The 2025 season is over for the Cincinnati Reds. Was it a success? Or was it a failure? That probably depends on who you ask. The team finished 83-79 in the regular season and then were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Wild Card series 2-0. With no more games, the front office and the players have to figure out what’s next. The answer to that question is far more important for some players than others because three players have options and five others are set to become free agents. Today we’re going to start a series looking at these players and what the organization should do.
Austin Hays will need to agree to exercise his $12,000,000 and have the Reds also exercise that option for him to remain in Cincinnati (unless the two sides agree to a new deal). In today’s game that’s not very much money. But the question is does that much money make sense for him, and does it make sense for the Reds?
Last season he played in 103 games. It was the second straight year in which he struggled to stay on the field after playing in 131, 145, and 144 games from 2021-2023 with the Baltimore Orioles. In his 103 games with the Reds he hit .266/.315/.453, posting an OPS+ of 105 (100 is average, and OPS+ is adjusted for the ballparks a player hits in all season).
Hays was a solid hitter this season. But he didn’t really stick out beyond the first 12 games. During that time he hit .388/.444/.755 for Cincinnati with three doubles, five walks, and five home runs. In the final 91 games of the season he hit .248/.296/.408 with 24 walks and 95 strikeouts.
Defensively he’s been a negative defender by both Baseball Reference and Fangraphs over the last few seasons. It’s possible that’s been injury related as the numbers are a bit better prior to 2024, though he’s also getting older and slower – there was once a time in which he’d at least cover center field every so often and it seems those days are behind him. With that said, Baseball Savant rated him as at one out above average in 2025. Defensive metrics are not nearly as accurate as the hitting or pitching ones, so your mileage may vary on this one.
For Hays, he probably would like to land a multi-year deal. There’s going to be more money and more security in that. But after the last two seasons he probably isn’t going to get $12,000,000 per season, either. It’s possible he could get a two or three year deal that totals more than that, though.
For the Reds the question isn’t just “is Austin Hays worth $12,000,000?”, it’s “can we utilize that money better while also replacing him?” and that’s where the rub lies. Internally the question is up in the air and uncertain. The most logical internal replacement could be Spencer Steer. He was in left field in the past for the club and while he moved to first base for much of 2025 that was almost out of necessity in order to keep his bat in the lineup because a shoulder injury limited his arm strength on throws. With Sal Stewart likely to begin the year in Cincinnati in 2026 he can fill the first base role and push Steer back into left.
The Reds have other potential options with giving Will Benson a lot more playing time, or seeing what Rece Hinds can do if given consistent playing time, or pushing Hector Rodriguez up and seeing what he can do.
What Hays does is give you a likely baseline of “he’s a starter” in left field. But he’s going to turn 31 in the first half of 2026 and even in his best year he was a good, but not real good hitter.
With options to choose from it seems less likely that the Reds will pick up their part of the option. The budget isn’t likely to move up too much from where it was in 2025. And if the season showed the front office anything it’s that they need more quality hitters and probably at least one really good one. And those guys don’t come cheap. Even if the team can find a way to trade for one, that player is likely going to be making good money in arbitration (because teams don’t tend to trade really good hitters making very little money). Cincinnati’s going to try and save money where they can and not picking up a $12,000,000 option on a solid, but not good hitter on the wrong side of 30 is probably a good place to start when you’ve got other options.
No thanks, Austin, we’ll see ya around. Time to bounce Benson, too.
See what you can pick up in the off season and give Hinds and Rodriguez a chance.
Reds are getting next to nothing from Hays and Benson.
Agree Little Rocker, Let Austin and Benson walk.
I agree. If Hays could play 150 games then that is good production. But he has 2 years of poor health now. Reds can’t pay 12$M for 100 games of 105 OPS performance. We can likely get that from Benson or Hinds. Problem is, we need better than that from the outfield because the infield just isn’t very good at hitting. And Hays defense won’t be missed.
Spend that 12$M on relief pitching and a solid DH.
For 12 mil, you are not going to get much, not in today game.
SCARRY>
The only way you’re going to get good hitting is if your either spending 20 million on a guy or more per season, or if you get lucky enough to get someone in trade that is either not in their arbitration years or just starting their Arbitration years.
