Reds acquire Shin-Soo Choo in three-team trade

Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports | USATODAY

It may not have been the five- or six-team monster blockbuster discussed at the winter meetings, but the Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks pulled off a doozy Tuesday night.

The Reds acquired outfielder Shin-Soo Choo from the Indians for center fielder Drew Stubbs, shortstop Didi Gregorius and infielder Jason Donald. This Reds will also get $3.5 million from the Indians, according to a person with direct knowledge of the trade. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. The Indians then turned around and traded Gregorius, left-handed reliever Tony Sipp and first baseman Lars Anderson to the Diamondbacks for former first-round pick Trevor Bauer and relievers Matt Albers and Bryan Shaw.

Choo, a right fielder who has not played center field since 2009, will now play center for the Reds as Stubbs' replacement. The Reds have been seeking a leadoff hitter, and Choo had a .389 on-base percentage in the 98 games he led off last season. The Reds' leadoff hitters batted just .254.

The Indians were anxious to trade Choo after failing to reach a contract extension during the year. He's a free agent after the 2013 season, and agent Scott Boras said he's not interested in signing an extension before testing the market.

The Diamondbacks, desperate for a shortstop, wanted Gregorius instead of veteran Asdrubal Cabrera. Gregorius, 22, named as one of the Arizona Fall League's top prospects, is projected to be their starting shortstop. It now eliminates the D-backs' need now to trade right fielder Justin Upton to Texas, who was part of the original trade, for shortstop Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar. The Diamondbacks insisted on trading Bauer, their No. 3 pick in the 2011 draft, instead of one of their other prized prospects, Patrick Corbin or Tyler Skaggs.

The Rangers were hoping to be involved in a trade for Diamondbacks Upton. Yet, Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers said that Upton likely will stay put, while trying to keep up with the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants and free-spending Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.

"We're very excited to acquire one of the premier younger shortstops in the game,'' said Towers, who targeted Gregorius last spring. "We kind of addressed all of our needs without having to trade a Justin Upton.

"But I don't think there's anybody in baseball that can keep up with the what the Dodgers are doing. We're in different markets, with different resources. We have to be a little more creative, a little more wiser.''