The return of Nick Martinez and the acquisition of Brady Singer have solidified the Reds’ rotation and now have the club looking to upgrade the offense. President of baseball operations Nick Krall tells Mark Sheldon of MLB.com that the Reds “are looking to add hitters” now. And while Krall wouldn’t expressly rule out the addition of another infielder, he did suggest that any new acquisitions would “most likely” be in the outfield. Sheldon’s piece has several quotes from Krall, so Reds fans in particular will want to check it out in full.
The extent to which Reds ownership is willing to increase payroll isn’t yet clear. Reds COO Doug Healy said last month that payroll would be at or above 2024 levels. Cincinnati finished out last year with a $100MM payroll and is currently projected for a $101MM payroll in 2025, per RosterResource. They’ll need to be willing to push that number a good bit higher, find a way to subtract an existing contract (e.g. Jeimer Candelario, Emilio Pagan), or strike a trade for a pre-arbitration bat to further bolster the lineup.
Krall noted that he’s exploring both free agent and trade possibilities as he looks to beef up an outfield mix that currently includes Jake Fraley, TJ Friedl, Spencer Steer, Will Benson, Stuart Fairchild, Blake Dunn and Rece Hinds.
Steer can also play multiple infield positions, but the Reds have a crowded — if inexperienced — infield mix as well. Elly De La Cruz is locked in at shortstop. Matt McLain is likely to handle second base on an everyday basis now that India has been traded. Things are less certain at the corners after Candelario struggled in year one of a three-year contract. He’ll be in the mix at both corners, while former top prospect Noelvi Marte will also see time at third and Christian Encarnacion-Strand will see time at first. Marte missed half the season due to a PED suspension and hit terribly upon returning. Encarnacion-Strand was even less impactful in 123 plate appearances before undergoing season-ending wrist surgery.
Given the uncertainty regarding the infield corners, it’s at least possible Steer could eventually see more time in the infield. He was strictly an infielder with the Twins (the organization that drafted him) and only began experimenting in the outfield with the Reds in 2023 due to their glut of infielders.
The type of outfield acquisition the Reds make will in some ways dictate the infield alignment. It seems likely that the target will be a corner bat, both due to a lack of viable center field options on the market and due to the presence of Friedl in center field. Friedl’s defensive grades plummeted last season, though that’s likely attributable to a hamstring injury that shelved him for a month in the summer. Friedl drew plus marks for his glovework and sprint speed in 2023. In 2024, his average sprint speed (as measured by Statcast) fell from 28.3 feet per second (74th percentile of MLB players) to 26.5 ft/sec (26th percentile). Friedl went 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts through his first 26 games of the season. He played 59 games upon returning from the hamstring strain and only attempted four more steals (going 3-for-4). It seems clear his legs weren’t at full strength.
Among the corner options on the market are Anthony Santander, Teoscar Hernandez, Tyler O’Neill, Jurickson Profar, Michael Conforto, Max Kepler, Mike Tauchman and old friend Jesse Winker. After Martinez accepted the $21.05MM qualifying offer, it’d be a bit surprising to see Cincinnati go to the likely $20MM+ annual value range needed to sign Hernandez or Santander. The Reds also have a largely right-handed lineup at present, perhaps making a left-handed bat more appealing.
