Cincinnati Reds fans are rightfully disappointed with the state of the franchise after failing to follow up on last season’s (brief) playoff run, but there is still interest in the team’s future, even if it’s mostly tinged with vitriol.
The fact that Reds fans have questions is a testament to the fact that they haven’t completely checked out — although it would be hard to blame anyone who has.
Here are some questions readers sent in (they have been slightly edited for length, clarity and style):
What is your best early guess on what the 2027 Opening Day outfield will look like? Is it likely we will have seen the last of TJ Friedl, Noelvi Marte and Will Benson in Reds uniforms by the end of next month? — Jonathan V.
Anything involving 2027 is difficult, but I’ll start with JJ Bleday in either left or right field. I can see Héctor Rodríguez starting in one of the other two spots, but feel less certain on that one. Center? There aren’t many internal candidates other than Blake Dunn, who has a chance to be ready by Opening Day, assuming such a thing exists. The longer the lockout continues, the better the chances he’s ready.
That’s hardly an inspiring answer for a team with the least valuable outfield in baseball (negative-5.4 bWAR). Guessing at additions from outside the organization going into a labor dispute with an ownership group that has done nothing but cry poor since its pre-pandemic spending spree seems futile.
Friedl certainly looks to be on track to be non-tendered, and Benson will be able to enter free agency this offseason.
As for Marte, there’s still enough talent, and he has an option left, so I don’t know if releasing him at this point makes much sense. In the end, Marte may be one of the prime examples of how Major League Baseball’s gutting of the minor-league system to save the owners pennies kneecapped development. Triple A just isn’t good enough at this point for players like Marte to take success there into the big leagues.
There’s a world where Matt McLain moves to center field — and it may be easier to move him there and have either Sal Stewart or Edwin Arroyo at second base. The versatility of Spencer Steer and Stewart could make McLain an option in center if he can somehow find his stroke again.
Of the young players other than Elly De La Cruz, Stewart, Chase Burnes, and Andrew Abbott, which two would you build around, which two do you need to see a leap from, which two would you move on from? — Zach H.
As far as young players to build around, I’ll go with Rhett Lowder and, honestly, I’m not sure I see anyone else. That said, five players, including three starting pitchers, isn’t nothing. It’s not the Dodgers, but with the right players around them, it can be enough for a couple of playoff runs. I don’t think you build around relievers, but I will buy Chase Petty stock in the bullpen.
For those I need to “see a leap from,” I am still relatively bullish on McLain (although nowhere near where I was heading into the season), and I think there’s a chance Rodríguez could make that leap with more exposure to real big-league pitching. As noted earlier, this version of Triple A is just not enough to prepare young players for what they’re going to see every day in the big leagues.
I don’t move on from talented players who make the minimum and have options remaining, so I’m not ready to ditch Marte (who is a Super 2, so he won’t be making the minimum, but I also don’t fear his arbitration case) or Arroyo. So, just like your first question, I’m not sure I can pick two, since by definition, most young players are on minimum contracts and have options. Now, that doesn’t mean if I find something better, I wouldn’t move on from the likes of Marte or, to a lesser extent, Arroyo, but that’s a bridge to cross when there’s a 40-man roster crunch.
Who are some realistic “needle-mover” CF and RF candidates acquirable for the 2027 Reds? In my scenario, the club would re-sign Tyler Stephenson at catcher, stick with McLain at second, and commit to Steer at first base and Stewart at third base. That leaves the two gaping outfield holes, along with Bleday in left. — David G.
At this juncture, I don’t know who is out there. The Reds have actually done pretty well at digging up bargain-bin outfielders like Bleday and Austin Hays and have passed on (or been passed by) some other big-name outfielders out there the last couple of years that haven’t turned out to be great investments, like Anthony Santander, Harrison Bader, Cedric Mullins or Adolis García.
Honestly, the free-agent pool for the upcoming season isn’t that impressive, and it could be difficult to find trade partners willing to unload a bat, especially with the current labor climate.
The Reds don’t have that next bat in the minors, so that’s where the versatility offered by Stewart, Steer and McLain can come in handy.
That said, without any outside help, no outfield configuration makes anyone feel confident the team can move from the bottom of outfield production to even the middle.
Was the Reds’ approach at the deadline indicative of how they’ll approach the offseason leading up to the lockout? Will they be patient/passive/opportunistic, or will they try to improve as much as possible before the work stoppage? — Tyler B.
The fact that ownership has been quiet since Phil Castellini took over is not a good sign that the ownership group will be aggressive, that’s for sure. When the younger Castellini, who was approved as the team’s controlling partner this spring, has spoken in the past, he’s mostly bemoaned the economic state of the game. I find it hard to believe he’ll open up the purse strings in the lead-up to what could be the nastiest labor battle since the 1994 strike.
Ahead of the last lockout, Nick Krall was obviously under pressure to tear down the team to the bones, either not re-signing or trading the likes of Sonny Gray, Nick Castellanos, Tucker Barnhart, Wade Miley, Eugenio Suárez, Jesse Winker and Amir Garrett.
The difference between that lockout season and this one may be that after the 2021 season, the Reds had some players they were willing to move that other teams wanted. Krall said at the trade deadline that the lack of moves was because of a lack of demand. There’s been nothing on the field in the last month to ramp up that demand, especially heading into the unknown of this offseason.