To get those kinds of guys in trade, you’re going to have to give up something good in return or maybe 2 good players in return.
The trade route seems more likely for the Reds but who are they giving up in the top 10 prospects to get said player.
Benson is a good option off the bench give him 300-400 ab giving others rest and he’ll provide some power and timely hits. Can cover all 3 outfield positions.
I despised watching Benson earlier in the year. At some point he stopped doing that needle in the veins thing whenever he got a hit and seemed to mature a bit.
I looked him up and he had a .6 WAR and 12 HR’s in 230 AB’s. He provides adequate speed and defense while being cheap.
The Reds have to have some cheap guys on the team. I don’t mind Benson as a 4th-5th outfielder. Hays is a very easy decision to move on from at 12 million.
Terrible he has ALTEADY had 300 or more at bats!!!!! Release.
Benson can walk, but I might keep Hays if he comes at a reduced rate.
Let all of the free agents walk. Get other players in.
I agree, time to move on.
The obvious move is to pass on Austin and Nick Martinez and spend the 32 million on a bat. Everyone who thinks the Reds will do that,please stand on your head.
Why would you want Schwarber when you could have Hays? Krall likes spreading his money around instead of focusing it on impact players. I don’t get it either
Due to injury/illness, Hayes’ “prime years” were reduced to only 2-3 years. I believe he was an all-star twice in Baltimore. Part of that success was his decent speed, which is now gone. At this point, he is what he is. He’s a #6 or #7 hitter on a good offensive club. Problem is, this team needs more than that. Trying to get middle-of-the-order production from a guy like him is setting yourself up for failure. He was never going to serve as “protection” for Elly or anyone else. Add on his escalating durability issues & it has “meh” all over it.
It’s the sensible thing to do if they think this team is close to winning something.
Getting Shwarber that is.
Would let Hays go. With his injury history he’s no more than a part-time player, with average production. Time to move on.
At the beginning of the season I would have said yes. As the season wore on I realized there are better options. Hays hit 6 home runs at GABP. They need a power hitter out there to take advantage of the home park. Tired of getting out homered every year at home. Move on.
I’d pass on Hays and think bigger thoughts. It’s time for ownership to recognize this window of opportunity and make the necessary commitments to support this very intriguing core, which can cost you in dollars, prospects, or by subtracting from the pitching surplus. In dollars, they should be looking at prying 4.9 WAR Byron Buxton from the rebuilding Twins as he’s on a reasonable contract by Reds standards. Or you can go stud for stud by moving Lodolo to a team with surplus offense but lacking in front line pitching. Giving up modest prospect capital could net a pre-arb player like Jo Adell, Alec Burleson. Major prospect capital could net you Tyler Soderstrom.
This is the offseason for no small plans.
Schwarber. Go all in on a real tried and true big bat. Don’t waste money on 3 or 4 middling players like they have for the last several years or players that are an insignificant upgrade over what is already on the roster. Schwarber and one proven reliever would be a successful off-season anything else is gravy.
Schwarber would be “nice”, as an addition to the Reds lineup, as the DH. But realistically, I don’ t think he is going to sign with a non-contending or marginal contending team (like the Reds). Despite all the talk, I think he will re-sign with the Phillies for 3 years, 40 Mil a year.
That’s my guess for today.
Hey DAVID:
If anyone offers him three at 40 I think he jumps at that. He is almost 33 now and even Spotrac says his value is only 25M. I agree I see him back with the Phillies at whatever the number is.
Agreed. Alonso is the Plan B. There are some very nice closer candidates to sign. We need one of them. DO NOT trade for a guy like Sonny Gray. We’re set with Greene, Lodolo, Singer, Abbott, Burns, Petty, and Lowder.
We have some nice parting gifts, thanks for playing
No on Hays at anywhere near that price and wished we had a do over on KB Hayes as well. Also a firm thanks but no thanks on Tito.
Tito is a whole different story on its own.
He may have a hall of fame career but they need to come up with a WAR for managers or something computer generated.
He didn’t impress me at all.While we’re at it, how about a WAR for owners to put pressure on owners that don’t prioritize winning.
Too much of a manager’s value is intangible.
