The Cincinnati Reds Should Trade Top Prospects To Win Now! | MLB Hot Stove Winter Meetings

The Cincinnati Reds Should Trade Top Prospects To Win Now! | MLB Hot Stove Winter Meetings

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Reds have ‘flexibility’ heading into Winter Meetings
December 4th, 2024
Mark Sheldon

CINCINNATI — Once free agent Nick Martinez became the Reds’ highest paid player on Nov. 19 by accepting the one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer for 2025, it created questions about how much room is left for the club to spend on its other offseason needs.

That could become clearer on Sunday when the Reds’ baseball-operations department gets to Dallas for MLB’s annual Winter Meetings.

“We’ve got a little bit of flexibility right now,” Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said on Monday.

The exact payroll number for next season isn’t publicly known, other than the Reds have stated it will be at or above the 2024 figure of roughly $100 million. Cincinnati already has about $56 million committed to players under contract in Martinez, Jeimer Candelario, Emilio Pagán, Hunter Greene, Santiago Espinal and Brent Suter. That doesn’t count the club-controlled players and those eligible for salary arbitration.

It doesn’t appear that the Martinez hit to the payroll has eliminated Cincinnati from pursuing more free agents. It also hasn’t increased the likelihood of making trades to fill needs.

“We’re looking at both markets. We haven’t ruled anything out yet,” Krall said.

After the Reds acquired starting pitcher Brady Singer from the Royals for second baseman Jonathan India, rotation help was crossed off Cincinnati’s list of priorities. Others remain, with improving the offense the most pressing.

“We’re looking to add hitters to our club,” Krall said. “Most likely it’s going to be an outfielder over an infielder, but I wouldn’t rule anything out just yet.”

Krall declined to get into specific players.

“It’s the best position player you can get — being able to play defense and offense,” he said.

Here is a look at some available free agents who could be potential fits for the Reds:

OF Michael Conforto

After signing a two-year, $36 million contract with the Giants before the 2023 season, Conforto was kind of underwhelming. But he was better in 2024 — two seasons removed from shoulder surgery that cost him the whole ’22 season.

OF Max Kepler
A league-average hitter, Kepler has some serious line-drive pop that helped him hit 24 homers for the Twins in 2023 and a career-high 36 homers in ’19.

OF Jurickson Profar
Probably a good bet to remain with the Padres, Profar could be a fit for a young team like the Reds that could use a fiery and dynamic veteran.

OF Teoscar Hernández
This could fall under the long-shot category for Cincinnati. Hernández was an All-Star for the Dodgers in 2024 while hitting a career-high 33 homers. He also had 99 RBIs, an .840 OPS and was worth 4.3 bWAR in the regular season before taking on a starring role in the postseason towards a World Series championship.

1B Paul Goldschmidt
Although 37 and nearing the end of his playing career, Goldschmidt makes sense as a short-term need-filler after the Cardinals decided not to bring him back.