Could Cincinnati Reds Be Interested in Non-Tender Candidate Dayan Viciedo?

Sep 24, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago White Sox designated hitter Dayan Viciedo (24) hits an RBI triple in the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

This is “tender” day in Major League Baseball, when teams must decide whether or not to extend a contract offer to players eligible for arbitration, or to let those players walk as free agents. While the Cincinnati Reds have a couple of decisions of their own to make, they could also benefit when other teams cut players loose.  One name that might pique the Reds’ interest is that of Chicago White Sox outfielder Dayan Viciedo.   

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Tim Dierkes at MLBTradeRumors.com projects Viciedo to be in line for a $4.4-million salary through arbitration, which makes him expensive enough for the Sox to seriously consider walking away.

Although Viciedo has two twenty-homer seasons under his belt, his career OBP is just .298, and his OPS+ stands at just 96 in 1798 plate appearances.  In other words he has been just slightly below league-average at the plate since breaking into the Big Leagues with Chicago in 2010. He is also a below-average fielder, and he has nothing in the way of speed, thanks in part to a heavy body type that may not age well.

Still, Viciedo will be just 26 years old on Opening Day in 2015 and has time to improve his plate discipline.  If he can do that, his power numbers should climb, too, and it’s not to hard to imagine him stringing together a few 30-homer season through his early 30s.

If the Sox do cut Viciedo loose, it’s because they think he is worth something less than $4.4 million per year, and that other teams will, too.  With all of the interest in right-handed power across MLB, though, open bidding could push the price tag, and teams will need to guard against overpaying.

Last off-season, Dave Cameron at FanGraphs put the price of a win at about $6 million, and that probably hasn’t changed a whole lot. In his career, Viciedo has accounted for 0.2 WAR, according to Baseball-Reference.com, or about $1.2 million.  Last season, he checked in at -0.9 WAR, so he didn’t provide much value.

Clearly, whatever team signs or trades for Viciedo this winter will be banking on untapped potential rather than past performance, and that upside is still intriguing.

If the Reds could sign Viciedo for something like one year at $2 million, he would be worth a shot as the potential solution to Cincinnati’s left field void.  Any more than that is probably too much for a cash-strapped small market team as 2015 dawns.