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    The Reds Have The 7th Best Odds At The #1 Overall Pick

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    Nati
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    2024 Reds Draft rumors
    2024 Reds Draft rumors

    The MLB Winter Meetings have begun as of Sunday, December 8th at 7:00 PM ET. That means there’s a ton of trade rumors, players are signing free agent deals, there’s a draft coming up soon, and…the reason you clicked this article, we will know the Reds MLB Draft position tomorrow! Woo! Let’s look at their odds.

    Last year Devin Mesoraco pulled off some of the most incredible antics of all time. The Reds went into the draft with less than a 1% chance at the #1 overall pick, and Mes ended up getting lucky and getting us the 2nd overall pick. As of right now, it’s not known who is going to be the Reds representative, but I will, of course, update everyone as soon as we know. Subscribe to our Newsletter to get the news FIRST!

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    2025’s Odds

    Nothing will be any different than it was in 2024, other than our odds. Considering the Reds landed the 2nd overall pick in a year they were less than 2 games out of the playoff race in, it’s almost unbelievable that we only have a 2.1% chance better this year after another disappointing season. The Reds stand in at 3.67%, aka the 7th best odds in MLB to land the 1st pick.

    The full list looks like this:

    • 22.45% – Colorado Rockies
    • 22.45% – Florida Marlins
    • 17.96% – Anaheim Angels
    • 10.20% – Washington Nationals
    • 7.48% – Toronto Blue Jays
    • 5.31% – Pittsburgh Pirates
    • 3.67% – Cincinnati Reds
    • 2.45% – Texas Rangers
    • 1.90% – San Francisco Giants
    • 1.50% – Tampa Bay Rays
    • 1.22% – Boston Red Sox
    • 1.09% – Minnesota Twins
    • 0.82% – St. Louis Cardinals
    • 0.68% – Chicago Cubs
    • 0.53% – Seattle Mariners
    • 0.27% – Arizona Diamondbacks
    • 0.0 — White Sox – cannot get another lottery pick
    • 0.0 — A’s – Cannot get another lottery pick
    MLB 2025 Draft Lottery Odds Infographic from MLB.com

    Will There Be Magic Again?

    There’s a great reason to believe that the Reds can end up picking inside the top 5 again. I’ll throw caution out there, we know we can’t get lucky too many times in a row, but I like the odds of it happening. Knowing us we’ll get stuck with the 17th overall pick and end up missing out on the next healthy Mike Trout.

    When Is This Happening?

    The MLB Draft Lottery will take place on Tuesday in Dallas, Texas as the MLB Winter Meetings goes on. Time: 5PM EsT, 4PM CsT, 3PM MsT, 2PM PsT on MLB Network and streaming live on mlb.com

    Three Cowboys Players the Bengals Must Shut Down to Win on Monday Nignt

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    chrisball96
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    bengals cowboys simpsons

    Simpsons broadcast or no, Bengals fans are simply hoping the Monday night matchup with the Dallas Cowboys doesn’t turn into a laughingstock. There hasn’t been much to smile about this season for Joe Burrow and company anyways. Yet another loss on a national stage, and against might be enough to make even the most stalwart fans think twice about tuning in. Subscribe to our Newsletter!

    The Cowboys are suffering through a disappointing season of their own. They sit at 5-7. Their coach could be on his way out and is perhaps taking even more flack than our own Zac Taylor. But they have won two straight. Albeit one of those was against the lowly Giants and the other was on a last second touchdown versus the Commanders. 

    The Bengals on the other hand, have lost three straight. All of those losses have been in frustrating and/or brutal fashion. With each defeat the playoffs have slipped farther and farther out of reach. As of now their chances sit at around two percent (and even that is being generous). 

    The key players on the Bengals’ side are well known to Cincinnati fans, but here are three Cowboys players that fans of the Orange and Black should be on the lookout for on Monday night.

    Micah Parsons

    Micha Parsons has had his share of injuries this year. But he’s back and has been tearing it up in the past several weeks. The Cowboys’ defensive standout has 5.5 sacks in his last four games, along with 23 pressures. 

