Reds Outline Vision for New Outfield Additions and Their Impact on Current Roster

The Cincinnati Reds signed outfielder JJ Bleday and traded for outfielder Dane Myers over the weekend. Both players play center field and Bleday hits from the left side of the plate, while Myers hits from the right side.

My immediate reaction was to wonder if this means the Reds are shopping TJ Friedl and plan to have Bleday and Myers platoon in center.

However, it appears the Reds do not view Bleday as a center fielder.

"We don't really see Bleday as a center fielder going on," Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall said. "We see him more as a corner bat that has got some pop in the bat. We are looking at him there."

Myers, on the other hand, will play a good amount of center field for Cincinnati.

"Dane Myers is a guy who is a good center fielder, can give Friedl some days off, and can play left and right as well."

With the addition of Myers and Bleday, the Reds currently have nine outfielders on the 40-man roster:

• Will Benson
• JJ Bleday
• Tyler Callihan
• Blake Dunn
• TJ Friedl
• Rece Hinds
• Gavin Lux
• Dane Myers
• Hector Rodriguez

While Bleday and Myers could certainly improve the offense, it still feels like the Reds are missing a power bat in the outfield.

You can watch Krall's full media availability below: