Cincinnati Reds 2025 MLB Season Preview

Rotation

The challenge for Reds starters is keeping them on the field; the top three of Hunter Greene (39 days on the IL with elbow soreness last year), Andrew Abbott (missed the last 42 days with a shoulder strain) and Nick Lodolo (four separate IL stints totaling 84 days) have yet to qualify for the ERA title (162 innings). The key offseason addition is Brady Singer, acquired in a trade with the Royals. He’s coming off a 9-13 season with Kansas City but a 3.71 ERA and, importantly, 32 starts and no days missed on the injured list. Greene, with a blazing fastball and a 2.75 ERA last year, is the staff ace, and Singer is a reliable No. 2. Lefties Abbott and Lodolo will be in the rotation if healthy. Nick Martinez, a superb swingman who threw 142.1 innings with a 3.10 ERA between 16 starts and 26 relief appearances, accepted the Reds’ qualifying offer and will continue in his starter/reliever role. The team will likely break camp with either Carson Spiers or Graham Ashcraft, each of whom had an ERA north of 5.00, in the rotation. But they could quickly be shoved aside by 2023 first-round draft pick Rhett Lowder, who had a 1.17 ERA in six late-season starts for the Reds.

Bullpen

Bell’s bullpen management was a source of frustration for Reds fans. But it’s not like he was blessed with a lot of great options. Closer Alexis Díaz had 28 saves but a 3.99 ERA, four blown saves and a worrying 1.8 K/BB ratio, down from 2.4 in the two prior years. (NL relievers averaged 2.6.) Brent Suter was also effective (3.15 ERA), but he’s 35, and Martinez is 34. Two other relievers, Sam Moll and Emilio Pagán, are 33. The Reds’ top pitching prospects are mostly not yet MLB-ready, so the team will be hoping for good health.

Middle infield

Elly De La Cruz is arguably the most electrifying player in baseball. His bat speed and average exit velocity are among the best in the game. At shortstop, his range and arm strength are elite. His sprint speed scores are in the top percentile. There are plenty of rough edges, though: He led the majors in times caught stealing, strikeouts and errors. But he’s only 23 and all by himself provides a reason to watch the Reds. At second, Matt McLain, who finished fifth in the 2023 Rookie of the Year vote, missed the 2024 season with a torn labrum, but his return made last year’s second baseman, Jonathan India, expendable; India was sent to Kansas City in exchange for Singer. McLain delivers above-average offense to the keystone. The Reds traded for Gavin Lux in January. He played second for the Dodgers last year and doesn’t have an ideal arm for third, but he provides a left-handed bat and a backup for McLain.

Corners

Signing Jeimer Candelario, a then-30-year old corner infielder, to a three-year deal last winter raised eyebrows, but a season-ending wrist injury in May to first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand and a drug suspension for third baseman Noelvi Marte resulted in regular play for Candelario until a broken toe ended his season in August. Encarnacion-Strand and Marte were both ineffective, but their limited play earns them a mulligan. In 2023, Encarnacion-Strand slugged .477, and Marte had an .822 OPS in a 35-game audition in Cincinnati. They are both young enough (25 and 23, respectively) that a return to their 2023 form isn’t an unreasonable hope.

Outfield

The Reds haven’t addressed their outfield, whose .682 OPS was third-worst in the league in 2024. Due to injury and ineffectiveness, Will Benson’s 102 games started were the most of the group. Spencer Steer, a converted infielder who led the club with 92 RBIs, is the incumbent in left; he can help out in the infield and has both power (20 homers last year) and speed (25 stolen bases in 28 attempts). TJ Friedl had another injury-filled year and slashed only .226/.310/.380 between injured list assignments for a broken wrist, broken thumb and strained hamstring. He’ll play center when not hurt. In right field, Jake Fraley hits for average (.277 last year) but with little power (.386 slugging percentage). Benson has some thump but far too much swing-and-miss, striking out in 40 percent of his plate appearances. Lux played left field for the Dodgers in 2022, and McLain played in center in the Arizona Fall League, so either could be in the mix here.

Catching

Tyler Stephenson is coming off a fine year, with a .782 OPS, 19 homers and no trips to the injured list. He grades out as a below-average pitch framer and caught only 16 percent of baserunners attempting to steal. The Reds needed a strong defensive backup. and got one in Jose Trevino, acquired in a trade with the Yankees. He can’t match Stephenson on offense but is an outstanding defender.

DH/bench

The Reds passed the DH role around last season — Candelario’s 32 starts led the team — and are poised to do the same this year, with Candelario likely getting the most starts again despite a poor performance in the role (.208/.257/.392) last year. Santiago Espinal has played every position but catcher and first base in his nine-year professional career and will back up all the infield positions. Stuart Fairchild will compete for a similar role in the outfield. Neither adds much with his bat. Cooper Bowman, a Rule 5 pickup from the A’s, projects as a utility player if he makes the club.