    That’s terrible news for Cincinnati. With Orlando Brown Jr. ruled out for this game, it will fall on Cody Ford to protect Joe Burrow’s blind side. TJ Watt and the Steeler’s defensive line punished Burrow last week to the tune of four sacks. That included a strip sack leading to a key Bengals turnover. 

    The Cowboys are going to move Parsons all over the line, looking for the most advantageous matchup. With him heating up the Bengals line needs to account for him on every play. If they don’t, we could see a repeat of the pressures and struggles from last week.

    CeeDee Lamb

    Russell Wilson torched the Bengals secondary for 414 yards last week. George Pickens was a large part of that, hauling in three catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Cincinnati allowed the Steelers to operate at will through the air.

    While Dallas’ Cooper Rush isn’t on the same level as Wilson, he’s got an elite wideout to target. CeeDee Lamb is seventh in receiving yards this year. Rush looks to him often as he’s got 10.2 targets per game, good for second in the league. 

    As we all know by now, the Bengals defensive backs have failed to stop any decent receiver this year. They are 27th against the pass. In past weeks they allowed 123 yards to the Chargers’ Ladd McConkey, 115 yards to the Ravens’ Tylan Wallace and 105 yards to Las Vegas’ Jacobi Meyers. And all are not in Lamb’s league at the position. 

    Cincinnati must do all it can to bracket Lamb. Although Dallas’ other receivers are capable, Lamb is their biggest threat. There’s no doubt that Rush and company will go to him early and often to exploit every hole in this Bengals defense. 

    Rico Dowdle

    The Cowboys average just 85.8 rushing yards per game. That’s second worst in the league. However, Dallas is optimistic that running back Rico Dowdle can continue to turn that around. He has a season high 123 yards last week against the Giants. Dowdle almost eclipse the century mark the week prior against the Commanders as well. 

    The Cowboys had been extremely one dimensional prior to those games. But seeing how Cincinnati’s defense has also struggled against the run at times, Dallas is surely hoping that Dowdle can capitalize on his improvement. 

    Whether it’s been the quarterback or running backs the Bengals have been gashed by nearly everyone. But they simply cannot allow Dallas’ anemic rushing attack to get going.

    Credits: Shoutout to Dallasinovates.com for the featured image mock.

    Former 2x Reds All Star Inducted Into Hall of Fame

    By
    Nati
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    0
    dave parker reds

    Former Cincinnati Red, Dave Parker, has finally made it into the Hall of Fame. Writers finally got it right and another Cincinnati Red has been inducted. Commonly known as “The Cobra” Dave spent 3 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds. 2 of them earned him All Star bids. Dave will go into the Hall of Fame a Pittsburgh Pirate, but it’s no secret he still held a lot of love for the Cincinnati Reds. Not to mention, he spent the majority of his youth growing up in Cincinnati, OH.

    Cobra’s ’85 season

    Dave Parker’s best season as a Cincinnati Red was easily in 1985 where he posted 4.7 bWAR, had an absurd 125 RBIs, and a total of 80 XBHs. He was 2 hits shy of 200, and bopped 34 homers. He touched 350 total bases, the best of his career, while donning Cincinnati across his chest. A dandy ’85 season earned him MVP runner up, as he finished 2nd in voting, falling short to Willie McGee.

    Though he’ll go in a Pirate, he’s also a Red through and through. We Reds fans will always remember Dave Parker as the first “major” free agent signing in the franchises history in the 80s. If you don’t believe me, how about knowing that there’s now a street dedicated to him in Cincinnati, OH? Congratulations to one of the more important athletes to African Americans in professional sports. A Hall of Fame bid…well deserved.

    Addressing The Latest Known Rumors: ’25 Winter Meetings

    By
    Nati
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    0
    Josh Naylor Cleveland Guardians

    Today we’ve got some more information from surrounding reporters stating that our Cincinnati Reds are in the wheelhouses and searchin’ for some upgrades. We have some insight from a local reporter stating that the Reds have asked about Guardian’s players, we have a Red Sox reporter stating that the Reds have asked about Crochet from the White Sox, and we have some insight elsewhere, too… Let’s get into the Reds potential trade candidates 2025. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER. You’ll get the news…first.