Would a WAB be okay for you? Wins Above David Bell? In that case, using Bell’s career average record of 76.6 wins per season, Tito’s WAB is 6.4.
The Reds need to find a LF and DH who can get an OPS+ of 110 or higher (something none of their starters accomplished) who can place in the middle of their lineup.
Hays is not that guy.
They already have a 4th OF with Benson. No reason to spend $$ for another 4th OF, when that $$ can be used elsewhere.
Bingo!
I agree with the consensus here. No on the option for the Reds, and don’t waste even another ~$5m-7m to bring him back on the cheap(er).
Read this morning that the Phillies are interested in moving Castleanos and are willing to pick up a large portion of his $20 million contract. Would they pay the Shay’s 12 million to him and let Phillies take the rest and give up someone like Dunn?
MK where did you read that the Phillies would pickup a LARGE part of his 20 million salary. The more salary picked up means the better the player return must be. If Dunn is on the market the best he could get is a minor league deal. Just saying
Bob nightingale was apparently the cited source.
Castellanos is in decline. His homer totals are 29,23 and 17 the last three years with similar declines in doubles and RBI’s too. He is one of the worst outfielders in all of MLB. He is a career 294 hitter against left handed pitching, but his last two seasons are .264 and .243. Any hitter they look at has to be a current, proven hitter against left-handed pitching.
May be this is the year we look at attributes that the team needs first, then try to fill them with currently successful proven MLB talent that isn’t yet arbitration eligible. We trade developing talent to teams with weaker farm systems and ride our acquisitions until they price themselves out of our budget. Meanwhile we draft, rinse and repeat in the minors.
Stop signing mid thirties players trending down for multi year contracts like moose, Candy, Myers. If that’s the best you can do, trade for talent with prospect capital.
Dump Hays, Pagan, Martinez, Espinal.
Stop talking about signing Schwarber. It’s not going to happen. He is simply too expensive. I am also convinced when he goes into decline, it’s going to be a steep drop off so whoever has the last couple years of his next contract will have a lot of dead money tied up.
Castellanos would not have been the top power hitter on the Reds this past season and he, like Schwarber, is several years past thirty. I’d certainly be happy to see Schwarber DHing for the Reds, but a multi-year contract has the potential to leave the Reds paying for his decline and unable/unwilling to spend additional money for other players.
Should the Reds even have interest in reacquiring Castellanos? I don’t think so. He’ll be 34 for the 2026 season, he’s a consistently poor outfield defender, and he was a below-average hitter in 2025. What am I missing?
I lived Nick when he was here. But I’ve watched a few Phillies games and he has aged really poorly. Very poor outfielder and huge swing and miss plane. Phillies will likely be forced to cut him. Much like we had to with Candy.
Hard pass on Hays. I feel like if he sneezes too hard it’s an IL stint. Ok so that’s an exaggeration but not far off. Besides his stats don’t merit a return on their own anyway.
Front office and ownership need to open the purse strings and get someone that can mash 35-40 home runs. Important off-season to maximize your remaining years with Elly and younger talent.
Hey JASON T.
With a quick look at the UFA who can realistically hit 35-40 home runs and realistically what the Reds would pay, realistically what player who would want to come to the Reds all dollars being equal and would play OF or 1B or DH if found: wait for it, wait for it, wait for it…. 🙂
Just say no. This is an easy call.
Would love to see the Reds give Hinds a serious and extended shot in RF. (Move Marte to LF)
Oh, and go sign Schwarber. That is all.
Hays,Benson,Spinal, must be cut then take their salaries and get right handed power.
a lot of negative comments on Benson here
I for one like the guy.
he is durable.
he has a good arm
has power
i like what he did with the change in his batting stance with lowering his hands.
plays with passion
can paly all outfield positions
seems like he was getting stronger as the year went on, unlike Friedl who really looked like he was breaking down physically
He still has holes but he’s an affordable, plus, bench player. He made 760,000 last year and his WAR was worth over 5 million.
I didn’t like him personally because the whole needle in the arm antics isn’t appropriate for kids. He seems to have got past that foolishness and was a small plus this year. He isn’t a starter but will still be affordable as a sometimes productive bench player. Every team always needs guys like that.
