If you weren’t paying attention to what the Cincinnati Reds did in trades and free agency over the winter, it’s time for a wake-up call.
They did a lot.
This is not the star-crossed, injury-riddled Reds team that limped to a 77-85 record last season, 16 games behind the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers. This year’s addition is a carefully balanced combination of young, emerging talent and newly acquired veterans who know how to win.
Not to say last year’s edition was a bad bunch of ballplayers.
It wasn’t. The Reds had youth, speed, and aggressive play that brought fans back to Great American Ball Park.
The problem is that the 2024 Reds were a traveling orthopedic clinic, with insane numbers of key players injured, and some — like Matt McLain and Christian Encarnacion-Strand — on the injured list for nearly the entire season. There was a mid-summer stretch where all five starting pitchers were out with injuries.
There were times last summer when I thought — that the Big Red Machine reliever really did put a voodoo curse on the Reds when they traded him away in 1979.
But that was then. This is now.
In this case, objects in the rearview mirror, like the 2024 Reds season, actually look larger than real life.
Here are some random thoughts on the state of the Reds, one-quarter of the way into the 21st century.
Will Tito save the day?
Hiring Terry Francona as the new Reds manager was a coup that rocked the world of baseball when the three-year deal went down on Oct. 4.
“Tito,” as he is known, is a legendary baseball manager, with 23 seasons of managing the Phillies, Red Sox, and Indians/Guardians when he retired to Tucson, Ariz., after the 2023 season for health reasons.
Apparently, spending a year playing golf in the desert did wonders for his health, because he is now fit as a fiddle and ready to roll.
And this Reds team is glad to have him.
The 65-year-old will have a plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame someday. He has won 1,950 games as a manager; and, sometime this season, will become only the 13th manager to reach 2,000 wins. The only active manager with more is Bruce Bochy of the Texas Rangers.
Tito's teams have been World Series winners twice, won three league titles, and he has been named MLB’s manager of the year three times.
One of the first things he did after signing with the Reds last fall was to go to the Dominican Republic to meet with and get to know his Dominican players, like Elly De La Cruz, Santiago Espinal and Jeimer Candelario.
He has always been well-liked and respected by his players. He demands that his players give maximum effort every time they put on the uniform.
I don’t often say this about managers, but I think having Tito in that dugout is worth another 10 wins on the season for the Reds.
Up the middle
There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth in Reds Country when the Reds traded away a beloved player and clubhouse leader, second baseman Jonathan India.
But it was a good trade — good for India, who will play every day for the Kansas City Royals, and good for the Reds for two reasons: They acquired a solid starting pitcher from the Royals in Brady Singer; and they opened up the second base position for one of the most talented young players in baseball, Matt McLain.
Casual fans seemed to forget about Matt last season, after his spectacular major league debut over 89 games in 2023.
But he missed the entire season in 2024 due to an oblique strain and shoulder surgery in March. The Reds sent him to the Arizona Fall League in October and he clearly was in good shape. He’s had a fine spring in Goodyear; and is ready to go.
And here’s why that is so important to the Reds’ success this year:
Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz — as second base and shortstop tandem — are not only the best of friends, but they also have been playing together in the infield since they played for the single-A Dayton Dragons. They have great rapport with each other; they read each other’s minds.
Having McLain on the field at second will make Elly a much better shortstop. From Day One.
You will not see a better double-play combination in baseball this season.
The new guys
In the off-season, the Reds acquired three veteran position players, all of whom have post-season experience as recently as last fall.
Jose Trevino, who was the everyday catcher for the Yankees last year, came over in a trade. He was brought in to be the backup to Tyler Stephenson, a clubhouse leader. But Trevino will be in the Opening Day lineup and be the No. 1 catcher until Stephenson can come back from a left-oblique strain.
Gavin Lux came over from the Dodgers in a trade. He will probably be a kind of Swiss Army knife player for the Reds — he will be on third base quite a bit, but move around to outfield and other infield positions, along with some appearances as designated hitter.
Austin Hays, signed as a free agent after a stint with the Phillies, has been one of the most pleasant surprises for Tito in Goodyear; he’s pretty much won the left field job and will likely bat clean-up for this team.
Three veterans will add experience to a young team. Kudos to Nick Krall for some wise off-season choices.
Solid starting pitching
We’re entering the era where Hunter Greene will be one of the elite pitchers in all of baseball,
He’s a Cy Young Award waiting to happen. And I wouldn’t bet against it being this year.
Greene is the ace of a rotation that will likely include Brady Singer, Nick Martinez (who accepted the Reds qualifying offer for 2025), and two lefties — Nick Lodolo and Andrew Abbott. Abbott’s had some left shoulder issues, but he made his first spring training appearance Monday night in Goodyear and seemed fine.
If there are any lingering problems with the two lefties, Graham Ashcraft can be pulled out of the bullpen to start, as can Carson Spiers. And I think it’s a given that Rhett Lowder, the No. 1 draft pick in 2023 who made his major league debut last summer, will be back on the big league club at some point.
The Reds are deep in both starting pitching and in the bullpen, where a more mature Alexis Diaz could have a breakout year.
And the verdict is…
There is no team in the National League Central — or all the National League — that did more to improve themselves than the Cincinnati Reds.
Will that mean a trip to the playoffs?
Predicting what will happen in a 162-game baseball season is something of a fool’s game. Too many variables; too many stars have to align perfectly.
But I do not see a team in the NL Central that is better positioned to win the division this year.
We’ll find out starting next Thursday at 4:10 p.m., when Hunter Greene takes the mound against the Giants.
Hope to see you down at the ballyard…
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