    Reds Asking For Price on Guardians’ Josh Naylor/Lane Thomas

    It was known the Reds have liked Lane Thomas for some time now – they were “Kickin’ the tires” on him before the deadline last year before ultimately being gobbled up by Cleveland. But we have some new information, per Gordon Wittenmeyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer…the Reds are asking about Josh Naylor, now, too. Ahhh, that makes some sense.

    Josh Naylor, in the last 3 seasons, has an 121 wRC+. That would provide some serious consistency for a still young lineup that would significantly benefit from it. When it comes to defense, Josh Naylor was average. Looking at the Reds first base candidates, that’s about what they’d get from there anyway so it’s not a real loss. Josh would definitely be looking to get acquired for his bat. Now…where things get a little iffy and why I put no stock in this trade at all for the Reds? The contract(s) of both Josh Naylor AND Lane Thomas. Both are projected to make significant cash in their final years in arbitration. Yes, both are free agents after 2025. I find it hard to believe that the Reds will seriously pursue this unless the ask from Cleveland is reasonable, and something tells me they will sell Naylor off in July if they aren’t in it.

    Reds Very Much Still In On Crochet

    Even though a Reds beat reporter, Mark Sheldon, was saying that the Reds initial desire for Garret Crochet was “before they landed Brady Singer” – I found that strange, untrue, and, quite frankly…unreasonable. Now we have some more information, this time coming from someone I’d deem unlikely…a Red Sox Beat Reporter, Chris Cotillo. I wrote about the Reds being linked to Crochet here, if you missed it.

    Chris Cotillo simply stated, “Cincinnati seen as a real threat to land Crochet,” and that one little line coincides with the Reds reluctancy to give up their pursuit, in my opinion. Now, what we KNOW the Chicago White Sox are seeking…they want young, controllable position players. They want a top 100 prospect. They want a guy they can plug into their Major League lineup under control. The Cincinnati Reds? They possess all of that. In excess. However, if you go back a year ago, the White Sox were very reluctant to trade the Reds Dylan Cease “due to poor grades on the Reds system” – what changes in a year…?

    Note I mention Sal Stewart – he fits their exact desire, as does someone I’m real reluctant to give up, Christian Encarnacion-Strand. I don’t want to give either of these guys up. I see Sal as a potential future starting 3B for us. But look, to get…you have to give. Sal got a big boost to his profile this past update from MLB Pipeline, he’s not a 55 overall graded prospect, as he should be, and the 76th top prospect in baseball per their rankings. I think a lot of us would hope that the White Sox would prefer Cam Collier in a deal, and it’s definitely possible they want both of them. The White Sox system primarily hosts a plethora of pitching depth, but significantly lacks anything of real value elsewhere on the diamond if you take out Colson Montgomery and Edgar Quero.

    Free Agent Linkage

    The Cincinnati Reds are known to be air tight inside the FO. We haven’t been linked to any Free Agents just yet, but that doesn’t mean much, because we inked 3 out of thin air last year. There’s some players that definitely fit our future out there still. Some like Anthony Santander, Michael Conforto, Teoscar Hernandez like I wrote about here, Jurickson Profar, etc. It’s clear our biggest need has and still is a corner outfielder that can mash. I would truly be shocked if the Reds didn’t leave Dallas with one signed, or at a minimum, have serious trade talks about one of them. As always, Nati Sports will keep you covered. Subscribe to our Newsletter and we’ll send it straight to you.

    Report: Garrett Crochet A “Viable” Candidate For The Cincinnati Reds

    By
    Nati
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    2
    Chicago White Sox Garrett Crochet Cincinnati Reds

    This morning Jon Morosi, who I would consider well plugged inside the Reds organization when it comes down to it, stated that two NL Central teams are the “viable candidates” for the LHP ACE Garrett Crochet. Over the summer I wrote about how Garrett Crochet would make a ton of sense for the Reds.

    What does this even mean, Jon?

    To me, this reads that the two teams have had preliminary discussions on a trade deal for Garrett Crochet. Garrett is under contract for two more seasons, very cheap for ’25, and likely for 2026 as well. In 2025, he’ll make an estimated $3M per spotrac. That fits extremely well for the Cincinnati Reds who have a plethora of talent, arm talent at that, that they can trade from.

