Coming off a 100-loss season, the rebuilding Reds are likely facing more growing pains in 2023. Many of their elite prospects likely won’t be ready at the start of the season, and possibly not until 2024.
“I anticipate that we're going to have, maybe not at the start, but a younger team as we go through the season next year and players develop,” Reds general manager Nick Krall said. “We just need to keep developing them and be the best big leaguers they can. It's about development at the big league level.”
With that in mind, here are five questions facing the Reds this offseason:
1) What can be done in the outfield?
Nick Senzel didn’t hit or play defense well enough to justify a guaranteed return as the starting center fielder next year. Aristides Aquino demonstrated Gold Glove-caliber defense but couldn’t hit consistently. There was some strong second-half offense from lefty hitters Jake Fraley and TJ Friedl, but both would need to show they can be more than platoon players. The defensively strong Michael Siani got a brief look at the end of the season, but there are no big-hitting prospects close to being ready.
As of season’s end, Krall did not get a 2023 budget figure from ownership, but if there is room on the payroll, this might be an area where the club looks outside for help.
2) What happens to Moustakas?
Lauded as a good move at the time of his signing, the four-year, $64 million contract Mike Moustakas inked ahead of the 2020 season has not worked out as planned. Limited by injuries and often out of shape, Moustakas has batted .216 with a .683 OPS and 21 home runs over 184 games from 2020-22 and saw his defensive skills wane at third base.
The 34-year-old Moustakas is owed $22 million in the final year of the deal, including the buyout for a 2024 option, and Krall has a few options here. He could try to trade Moustakas’ contract for another club’s bad contract at a position of need and hope the new player has a rebound year. Since the money owed is a sunk cost, the Reds could release Moustakas ahead of Spring Training if they feel there are better players on the roster. Or they can keep him and hope he has a big rebound year.
“We’re working through the offseason, and we’ll just have to see how we can make our club better,” Krall said when asked about Moustakas.
3) Is a Barnhart reunion possible?
Last November, the Reds began their cost-cutting rebuild by trading catcher Tucker Barnhart to the Tigers for a Minor Leaguer. The move made sense since Tyler Stephenson was ready to be the full-time catcher, and the club saved $7.5 million on Barnhart’s salary. But injuries limited Stephenson to 50 games -- including a broken right clavicle that shelved him for the second half.
Cincinnati wound up using six other catchers in 2022, but none of them could produce much offensively. Only Stephenson will be on the 40-man roster once free agency begins. For the right price, it would make sense to bring back Barnhart -- who will be a free agent after a down year in Detroit -- to back up Stephenson and help work with the younger pitching staff.
4) Can the Reds add to their rotation?
The Reds have an exciting young trio in Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft back for the top portion of their rotation. Connor Overton, Luis Cessa, Justin Dunn and No. 6 prospect Brandon Williamson should be in the mix to compete for spots. But if the financials work out, getting a proven innings-eater might help. It didn’t work last season, however, when lefty Mike Minor battled shoulder issues and struggled throughout.
5) Who will join the coaching staff?
At season’s end, the Reds dismissed five coaches on manager David Bell’s staff after they ranked near the bottom in several areas, including offense, baserunning and infield defense. Who they hire to fill the open spots could be the first indication of the direction and philosophies the team would like to move toward going into 2023.