CINCINNATI -- When the Reds made significant moves to upgrade their offense -- with three of their five free-agent signings meant to enhance the lineup -- how the new players have historically performed defensively was not necessarily highlighted.

Combined with their highly touted rotation, the Reds hope their improved offense will mean more wins and a chance to contend for a postseason berth. But defense will figure into the equation at some point.

Outfielder Nick Castellanos has ranked poorly in the field for much of his career. Second baseman Mike Moustakas doesn't have much of a track record at that position, having played third base for most of his career. As for outfielder Shogo Akiyama, it’s simply a question if his performance in Japan can smoothly transition to the Major Leagues.

“I do know how important it is for the defense to have a desire to be as good as you possibly can,” Reds manager David Bell said. “Talking to Moustakas, he wants to surprise everybody with how good he is. Castellanos is young, he’s athletic and he’s going to keep getting better. He takes great pride in his defense and says, ‘I know I can be better.’”

Before focusing on the three players, here’s a quick review of the 2019 Reds, defensively:

According to Statcast’s new Outs Above Average (OAA), Cincinnati outfielders were at plus-1 and tied for 14th in MLB. That puts them right around average. For what it’s worth, this ranking was better than three of the Reds’ National League Central rivals (Milwaukee finished fifth).

The Reds' infield was tied for eighth in MLB with plus-14 OAA.

For overall team defense and Defensive Runs Saved, the Reds ranked sixth in MLB with 58, according to FanGraphs.

From last year’s roster at the end of the season, shortstop José Iglesias and infielder José Peraza departed during the offseason. Now, here’s a closer look at how the three new Reds players will fit in defensively:

Castellanos

Background: For the first half of his big league career, with the Tigers, Castellanos was a third baseman and rated well below average. From 2014-17, Fangraphs ranked Castellanos as the worst defender, by far, at the position with minus-64 DRS.

Detroit moved Castellanos to right field ahead of the 2018 season. His minus-24 OAA was poorest among all outfielders. His performance in ’19 for the Tigers and Cubs was still in the negatives, but he made a sizeable improvement to minus-7 OAA.

How Castellanos could work defensively for the Reds: Unlike Reds corner outfielders from 2014-18, Castellanos can’t have some of his deficiencies covered by the speed and range of Billy Hamilton in center field. But Castellanos still has a few things going for him. First is his age. Castellanos will turn 29 on March 4 and isn’t too old to improve and adjust. Second, Great American Ball Park is cozy which doesn’t require as much ground to cover. He will also be able to work from the start of Spring Training with outfielder coach Jeff Pickler, who helped Nick Senzel, Phillip Ervin and Jesse Winker show some improvement on defense.

Bell hasn’t publicly committed to a regular spot in the outfield for Castellanos, who hit 27 homers in 2019.

“As far as the left field, right field, you know, as long as my bat is in the lineup, I’m not going to complain,” said Castellanos, who was signed to a four-year, $64 million contract last month with opt-outs after the 2020 and ’21 seasons.

That, of course, is why Castellanos is with the Reds in the first place.

Moustakas

Background: Also signed to a four-year, $64 million contract during the offseason, Moustakas came aboard knowing he would have to move from third base, where he was an All-Star, to second base because Cincinnati already has Eugenio Suárez at the hot corner. Recently, Suárez underwent right shoulder surgery following a pool accident and may not be ready for Opening Day. Moustakas, who hit 35 homers last season for the Brewers, is likely to take over at third base if Suárez misses time.

When Moustakas returned to the Brewers, he was moved from third base to second base to accommodate Travis Shaw. But he returned to third base when Shaw was demoted to the Minors. The sample size at second base for Moustakas is small – 47 games with 40 starts – but he didn’t fare poorly. While he had an overall OAA of zero, he was at plus-two when playing second base.

How Moustakas could work defensively for the Reds: As Mike Petriello pointed out recently, covering a lot of ground isn’t necessarily a must anymore for most at the second base position. The advent of shifting and more detailed scouting intel for positioning can mitigate some of Moustakas’ age (31) and inexperience.

During Bell’s first year as a manager in the Major Leagues, he and his coaches relied heavily on analytics and shifted far more than their predecessors. Statcast showed that the Reds shifted on 27 percent of plate appearances last season, which had them ranked 13th in MLB. The league average was 25.6 percent.

Moustakas will also be working in the middle infield next to an experienced shortstop in Freddy Galvis, who replaced Iglesias. Incidentally, Galvis had a plus-12 OAA last season at shortstop with Toronto, which tied him for ninth in MLB -- with Iglesias.

Akiyama

Background: Turning 32 on April 16, Akiyama was a six-time Pacific League Gold Glove winner in center fielder for the Seibu Lions in Japan. Signed to a three-year, $21 million contract by Cincinnati earlier in the offseason, it’s figured that Akiyama’s biggest adjustment will come when facing Major League pitching for the first time. Defense should look and feel more natural for him, especially at the aforementioned smaller confines of Great American Ball Park.

How Akiyama could work defensively for the Reds: The Reds are banking that Akiyama’s defensive ability will enable him to be an asset at all three outfield spots. The club is expecting Senzel to return as its center fielder -- assuming he returns without issue from right shoulder surgery, which he underwent in September. Cincinnati has 10 outfielders -- not including two-way reliever Michael Lorenzen -- on its 40-man roster. Even if the team carries five, plus Lorenzen, Bell will still have quite a bit of position juggling to do. He’s already on record that Akiyama -- like Castellanos -- will be a regular part of the lineup, but it could require moving around to accommodate everybody.

“[We will] do the work at Spring Training and with the positioning and making sure we’re putting them in the best spot we possibly can and supporting them and their efforts to be as good as they can be,” Bell said of his team’s defense. “I believe it can become a strength of our team for all of those reasons.”