Management

Francona left the Guardians after the 2023 season due to health problems, and it was assumed that he’d spend the next five years enjoying retirement before his induction ceremony in Cooperstown. Instead, he signed with Reds just 12 days after Bell was let go. His addition has definitely generated the most buzz for the team in an otherwise quiet offseason. It also provided cover for president of baseball operations Nick Krall and owner Bob Castellini, whose failure to make meaningful additions to the promising 2023 team was as much a reason for the Reds’ 2024 struggles as anything Bell did.

Final analysis

The National League Central is a winnable division. None of the five has an unlimited budget, and no team from the division has made it to the NLCS since before the pandemic. For the Reds to play in the postseason for the first time 2013 (not counting 2020), though, will require not just better health from a number of players but also a return to form for several young batters. Francona’s a great leader, but his late-1990s Phillies teams had a losing record four straight seasons. Ownership hasn’t added the complementary players around the Reds’ promising young core. Most of the top prospects are still in the low minors. There’s only so much a manager, even a great one, can do.

Scouting report

OPPOSING SCOUTS SIZE UP THE REDS:

“They’re moving in the right direction; you know they are, or Terry Francona wouldn’t have gone there. The Reds have been a team that seemed to just roll out and play, but they’ll be well-prepared with a winning culture under Francona. Most importantly, though, is that this will be the year those pitchers put it all together. Hunter Greene did it last year — he’s a frontline All-Star. Nick Lodolo has nasty late life, and Brady Singer and Andrew Abbott are useful mid-rotation guys who know what they’re doing. They missed Matt McLain a lot last season, but he should be back from his shoulder surgery. Spencer Steer has that RBI gene and a good blend of power and speed. Tyler Stephenson can really hit, and he’s probably not as bad as it seems at throwing out runners because that’s not a strength of this pitching staff. Elly De La Cruz reminds me of a young Darryl Strawberry — fast-twitch muscles and you’re like: ‘Boom! He just hit it 450 feet.’ The sky’s the limit for De La Cruz, and he seems like he really cares. He’s got a ton of strikeouts, but he’s not up there hacking without a plan.”

Beyond the box score

I WANT MY REDS TV: With the bankruptcy of Diamond Sports Group, the parent company of Bally Sports Ohio which televised the team, the Reds announced the end of their joint venture with Diamond. Reds games will be produced and distributed by Major League Baseball. For fans, Reds games will remain on cable and satellite TV while also being available for streaming from MLB with no blackouts. For the team, though, the cancellation of the contract likely means a sharp reduction from the estimated $60 million the club received from Diamond last year.

TWO GREATS EXIT: Last August 21, Joey Votto announced his retirement from baseball. He played his entire MLB career with the Reds, finishing with a .920 OPS, second in franchise history to Frank Robinson’s .943. A little over a month later, Pete Rose passed away at 83. Votto was a great player on the field and a delight off of it. He’s a good bet for the Hall of Fame. By contrast, the Hit King’s transgressions when not in uniform barred him from enshrinement in Cooperstown.

PUTTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER: Terry Francona added Brad Mills as bench coach and Chris Valaika as hitting coach. Valaika (a Reds player in 2010-11) was Cleveland’s hitting coach the past three seasons, including Francona’s last two. Mills is a longtime Francona associate, having served with him in Philadelphia, Boston and Cleveland. The Reds are hopeful that they can repeat the success of the team in northern Ohio.

SHOW ME THE MONEY: Baseball owners are stupendously wealthy. But Reds principal owner Bob Castellini is perhaps the least stupendously wealthy. As such, he doesn’t have the financial resources to pursue the Juan Sotos of the world. That said, the NL Central isn’t a high-rent district. 

Top 10 prospects

1. Rhett Lowder, RHP (23): Stuff isn’t overwhelming, but his command makes up for it.

2. Chase Burns, RHP (22): Has outstanding stuff, featuring a scary fastball/slider combo.

3. Chase Petty, RHP (21): He throws five pitches, all of them hard.

4. Edwin Arroyo, SS (21): A smooth fielder who can move to second or third and provide an average bat with gap power.

5. Cam Collier, 3B (20): His ultimate position is likely 1B or DH, but his power bat will play.

6. Alfredo Duno, C (19): Missed much of last year, but his power and throwing arm are promising.

7. Sal Stewart, 2B/3B (21): Stewart’s advanced hit tools offset a so-so glove.

8. Tyson Lewis, SS (19): He has the athleticism and speed for several positions.

9. Sammy Stafura, SS (20): He led Single-A Daytona with a .374 OBP and 27 steals.

10. Ricardo Cabrera, IF (20): He had one of the better bats at Daytona last year.