Reds, free agent 1B/3B Jeimer Candelario agree to 3-year, $45M deal

Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Free agent infielder Jeimer Candelario and the Cincinnati Reds agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal.

Sources told MLB.com, ESPN and the New York Post about the agreement early Thursday. The pact includes a $15 million option for 2027.

Candelario, 30, hit .251 with a career-high 22 home runs and 70 RBIs over 140 games last season. He appeared in 99 games for the Washington Nationals and 41 games for the Chicago Cubs during the 2023 campaign. The Nationals traded Candelario to the Cubs in July.

The eight-year veteran owns a career .243 batting average, with 88 home runs over 746 games. He split time at first base, third base and as a designated hitter throughout his career.

The switch-hitting infielder also spent time with the Detroit Tigers. He hit a career-high .297 for the Tigers in 2020. He recorded an MLB-best 42 doubles in 2021.