Not an insider but I think his whole needle in the arm thing was symbolizing “ice water in the veins”. I really doubt he advocates using injectable narcotics. He probably was told that that wasn’t the best look, although it was probably intended to be completely harmless. He doesn’t seem to be the type that is a bad role model for kids. From what we have heard, he is a good guy and a good citizen.
He and every single player on the team was doing that at one point. It’s absolutely an “ice water in the veins” thing.
Correct, it’s ice water in the veins.
I’m not clueless and I know what it referenced, the optics were just bad. That being said, he’s affordable and somewhat productive so I would keep him.
It was an Ice Water in the veins thing. Benson is a great guy, and a wonderful Christian as well. He’s big on putting Bible versus on his spikes as well. If there is a guy you want to see succeed, it’s him.
The needle in the arm/ice water thing has been going on for a couple of years in the NBA. I am a Laker fan and they do it a fair amount of times when someone hits a three pointer. I personally did not like it but different generations and different ideas about what is acceptable I guess.
Chris, thanks for that information on Benson. As a fellow Christian I appreciate that.
He also can only occasionally hit major league pitching.
Basically a 4A player. That’s all.
Also calculating his defense, power and base path ability, his WAR says you’re wrong. A .6 WAR in 230 AB’s isn’t terrible.
The league just doesn’t hit like it used to.
He’s a decent bench player in the majors, at least he was this year.
Yep, I like Benson as a fourth or fifth outfielder. He made a major swing adjustment and had a pretty nice August and September. He has some limitations, but he brings more than enough value (hitting RHP, defense, speed) to be a good bench player on a good team.
To Brian1: So Benson’s “WAR” isn’t terrible. Great. But that’s my point — he’s an average-to-below-average player on a team loaded with average-to-below-average players — hence a franchise that can never play much better than .500 baseball.
i wouldn’t mind an outfield next year of Hinds, Benson and Marte
all can cover ground and have strong throwing arms and have power.
Not to pick on Friedl but it just seems he was having physical problems at the end of the year
Hinds is only a marginal prospect. Otherwise, he would have found his way into the current run-of-the-mill outfield mix by now.
Alot of swings and misses in that outfield Rednat.
Friedl was the second best hitter on the team, with the second best WAR on the team.
You’re advocating for an outfield with one AAA talent (Hinds) who has shown he struggles with big league pitching, one AAAA talent (Benson) whose low ceiling is pretty well known at this point, and a guy who could still go either way in Marte who’s never put together a good full season.
First off been a reds fan forever and would love to see cincinnati pull the string on someone who can hit home runs. As far as Benson and hays let them go as far as elly he needs to go to the out field makes to many errors i like Terry but sometimes he leaves pitchers in to long i remember a few games he should have pulled the starter like he said he needs to do better also elly a good player i don’t think he is a superstar strikes out to much. So being that said I think reds are a few good players away from being contenders
Hays’ option should be declined. Hays may be worth resigning as a free agent later in the offseason, but he’s not a primary target, so pass on the option.
Hinds just turned 25 a month ago and due to the huge AAA leaps he made this year it’s now or never for him. He deserves an extended every day start in Spring Training and if successful a very long every day starting run versus Righties & Lefties in the regular season. He hit righties in AAA much better than lefties, for power and average. Here are the impressive statistical improvements he made at AAA in 2025 over 2024:
ABs +11, Hs +39, 2Bs +8, HRs +10, RBIs +36, SOs -47, BA +94, OBP +77, SLG +187
Move on from Hays and from Benson. Take a shot at Hinds. He 25 and has fewer than 100 ML PAs. He had a spectacular year in Louisville. find out what’s there. Benson on the other hand turn 28 next June. We’ve seen all there is there. He had a brief flash but didn’t sustain it. Friedl has been adequate, marginally above average OPS+. So, look at Hinds, and sign a proven, every day OF bat, as they should have last off season.
Instead of speaking in generalities how about some specific names? I’m looking at the 26 FA list and there’s only like 2-3 guy the Reds could realistically target. Fans around here act like average OF bats grow on trees and then get upset when the Reds the don’t sign one.