    Garret’s 2024 was immense – he made 32 starts, though on close watch due to previous arm injury, threw 146.0 innings and struckout 209. Yes. TWO HUNDRED AND NINE K’s. He had a 3.58 ERA, 2.69 FIP, and only walked 2.0 per 9 compared to 12.9 Ks. Just an incredible year in limited innings. So you can imagine…that ask has to be astronomical, right? Yes.

    What will it take to land Crochet?

    I wrote last summer about acquiring Garret Crochet here and I suggested that the Reds go for the GRAND SLAM and get Luis Robert Jr with Crochet. I still think they should do just that, especially trying to “buy low” on Robert Jr. The White Sox really have no idea what he’s even worth at this point, feels like a perfect time to go add in an additional prospect and pull both back.

    I believe Crochet is worth at least 1 top 100 prospect by himself, easily, someone like Rhett Lowder, someone like Chase Burns. Yes – that’s what it’ll cost. So let’s try to be fair and reasonable when coming to the table on something like this.

    Reds go for it all and land Luis & Garrett from Chicago

    What the Cincinnati Reds Get

    OF Luis Robert Jr.

    LHP Garrett Crochett

    White Sox Logo

    What the Chicago White Sox Get

    INF Sal Stewart

    RHP Chase Petty

    LHP Andrew Abbott

    IF Ricardo Cabrera

    OF Will Benson

    Maybe the Reds don’t want Luis Robert Jr, & just want Crochet

    What the Cincinnati Reds Get

    LHP Garrett Crochett

    White Sox Logo

    What the Chicago White Sox Get

    LHP Andrew Abbott

    3B Cam Collier

    OF Will Benson

    I don’t see the White Sox getting a better offer for him. It makes perfect sense for them, too, because Andrew Abbott is a total bulldog, offers them a replacement for way longer (he doesn’t fit FA until 2030) and Chicago has a bigger ballpark than us. Honestly, the more I sit and type this out, I feel like I’m pitching to myself to keep Abbott. If it means we get Crochet back, I’ll be fine with dealing him. This would be a haul for the White Sox, IMO.

    Remember When The Reds Traded Aroldis Chapman?

    By
    Nati
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    0
    aroldis chapman

    If you needed any other reason to love X, there’s truly about a zillion of the most interesting people on there. Today a former Boston Red Sox executive took to Twitter after they announced them signing Aroldis Chapman. His name is Zack Scott, and he was the sitting Red Sox GM a few years ago before they hired Chaim. You remember that depressing day when Walt Jocketty sold off Aroldis Chapman? Prepare to be even more depressed, perhaps… Subscribe to our Newsletter!!

    December 28th, 2015 – A Sad Day

    The Reds were acknowledging themselves headed into a rebuild. They had just went 69-93 while allowing 754 runs to only 640 runs scored, the excitement of hosting the All Star Game was over, and ole Joey Votto only put up 7.8 bWAR instead of 25.0 bWAR that it would’ve taken to win a few more games – what a bum, right? Guys, Brayan Pena was our starting catcher. We had to sell. Come on.

    Here brings Aroldis Chapman, the Reds biggest asset that offseason, and why we’re writing this article – there was known to be EVERY contender known to man in on Aroldis in the 2015 offseason. The Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, nevermind it, if they had a winning record the year prior, you bet they wanted Aroldis. That’s why this brings such pain. Such misery. Knowing what they got for him, and just how bad Walt Jocketty handled the rebuild…I still cry about it going on 10 years later.

    The Red Sox Offer

    Thanks to Zack, 10 years later, we know what the Boston Red Sox offered. They offered 21 year old Manuel Margot who was about to break the big leagues, and Marco Hernandez – two promising young talents from the International Pool, some of which the Boston Red Sox held the most trust around baseball with. Now, most of you, if you follow baseball at least, likely know the name “Manuel Margot” – picturing him with Eugenio Suarez and Joey Votto now makes me sad. Here’s the tweet with the Red Sox former executive detailing that trade:

    So, what famously happened?

    Once Zack’s team sounded the alarm, the sh&tty New York Yankees swooped in, said they didn’t care about no Domestic Violence disputes, and offered the Cincinnati Reds a package full of bums. Sorry, but that package was terrible. Walt Jocketty panic-accepted once he found out about the pending domestic case, and the Reds ended up getting…Rookie Davis. The full trade looked like this: RHP SP Rookie Davis, RHP RP Caleb Cotham, 2B Tony Renda, 3B Eric Jagielo.

