The sun is shining as I write these words. Birds are chirping, and I hear the neighbor’s dog playfully barking (probably at the squirrel that torments him). Some days, it seems as if spring has already sprung, and I’m ready for it. Spring always brings optimism for the rest of the year, an excitement for the fun we hope to have for the rest of the year. That’s especially true in baseball.
Ordinarily, spring optimism in Cincinnati can tend to be somewhat muted, thanks to a cynicism that’s natural only after three decades of mostly hapless baseball. After last season’s surprising resurgence, fueled by a merry band of budding young stars, things seem a bit different this year. Is it possible that fans can legitimately be excited about Reds baseball again?
This will be my 11th season covering the Reds here at Cincinnati Magazine, and there’s a different vibe around this team, unlike anything I’ve seen in that span. (Here is my very first column in June 2014, lamenting Cincinnati’s putrid offense. It’s been a tough decade-plus.)
There’s definitely more hope this spring. Higher expectations. We aren’t talking about the Big Red Machine here, but Reds fans have good reason to dream about postseason glory. That’s rare in this town, and we should enjoy it while we have it.
At the end of last season, I posed four big questions that would face the franchise over the winter. We now have answers to those questions, and they’re a pretty good lens through which to view the upcoming season.
- Does Joey Votto have a future in Cincinnati? Answer: Not in 2024, evidently.
Spring training games are largely meaningless, but there’s little I enjoy more than seeing Joey Votto hit a home run on his first swing of spring. Alas, he was wearing a Toronto Blue Jays uniform at the time; after the Reds declined to pick up his contract option, the Reds legend signed a minor league deal with his hometown team.
There’s no question in my mind that the Reds would have been better served by giving Votto an opportunity to return, at least in a part-time role. After the events of the last couple of weeks—when infielder Noelvi Marte was suspended for 80 games for a PED violation and TJ Friedl broke his wrist—the Reds could seemingly use a little lineup depth. Instead, Votto will compete for a roster spot in Toronto.
In June, I’m going to write a column demanding that the Reds trade for Votto and make him player-manager. Just want to warn you now.
- What to do with Jonathan India? Answer: Nothing. Just hangin’ around.
India was presumed to be a trade chip over the off-season, given the stockpile of talented young infielders on Cincinnati’s roster. That never happened, and the Reds signed the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year to a two-year, $8.8 million contract that avoided the arbitration process. This spring, India has been playing first base and left field to demonstrate some versatility that might provide more chances to see the field now that his regular second base job has been taken by Matt McLain.
With Marte’s suspension—not to mention the fact that McLain was scratched from last night’s lineup with shoulder soreness—India certainly provides valuable depth. It’s hard to see him being one of the key members of the lineup this season, but it’s starting to look like he’ll play a bigger role than previously anticipated. And that’ll be just fine by me, since he still has really good hair.
- Will the Reds “get the pitching?” Answer: Sorta?
Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall steadfastly refused to sign or trade for any starting pitchers who really moved the needle over the winter. (Probably not his fault. See below.) He acquired a few decent arms—Frankie Montas, Emilio Pagan, Nick Martinez, and Brent Suter, to be specific—and that provided some depth, if not top-shelf talent.
On the other hand, there’s real value in having depth! As my friend Doug Gray put it, “having to choose between Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, and Brandon Williamson as your #5 starter is hilariously good when you think about what the options have been in the very recent past.” But with Williamson dealing with shoulder soreness and Lodolo’s progress delayed because of his leg injury—not to mention the bullpen injuries to Ian Gibaut and Alex Young—the Reds will need depth. Will it be enough?
Curiously, Montas will be the Opening Day starter. He has talent, but he’s 31 years old and has tossed one and a third inning since 2022. I’m not sure I’m ready to rely on him to be the workhorse at the top of the Reds rotation. Hopefully Hunter Greene will take the Opening Day snub personally and make the leap we’ve been waiting for. If that happens, the Reds could be in very good shape indeed.
- Can Nick Krall finish the job? Answer: Who knows? He didn’t try. And that probably isn’t his fault.
Here’s what I said in October about Krall and the opportunity before him:
Krall, recently promoted to President of Baseball Operations, has done a good job recently in identifying talented young players and trading for them (by giving up similarly talented assets). The player development team has done well in preparing them for the big leagues. Krall and Co. deserve kudos.
But can the front office take the next step and build an actual winner? Most of Krall’s free agent acquisitions have been a disappointment. He was certainly unable or unwilling to make any deals to improve pitching depth either before the 2023 season or at the trade deadline, despite knowledge that this was a clear area in which the Reds needed to improve. The result was a first place team at the trade deadline that predictably faltered down the stretch.
The Reds may never have more financial flexibility than they have right now. They will never have a more talented young core at the big league level. Now is the time to strike, while the proverbial iron is red-hot. (I would argue that the trade deadline was the first time to strike, but that ship has sailed.) This off-season will be a real test of Krall’s ability.
If it was a test of his ability, Krall failed. The only other acquisition of note this off-season was infielder Jeimer Candelario, signed to a three-year, $45-million deal that includes a $15 million club option for 2027. That transaction looks like a genius move in the wake of Marte’s suspension, but the Reds didn’t even pretend to go all-in to win the NL Central in 2024. They certainly didn’t spend all the money they’d been saving in recent seasons.
But I don’t think the off-season, as we watched it unfold, was ultimately a test of Krall’s ability. No honest observer can blame the failure to improve this roster substantially on him. He is clearly hamstrung by team ownership’s disinterest in putting all their chips into the middle of the table. Given those constraints, it’s reasonable to argue that Krall did the best he could.
And what we’re left with is a roster that remains flawed but has a lot of upside. Next week in this space, I’ll preview the upcoming season. Short version: I think we’re in for a really fun ride. Stay tuned.
Chad Dotson helms Reds coverage at Cincinnati Magazine and hosts a long-running Reds podcast, The Riverfront. His newsletter about Cincinnati sports can be found at chaddotson.com. He’s @dotsonc on Twitter.
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