Hey CITIZEN 54:
I looked also. Everyone should check it out before throwing names around. They also should keep in mind the reality of our ownership and what they are willing/able to spend. IMHO the only serious needle moving, meaningful transaction(s) the Reds can make is via a trade and that trade needs to include either or both Elly and/or Hunter. We are going no where with them! We would get back at least two really good players for one of them. We have so many holes to fill and no real money for a good FA so only thing left is blockbuster trade(s).
@redfanorbust
Exaclty. People around here need to be more realistic or at least educate themselves on the actual quality of of free agents out there before criticizing the FO for not getting that big OF bat that apparently grows on trees.
And if you trade Elly and Hunter, you’ll create two more major holes in the roster. The Reds haven’t gone anywhere with them–not strictly true, because the team would not have made the playoffs without them–is down to the roster in its entirety.
I didn’t say FA. Nor did I mention any names. Further, there were guys available at the trade deadline that were available and was an upgrade, that wouldn’t have involved EDLC or Hunter Greene. There were FAs available last off season that would have been upgrades. Trades and FAs are available this season as well. “Realistic” means embracing a cheap, negligent owner that has failed to deliver anything in his decades of tenure. Finally, I do not now, nor have I ever bought into the small market canard. It’s dishonest and a distraction. No one suggests that the Reds match the Dodgers or the Mets in payroll. OTH, they aren’t even matching their past payrolls despite increased attendance. Expect more.
You said “sign an OF bat.” Pretty sure that means free agency. And I notice you still haven’t given any specifics.
Reds will have to give up something of equal value to get value back.Reds strength is starting pitching and they will have to trade one and some prospects to get a good hitter.Free agency is not free it cost bucks if and it’s a big if to try and out bid other teams.Other wise you give Hinds and others a shot.Hays was a roll of the dice.Hinds costs peanuts has the bat the arm and the legs
I totally agree! Hinds just turned 25 in September. His year over year improvement at Louisville was tremendous.
Hits +39, 2Bs +8, HRs +10, RBIs +36, SOs -47, BA +94, OBP +77, SLG +187
For all the people who think the Reds should not pick up Hays’s option who would you sign instead? I want to hear some specific names and how much you think they would sign for.
I would not pick up his option. I would look for a trade for a guy who could hit 30 home runs. I would look to use the money saved by Martinez, Hays, Pagan, and Barlow to try and sign a quality free agent hitter. If that can’t be found then I would go to the backup plan. I have not even looked at the free agent market yet but even if it’s bare and empty I wouldn’t pick up his option at that price. He could be worth it if he reaches his ceiling but if he doesn’t reach that ceiling then I don’t think he’s worth it and most guys do not reach their ceiling.
The backup plan is that I’d move Steer to left field to replace him. And then I’d put Sal Stewart at first base to replace Steer. If the Reds get a trade or big signing then Steer can mostly play first and Stewart can mostly DH.
So you’re making up this grand plan without even looking at the 2026 free agent class. You want some guy who hits 30 HRs but you don’t even know who he is or how much he is going to cost. You want Steer to play left field where he is terrible.
If playing for Tito and hitting in a sluggers paradise are not a good enough sell to Schwarber or Alonso, then we need to revisit what we’re doing. We can certainly sign one of them. No excuses this winter.
No certainty about it. If ownership is unwilling to pay what Alonso or Schwarber would cost in salary, then it won’t happen. I don’t think ownership even feels obliged to make excuses, They’re cheap and we all know it.
Don’t need to sign anyone. Let Hinds play. He’ll most likely get you 30 HR which seems like what most are looking for. As a backup play HRod should be ready to contribute sometime next year.
If you expected the Reds winning at least the NL Championship, then this season wasn’t exactly a success. But I think the most of people thought they were going to be a losing or .500 team not making the playoff so with that said and comparing this year to the previous ones , this season could be considered a success.
I think the Reds should decline Hays option in order to “align the resources” to land a better hitter than Hays next year. We could expect Steer could be moved to LF to open room for Stewart at 1B and maybe Steer would be healthy so he will hit better in 2026. Only to give plenty of playing time to Stewart hoping he can hit well at major level and getting a very good hitter either from the FA market or through a trade could already improve a bit the lineup heading to 2026. But , of course, we would want the FO doing a lot more than only that.
