The Cincinnati Reds did not waste any time getting their offseason started. Less than a day after the final out of the World Series, they sent Tucker Barnhart to the Tigers for minor leaguer Nick Quintana. Chances are, this will not be the last of those types of moves, as Reds’ general manager Nick Krall stated that the team “needs to align their payroll to their resources.”
The Reds are not the only team looking to purge their payroll this offseason. The Oakland A’s have given multiple indications that they are about to embark upon a fire sale, claiming poverty as the reason why they cannot keep their core together.
Cincinnati Reds will not be the only team to purge payroll
Those two teams will not be the only ones to slash their payroll. While the A’s are an extreme case, there is plenty of financial uncertainty around the league. The CBA is set to expire on December 1, and while conversations have been ongoing, there is no indication that the framework of a deal is close to being in place.
That uncertainty puts a great deal of pressure on the middle and smaller market teams. There are obvious teams that will cut payroll regardless, such as the Rays, but unexpected teams could end up joining that group.
It is a departure from the past couple of seasons for the Reds. They had been active in the trade market and free agency, landing the likes of Trevor Bauer and Nick Castellanos in recent seasons in an attempt to contend. Cincinnati was ready to increase payroll if it meant a chance at the playoffs.
But that was a different time. For teams such as the Reds, there is a great deal of uncertainty as to how to proceed moving forward. Cutting down their payroll, even if it means making difficult decisions on team favorites, is not the reality.
The Cincinnati Reds are making moves to cut down their payroll. They will not be the only mid to small market team doing so in the coming weeks.