Cincinnati Reds
The Reds have been busy this offseason trying to add to their young, talented roster. They brought in Terry Francona, who has an excellent track record as a manager, signed Austin Hays in free agency, and acquired Brady Singer (Kansas City Royals), Jose Trevino (New York Yankees), Gavin Lux (Los Angeles Dodgers), and Taylor Rodgers (San Francisco Giants) via trade.
Hays and Lux get added to a batting order headlined by five-tool phenom Elly De La Cruz. Cruz hit .259/.339/.471 last season with 25 HRs, 76 RBIs, and 67 SBs. Matt McLain is another young star at the top of the lineup. He finished fifth in the 2023 Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .290/.357.507 with 16 HRs and 50 RBIs, but he missed the entire 2024 season due to shoulder surgery and a stress reaction in his rib cage.
McLain is expected to be 100% healthy for this upcoming season and adds power to a lineup that includes Tyler Stephenson, Spencer Steer, and Jeimer Candelario, who all hit 19 or more homers last season.
MLB fans forget how good Reds Infielder Matt McLain is when he’s on the field.
— Full Count MLB (@FullCountMLB) January 9, 2025
In 89 games in 2023 he slashed .290/.357/.507 with 16 HR 50 RBI 106 H
Put this in a full season and the Reds have arguably one of the most dangerous middle infields in the game. pic.twitter.com/7WAtpGFr8R
Adding Singer to a starting rotation that returns Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Nick Martinez, and Nick Lodolo gives the Reds enough firepower to rank at the top of the league for production. All except Lodolo (4.76) had an ERA under 3.75 in over 135 innings in 2024. Lodolo's issue was that he could not stay healthy, and when he did return to the mound, he struggled to bounce back.
Staying on the mound has been a struggle for the 27-year-old in his short three-year MLB career. In 2023, he only made seven starts after missing time due to left calf tendinosis, and an MRI later revealed a stress fracture in his left tibia. In 2024, he was placed on the 15-day injured list four times with different injuries: left calf tenosynovitis, a left groin strain, a left index finger blister, and a sprained left middle finger.
Lodolo was not the only Reds pitcher to spend time on the IL last season. His four stints were among the 22 times a pitcher spent time on the IL, ranked the fourth most amongst teams.
The Reds' acquisition of Rodgers, who had a 2.40 ERA over 60 innings for the Giants, solidifies a bullpen that showed bright spots when not battling the injury bug. Sam Moll, Tony Santillan, and Brent Suter all had ERAs below 3.40, although Moll and Santillan missed about half the season on the IL.
Graham Ashcraft and Carson Spiers have struggled in the starting pitcher's role over their short careers, but with a full starting rotation, Fangraphs predicts they will make the Opening Day roster in the bullpen. However, if the staff is riddled with injuries again, they could serve as valuable starting depth.
The NL Central does not have a clear frontrunner, so if the Reds can stay healthy, they acquired the production they need to pair with their plethora of young talent to win the division title in 2025.
The Milwaukee Brewers are the reigning champs, but this offseason, they have lost more significant production than they have added. The St. Louis Cardinals look to be rebuilding, and the Pittsburgh Pirates have the pitching to contend but lack the offense. The Chicago Cubs have added some weapons, but they haven't been a serious competitor in the division since 2020.
It's clear that the Reds have a chance to strike and catch the rest of the division off guard in 2025.