I am hoping Big Sal is on the team from day one and wins ROY so we get a comp pick
Definitely no to Hays.
Elly’s power outage in the second half was apparently due to his leg injury. Ok, then we should expect him to be the feared bat in the lineup. It is absolutely imperative that there’s a bat behind him AND in front of him that pitchers also fear. Are there any bats already here like that?
Maybe Marte and, a big maybe, Stewart. That’s all I can come up with. Schwarber would have been worth big bucks a couple years ago but I think now an aging disappointment for next year. Krall is going to have to bite the bullet and trade a young starter for a youngish proven power bat. Martinez takes 20 million off the payroll so I don’t want to hear any crap about the $ to do it.
Please no more Benson – Last 3 seasons 860 AB’s with 324 K’s = 38% strike out rate. Enough said!
I agree. Let both Hays and Benson go. I don’t get the love Benson has in this group. He is a life time .224 hitter. And yes I realize the FA class that great, but surely there is a player who can hitter better than Benson out there
The Reds can do better than Hays next year. With Martinez’s 21 million, Hays’ 4 million, and Pagan’s 8 million coming off the books, that’s 33 million available next year. Add in Scot Barlow’s salary, and we’re up over 35 million.
Go big or go home. Sign Kyle Schwarber and watch him hit 40+ home runs next year.
Yep. This is the offseason to go big. If not, I move on. I’ve waited since 1995 for a playoff series win. We all have.
Keep Barlow
Seems like the consensus is pretty strong; this is probably the easiest decision the front office will have all winter.
I’d promote Hinds or Rodriguez and hope for the best before I’d resign Hays at even his modest pay. Those resources need to go to worthy extensions and worthy bullpen arms.
Good pitching alone will not get the job done.
As an example, the Chicago White Sox had team ERA under 3.00 for six straight years from 1963 through 1968. The team ERA was as low as 2.45 one year and team ERA+ was as high as 127 another year. Arguably, they had the best pitching staff in AL (and maybe MLB) throughout the mid 1960s.
They made zero postseason appearances. The Yankees, Twins, Orioles, Red Sox, and Tigers had better hitters than the White Sox did in those years.
The Reds need BIG upgrades to their lineup. At least several positions need players with better hitting skills, including power.
Benson can walk, but I might keep Hays if he comes at a reduced rate.
No. He needs to sign with the White Sox, Pirates, or Cardinals. Some second tier division. We need to quit pulling these kind of triggers. Its why we were .500. No more nibbling on the edges.
Use the money for Alonso or Schwarber. Otherwise, sell the team.
No strong opinion on this. As others have noted, the FA market has its limits and trades of any impact will cost something. Plus, ownership has a history of not opening up the wallet very wide (I don’t think they actually thought Martinez would bite).
Let’s go Blue Jays!!! Take the whole thing in straight sets.
They could have offered NM 25 million for two or three years and he would have taken it. They overshot his value and were hoping he would sign elsewhere and they get comp pick. This was one of Kralls worst moves to date.
Nick Martinez and his agent watched Rounders the night before that qualifying offer showed up.
Agree with most everyone here… no to Hays.
On a totally different topic but not necessarily unrelated…I actually don’t believe the Reds are going to go into next season with both Greene and Lodolo on this roster. I think they miss too many games, and I don’t think Tito likes that. Not that it’s their fault, injuries are what they are. But I can see – instead of a too-costly Schwarber – the Reds trading one of those guys for a big-time bat. Let’s say it’s Lodolo. Your starting rotation is Greene-Abbott-Burns-Lowder-Williamson/middling FA pickup and you get a 40 HR guy and maybe some bullpen help in return.
Just an inkling. A suspicion.
So one of Lodolo/Greene is gone but Burns, Lowder, Williamson, and some middling free agent are going to be fine for Francona? Williamson literally just missed a full year and we have no idea if he’ll even be any good when he gets back on the mound. Lowder just missed the full year aside from some rehab starts – in which case both rehab stints ended when he got hurt again. Burns missed time.
The Reds may trade a starting pitcher to get a bat, but if the premise is trading them because they don’t stay healthy enough then I’ve got some real bad news.