    Of that group, only Rookie Davis really went on to play any big league games, and folks…he was terrible. Likely now doing accounting at his local Fifth Third Bank. He had 6 starts in Cincinnati in 2017, a 8.63 ERA in 24.0 IP and a 14:20 BB:K. He then went to Pittsburgh where he was…hey he was a little bit better. So much better that he ended up getting a career ending…blister. Caleb Cotham pitched in 23 games in 2016 to the tune of a 7.40 ERA but hey guys, he did have a 12:21 BB:K ratio, so cut him some slack. In all seriousness, Caleb’s best days as a Red (and still, in his career,) came as an assistant pitching coach. He’s now with the Phillies in that head role.

    Don’t let me get into what happened to Aroldis Chapman later on that year, he only got flipped to the Chicago Cubs, went on to win a World Series with my least favorite team of all time, and not to mention, the Yankees turned him into Gleybar Torres + some. For fck sake, Jock…

    If you were wondering why we’ve sucked so long…

    Walt Jocketty knew how to build a winning team. On the contrary, he had NO idea how to…rebuild a team. None. It’s easy to hate on him, but don’t forget he’s the only reason the Reds had any sort of playoff runs in the last 2 decades. Yes. Decades. So be nice, be gentle to our sweet Jock. We’ve genuinely sucked for years because of sitting on the hands, not knowing what to do with our best assets, letting them run the course another year, and ultimately accepting way less for them than what should’ve been received. Pain.

    Report: Jesse Winker Close to Returning to Cincinnati?

    By
    Nati
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    Jesse WInker Reds

    This afternoon a previous AP writer and plugged in Mets columnist is stating that a former Cincinnati Reds legend and fan favorite Jesse Winker is “nearing a deal with the #Reds.” His name is Mark C. Healey on X. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter!

    12/3/24 Update:

    Mark is now walking back his claims of the Reds being close to an agreement with Winker. He is now stating:

    Does This Make Sense?

    I think the answer is yes. Jesse Winker had a resurgent year in 2024 posting 2.0 bWAR while slashing .253/.360/.405/.764 with an 118 OPS+. I would imagine him getting a bulk supply of his ABs against RHP as a “stop gap” for Will Benson. Considering the Reds traded India, their pound for pound leadoff guy, I think there’s actually some smoke here although I’ve personally not heard anything, and wouldn’t be entirely positive that Mark has scoop with the Reds. However, and you’re gonna wanna read past this…

    As I mentioned above, Jesse Winker makes some sense for the Reds because he’ll be on the “cheaper” side, a + bat (118 wRC+ again in ’24,) and perhaps most importantly and why I’m so bullish on this actually being a thing: somebody told me that his daughter’s mother resides in the Ohio/NKY area still, making coparenting far easier. This would be a “family” move, not to mention his love for the Reds (still.)

    No indication of it actually happening…

    Just to be clear, once more, there is no indication of this actually happening just yet, but Mark is plugged in on the Mets side, and could definitely have a source that way. With Jonathan India now gone, Jesse Winker coming back to leadoff actually makes some sense in my head. His resurgent year last season has me interested. Let’s see it if actually happens!

    Cincinnati Reds Set To Land A Huge Bat At Winter Meetings?

    By
    Nati
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    0
    teoscar hernandez potential cincinnati reds

    Andy McCullough of The Athletic (Now NY Times) made a very bold prediction yesterday in one of his articles. He believes that the Cincinnati Reds’ ownership group is set to pony up and land a big time free agent in Teoscar Hernandez, formerly of the Los Angeles Dodgers, now a free agent.

    Teoscar Hernandez landing with the Cincinnati Reds would be huge for the ball club, he has not had a single season besides his rookie year in Houston in 2016 with an wRC+ under 100. He had an above 130 wRC+ in 4 of his last 5 seasons. Last year with the Dodgers, he had a 134 wRC+ which would lead the Reds by a landslide.

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    What Is His Market, & Can The Reds Afford Him?

