First baseman will elect free agency rather than accept an outright a signment with the Reds, per Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer . Ford was designated for a signment earlier this week but evidently pa sed through waivers unclaimed. The 31-year-old is capable of being a potent slugger but has struggled with consistency, both this year and in his career. He has had an on-and-off relationship with the Reds this year, having signed two minor league deals that both ended in him opting out, as well as a major league deal that followed. Around those transactions, he put up a ma sive . Pascal Siakam Jersey 455/.486/.727 line in Spring Training and hit .297/.381/.538 in Triple-A. Unfortunately, once in the big leagues, his production fell to .150/.177/.233 in 62 plate appearances. A tiny .182 batting average on balls in play surely weighed that line down, but the Reds cut him from the roster regardle s. Ford has struggled in the big leagues before but had his best showing in the majors just last year. He got into 84 games with the Mariners and hit 16 home runs. His 32.3% strikeout rate was on the high side but he drew walks at a solid 9.6% rate and slashed .228/.323/.475 for a 123 wRC+. Despite that impre sive performance, the Ms non-tendered Ford, which led to his transactions dance with the Reds this year. His most recent big league showing wasnt great but, as mentioned, a lot of that appears to have been BABIP-based. He was great in the bigs last year and also looked great this year in Spring Training and at Triple-A. Hell now take some time to su s out opportunities but it wouldnt be a surprise to see him and the Reds reconnect in a few days, as theyve already done a handful of times so far this year. Charles Oakley Jersey