Leave our SPs alone. They were the strength of the team. Hopefully Lowder and Williamson return healthy and are effective in roles similar to Martinez.
I hear you. Good point. Well taken. But, on the other hand, five wrongs don’t make a right.
If one’s position is that Greene, Lodolo, Burns, Lowder, and Williamson are all health question marks – and that is a valid position – there are two ways to look at it – keep them all plus more, because they’ll all likely be hurt at some point or have limited innings. Or, sell high on one of the top guys to a team that maybe doesn’t have the organizational memory of blister after blister after blister… and fix an offensive hole. And then get the league a v guy, or two, who is durable to replace him.
Let’s say the middling/league average free agent is Littell. I think a top 4 of Greene, Burns, Abbott, Littell and then either Lowder or Williamson is a place to start.
I’m not truly arguing FOR this scenario but I just have a sense that Tito may have thought A) Greene took his good old time getting back and he laid an egg when it mattered and/or B) Lodolo couldn’t be counted on which is why he burned him as a reliever just before the playoffs. Those are the two guys who could fetch the biggest returns, probably. So again, just a guess. Not saying I would do it. We’ll see. Maybe it’s 2 or 3 Littells (but not Martinezes).
Is Brady Singer a FA? I just did a Bing search, and it said he had one more year of control and as he opted out of a previous 4 year deal post trade. Certainly, a worthy #4 starter.
Brady Singer is still under contract for 2026.
Daniel, I think it’s safe to say that all pitchers have serious risk of injury. It’s the nature of the position in the modern game.
+10000. No Hays, no Hayes, No Tito.
Like a few of the other FA names mentioned.
Oh, and give Dunn and Hinds another look.
Really wish they’d leave Steer at 1B and give Stewart a very long look at 3B.
I don’t think they should resign Hays. He’s a solid Major Leaguer if he’s hitting 6th or 7th in a lineup I think. The Reds had him as their cleanup hitter though. It seemed like he and many Reds hitters often hit grounders to short and third when I’d be following games.
The only definite keeps are De La Cruz (for 2 or 3 more years), Friedl and Marte. Stephenson and Steer you can keep but they’re .240 hitters max.
A rotation of Greene, Lodolo, Abbott, Burns and Lowder seems good. Keep Singer for when one of those 5 gets hurt. Santillan and Phillips show promise in the pen.
There are just no hitters. There are no tough outs and they are all singles hitters.
Sorry, forgot that Stewart needs a full season shot. Maybe he’s the power bat?
Sorry, forgot that Stewart needs a full season shot. Maybe he’s the power bat?
Hays has never had a full season when his xwOBA was above average. He was an average hitter at his peak and is now oft-injured and in decline. He is not the power bat the team needs – not at any price, much less 12 million.
mlb traderumors has arbitration estimates and the Reds are getting pricey
Singer $11.9 mil
Stephenson $6.4 mil
Lux $5 mil
Friedl $4.9 mil
Steer $4.5 mil
Lodolo 4.3 mil
among others
Reds have righty bats in Marte/Stewart/Steer at CO/CI and Stephenson C with most assuredly Hayes and McLain sticking at 3b/2b. Hays will go to FA and Steer will resume his role as a DH/1b/LF/rover/injury depth piece. They need a big lefty bat to add to Friedl/Elly and presumably they bring back Lux. Obviously Schwarber would fill a big void at DH as a big lefty bat who can hit lefties too. That wont happen though. Perhaps they make a trade for a controlled lefty OF bat and spend some prospect capital and young player capital. That is legal last time I checked
But perhaps it’s not legal in Cincy, O-S.
The Reds will probably not have much to spend after arbitration. I think they should spend on a quality closer and relief pitchers. They need to enter the new season with rock solid pitching. They can get another quality outfielder at an affordable price. They will need to count on improvement from De La Cruz, McClain, and others. (I am being realistic on the spending, since they are a small market team.) If all of this happens, they will make the playoffs where they will need to perform better. I recommend that they extend McClain to a team friendly contract. I think he will perform much better next year. He was away from baseball for a year due to injury and was just not the same this year at the plate. I recommend an extension for Abbott as well.