.

Castellanos, who signed a four-year, $64 million contract Monday, will play every day. Shogo Akiyama is a natural center fielder and he’s expected to receive a lot of playing time. Even if Eugenio Suárez misses the start of the season, which could open the door to Senzel playing some second base, the Reds have Jesse Winker, Aristides Aquino and Phillip Ervin vying for at-bats in the outfield.

Do the Reds expect Senzel to be on the roster on Opening Day?

“I do. Yeah, I do,” Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams told The Enquirer. “I like what he brings to our club. He’s one of our own. He’s an impact, young offensive player. They don’t come along very often. The flexibility he brings to the club, attitude he brings. At this point, we see him as very much a part of a winning, championship team here.”

Sam Greene

Senzel isn’t considered off-limits in trade talks, but the Reds remain optimistic about his potential. The Reds pursued elite shortstops throughout the offseason as they looked for an offensive upgrade over Freddy Galvis, but there doesn’t appear to be any movement toward a deal.

The Cleveland Indians had a high asking price for shortstop Francisco Lindor, which likely would’ve taken multiple top prospects in addition to Senzel. The Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t motivated to move Corey Seager unless they landed a top shortstop in return.

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“(Galvis) is our guy going in,” Reds general manager Nick Krall said. “Look, we canvassed the trade and free-agent market. At the end of the day, this is what we came up with to improve our team as best as we could. I think that Freddy is coming in as the guy. He hit 20-some home runs last year and plays solid at shortstop. I don’t expect anything less from him.”

Senzel is not a candidate to play third base if Suárez misses part of the regular season, Krall said. Senzel had surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder in September and the club hopes he’s ready for the start of the season. He started throwing about two weeks ago.

His shoulder surgery is a reason why he’s not expected to be an option to play shortstop during the 2020 season. The Reds don’t have a pure backup shortstop on the 40-man roster, though Alex Blandino and Kyle Farmer have logged innings there.

“I don’t see (shortstop) happening any time soon, in part because he’s coming off shoulder surgery,” Williams said of Senzel. “That’s the most difficult throw on the diamond to make. I don’t think it would be prudent to put him there until everybody was confident that he was healthy. He’s played short for us before, so we have an idea of what we have there. I think we saw a really good player in center last year.”

Senzel, 24, finished his rookie season with a .256 batting average and .315 on-base percentage in 104 games, hitting 12 homers, 20 doubles and 42 RBI. A slump throughout August and his season-ending surgery gave him a sour ending.

Reds manager David Bell said he’s started talking to players about their potential roles in preparation for spring training.

“Nick Senzel, he’s a center fielder, but he also has the ability to potentially play second base,” Bell said.

Senzel primarily played second base in the minor leagues during an injury-shortened 2018 season. The Reds tried to find him a path to regular playing time with Suárez at third base and Scooter Gennett at second base, which led to his move to the outfield.

“We do have guys that No. 1, are willing to do whatever it takes to help us win,” Bell said. “Even though it’s super important for them to know their role and to know what to expect, they’re also willing to be flexible and do things that are out of their comfort zone to help us win. That part will make it easier for me.”

As much as the outfield grew more crowded during the offseason, the Reds are confident that they will find regular at-bats for Senzel.

“I don’t know where (the trade rumors) came from,” Krall said. “I think people were like, oh, hey, (too many outfielders). You can speculate all you want, but he’s on our team.”

ROSTER MOVE: It was a little bit of a surprise when the Reds designated José Sirí for assignment to make room for Castellanos on the 40-man roster. Sirí, a 24-year-old center fielder, was ranked as the club’s No. 15 prospect by MLB.com.

Sirí spent most of last season at Double-A Chattanooga and was called up to Triple-A in August. In 131 combined games at the two levels, he had a .300 on-base percentage with 11 homers, 19 doubles and 26 stolen bases. He draws strong reviews for his defense, but he struck out a lot at the upper levels of the minor leagues.