    Per Spotrac, his market is at 3 years, $71,265,000. That comes to $23.8M a year, which would make him the highest paid LF in the game of baseball. If you all remember correctly, the Cincinnati Reds last played the Free Agent market heavily in 2019 where they sought outfield help as well. They were in on Marcell Ozuna to the last day, and ended up landing Nick Castellanos, who was a tremendous boost to the club. Getting Teo would be a very similar grab. Like Nick, Teo is known for his bat, not his defense. The Reds would have to hide him in LF.

    If you read my article earlier today, I stated that the Reds have a huge issue when it comes to money – it’s true. With Martinez slated to make $21.05M as it stands right now, fitting Teoscar Hernandez in at nearly $24M yearly makes it real hard to see playing out, though it shouldn’t be.

    Any Connections To Cincinnati?

    Jeimer Candelario and Teoscar Hernandez have a history together. They have trained together, and are friends. Jeimer could play a role in recruiting Teo to Cincinnati, which could be able to sell itself. In 2024, he had 36 HRs, according to Statcast’s ‘xHR’ Stat, if he played each game in Great American Ballpark, he would’ve had 43.

    Teoscar Hernandez’ xHR Chart per MLB Statcast

    Another connection to Cincinnati would be his agent – Rafa Nieves is familar with Nick Krall & Co due to Luis Castillo & Noelvi Marte. Rafa is known to be a level headed, fair agent that is not afraid to mentor his clients to deals that could benefit them longevity wise. Teoscar Hernandez is genuinely a perfect fit for the Cincinnati Reds if they can figure out a way to get him paid.

    A lineup looking like:

    • TJ Friedl – CF
    • Matt McLain – 2B
    • Elly De La Cruz – SS
    • Teoscar Hernandez – LF/DH
    • Jeimer Candelario – 3B/1B/DH
    • Tyler Stephenson – C/DH
    • Christian Encarnacion-Strand – 1B/DH
    • Spencer Steer – RF/LF/DH
    • Jake Fraley – RF/LF

    Obviously, in no particular order, and some swaps needed, but those 9 core guys would go absolutely crazy and make this team look entirely different. I’m praying the Reds can pony up and land Teoscar. That would be the homerun they need to make their team REALLY good. The ball is in your court, Bob Castellini/Reds ownership group.

    It’s worth nothing, Andy McCullough said he made his determination strictly off of ~vibes~ and he did not have any indication that he would sign with the Reds, just that he fit like a glove. I agree. As of right now, Teoscar Hernandez is a favorite to land back with the Los Angeles Dodgers or go to Atlanta to co-DH/LF with Marcell Ozuna adding another thumper to their lineup, so don’t get your hopes up just yet.

    Playing GM: Solving a $21.05M “Problem” For The Cincinnati Reds

    By
    Nati
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    Nick Martinez Team USA
    Nick Martinez

    Ever since Nick Martinez accepted the Qualifying Offer, it sure seems like the Cincinnati Reds, whom are already losing their guaranteed $55,000,000 payment from Diamond Sports Group, has had a pretty big monetary “problem.” Now, I’m not suggesting Nick Martinez is a bad investment, because the reality is…he’s not. I am, however, suggesting that the Reds can turn him into a smart one. Let’s get into it.

    As mentioned above, the Cincinnati Reds are losing a guaranteed $55M+ from DSG since they opted to bypass their deal & part ownership stake (sold for $1.00) last month. Their payroll currently sits at a projected $90,588,333 per Spotrac and we’ve been tipped off by Nick Krall & the Reds’ new COO Doug Healy that the Redlegs ‘will be at or near their 2024 payroll when it’s all said and done,’ which totaled $100,254,855. That was good for 25/30 in MLB, by the way. If you look at this roster as currently constructed, ladies and gentleman, we’re in trouble. You can’t get a good bat for $10M a year, and we still have issues in the bullpen.

    How Do We Fix This?

    Well, it’s actually pretty simple. And it starts with the gaping hole we have right now monetarily, and that is Nick Martinez. We have to restructure this deal. We have to extend him to buy time, and we know the market, now, for these guys of his caliber. Frankie Montas just signed a 2 year, $34M deal, Matt Boyd signed a 2 year, $29M deal. One of those guys, Frankie, is a Boras client much like Nick. Nick is 4 years older than Frankie. Let’s extend Nick to buy some time to get more cash flow in the building, let’s bring back out this graphic I did last month when we found out Nick was signing the QO, but adjust it to what other folks are getting around the league.

