Barring a larger surprise, it appears the Billy Hamilton era with the Cincinnati Reds has come to a close. In a bit of a shocker, the club has opted to non-tender the defensive whiz at Friday’s deadline, as The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans broke this afternoon.
Hamilton, 28, was set to enter his final year of team control in 2019 after having made some $4.6 million in his second arbitration year in 2018. Apparently, the potential raise into the $7 million range was more than the Reds were willing to pay for his continued lackluster overall performance, as his production sank to a meager 0.