    Nick Martinez – 34

    Total: 3 years, $35,500,000 Gtd, potential $42,750,000

    2025: $13,500,000

    • 130 IP $500,000
    • All Star Game $250,000

    2026: $18,500,000

    Mutual Opt (’27) ($3,500,000 buyout)

    2027: $10,500,000

    Why would this make sense for both sides? For the Reds, this gives them a desperately needed $7,500,000+ additional to play around with for 2025 when they will rely on Major League Baseball to pay them for revenue. For Nick Martinez, this gives him an extremely competitive offer knowing it’ll be his last contract. $35.5M guaranteed at 34 years old headed into year 36 will not be beat, as evidenced by him signing the QO, and if he and Boras believe it to be beaten, the mutual option in ’27 can pay him an additional $3.5M to test the waters for himself.

    I know $7.5M doesn’t sound like a lot for the Reds, but trust me, it is. That’s going to get you a player like Michael Conforto for 2025. Something that’s desperately needed. It could potentially put you in the running for Teoscar Hernandez. Joc Pederson. Long story short, this needs to be something that’s done. This Reds team as is is not good enough. Nick Krall has to get creative for 2025, there’s no time to waste, there’s no more seasons to waste. Elly De La Cruz departs in 2028, maybe earlier, if you fail. Enough said. Get to work.

    NL Central Rival Adds Another LHP Starter In Matt Boyd

    By
    Nati
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    0
    Matt Boyd
    matt boyd

    The Chicago Cubs are signing LHP Starting Pitcher Matthew Boyd, per Jon Heyman of NY Post. Matt Boyd was previously with Cleveland but missed the majority of 2024 while recovering from his Tommy John surgery he got in the middle of 2023. He joins a Chicago Cubs rotation that for the most part could be deemed relatively successful against the Reds outside of a few starts.

    LHP SP galore, but literally.

    The Cubs now possess a depth chart consisting of 4 left handed starting pitchers. Jordan Wicks, Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, & now Matt Boyd. It’s worth noting that it’s more than likely Jordan Wicks getting shoved to the side in this depth chart, but still, the Cubs will be throwing 3 left handed pitchers reguarly in their starting rotation. What does that mean for the Reds? Well…a lot, actually.

    The Reds STRUGGLED against LHP again in 2024, a lot of that, perhaps, can be attributed to Matt McLain being out the whole season, TJ Friedl, who surprisingly fares well against LHP was also out quite a bit, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand being out. Jeimer Candelario must be mentioned here due to the fact that he was beyond disappointing from the RHB and that’s what he was paid to come do…anchor the lineup against LHP. Does it get any better in 2025?

    2025’s Outlook Is Bleak, Still, As Of Now…

    The Cincinnati Reds as a team slashed .226/.309/.365/.673 against LHP. That .673 OPS would be bottom 5 in Major League Baseball. Now, as we all know, the Reds traded Jonathan India – he killed LHP in 2024, and I mean killed LHP. He slashed .277/.397/.418/.815 against southpaws, and he is now deducted from the equation. Not good. Now, if you’re like me, you like finding reasons to cope. Matt McLain, in 2023, slashed .326/.386/.609(!!)/.995 against LHP in 101 PAs. That’s who will be taking the role of 2B every day on. That’s good, provided he produces like we all think he will.

    Regardless, even with Matt McLain coming back, this team as it stands constructed at 9:40am 12/2 is NOT GOOD ENOUGH, no matter if Terry Francona is the manager or not. We need, desperately, an all around everyday outfielder that can hit both LHP and RHP and we do not own that asset right now. A trade is beyond necessary.

    2025 will be different, though

    The Cincinnati Reds start slow every single year it seems like. Hopefully, with Terry Francona at the helm, that’ll be different. This heading here is more about what the NL Central will look like, though, and it’s true – it’s different. Last season, the Pirates, Cardinals, & Cubs all threw 3+ LHP in their rotation. In 2025, as of now, only the Cubs will start that way. This gives the Reds a lot more strategic option for their lineup(s) when it comes to facing their divisional foes.

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