The infield was a big reason for the Reds’ disappointing 2024 season. Regarded as the club’s strength entering Spring Training, it thinned quickly when Matt McLain suffered a shoulder injury and Noelvi Marte was hit with a PED suspension. By the end of camp, the Reds needed to trade for utilityman Santiago Espinal to backfill depth.
Cincinnati infielders hit .243/.313/.409 last season, which ranked 20th in park-adjusted offense. That’s despite a superstar performance at shortstop from Elly De La Cruz. Their .236/.303/.384 slash from the other three infield spots placed fifth from the bottom by measure of wRC+. Only the White Sox, Pirates, Rockies and Angels got less out of those positions.
McLain is back and will be the everyday second baseman, which Cincinnati ensured with the Jonathan India/Brady Singer swap at the beginning of the offseason. De La Cruz is obviously locked in at shortstop. The corner infield is much more up in the air. Signing Austin Hays theoretically allows new manager Terry Francona to bring Spencer Steer back onto the dirt as his primary first baseman. That decision may depend on who’s playing the hot corner, which is arguably the key question for the Reds to sort out this spring.
Jeimer Candelario was the unquestioned starter this time a year ago. Cincinnati inked the switch-hitter to a three-year, $45MM free agent deal. He was coming off a .251/.336/.471 showing between the Nationals and Cubs. That marked Candelario’s third strong season within the last four years. The Reds expected that to continue. Instead, he hit .225/.279/.429 during his first season in Cincinnati. While he connected on 20 homers, he had a career-worst walk rate (5.8%) and on-base percentage. Candelario also graded poorly defensively, leading to a sub-replacement level performance.
Candelario’s roster spot isn’t in jeopardy. His performance was probably impacted by a knee issue through which he played for a good chunk of last season. The Reds wouldn’t have cut bait after one season of a three-year deal even if he’d simply underperformed while at full health. That said, they’re less likely to stick with him as a regular third baseman if he doesn’t turn things around quickly.
That presumably played a role in the Gavin Lux trade. Cincinnati acquired the former top prospect from the Dodgers for outfield prospect Mike Sirota and the 41st pick in the upcoming draft. After missing all of 2023 to an ACL tear, Lux had a league average .251/.320/.383 slash with 10 homers in 487 plate appearances last season. The in-season splits were dramatic. Lux had a terrible first half, caught fire coming out of the All-Star Break, then didn’t hit during L.A.’s World Series run. The second half numbers might hint at a greater offensive ceiling, but he’s nearly 1500 plate appearances into his career and has been an average hitter (.252/.326/.383).
Average offensive production would be an upgrade over what Candelario provided last season. The bigger question is whether Lux can handle third base. He moved off shortstop because of throwing accuracy concerns. Lux didn’t start a game anywhere other than second base last year. He has six career innings as a third baseman from one game in 2021 (in which he made two throwing errors). He hasn’t started a regular season game on the left side of the infield in four years.
Mark Sheldon of MLB.com wrote last week that the Reds intend to move Lux around the infield during Spring Training. He could eventually see time in the outfield as well, though Francona indicated they’d have him solely on the infield at the beginning of camp. Lux and Francona each expressed confidence in his ability to make all the necessary throws, though that’s obviously something he’ll need to continue to prove in games.
Lux has minor league options remaining, but the Reds wouldn’t have given up two decent assets and taken on a $3.325MM arbitration salary if they didn’t expect him playing a key role. He’ll be on the MLB roster. If that’s not as the regular third baseman, he’d bounce around in a utility capacity and potentially work as a designated hitter. Cincinnati’s bench is otherwise heavily right-handed, so Lux’s lefty bat could provide balance.
Marte and Christian Encarnacion-Strand have less established MLB roster spots. They were each highly-touted prospects, Marte in particular, whose stocks tanked in 2024. Marte was banned for the season’s first 80 games after testing positive for Boldenone. He had a terrible second half upon his reinstatement. He hit .210/.248/.301 with a 31% strikeout rate and a meager 3.7% walk percentage over 242 plate appearances. He’ll need to dramatically hone in his plate discipline to tap into the power that made him a top prospect. At 23 years old, he’s far from finished, but it’s tough to see him winning an MLB job out of camp.
Encarnacion-Strand had an impressive half-season in 2023. He hit 13 homers with a .270/.328/.477 slash as a rookie. That earned him the Opening Day first base job last year. His season never really got off the ground. Encarnacion-Strand hit .190 with a .220 OBP over 29 games. A fracture in his right hand sent him to the injured list in early May. He attempted to rehab but required season-ending surgery six weeks later. It’s easy to write last year off as an injury-related anomaly, but he’s an unlikely long-term answer at third base. Prospect evaluators have panned his defense, with most projecting him as a first baseman. Even if he gets back on track offensively, he’s likely to see most of his action at first or DH.
The Reds have a few other third base options — none of whom are likely to push for the job early in the season. Espinal is back as a glove-first infielder. His .247/.300/.348 slash over the past two years points to a utility role. Cincinnati selected Cooper Bowman from the A’s in the Rule 5 draft. He has been a second baseman for most of his career and has 53 professional innings at the hot corner. Even if he sticks on the MLB roster, it’d be in a developmental capacity. Steer and Rece Hinds each played third in the minors but moved off the position for defensive reasons. Prospect Tyler Callihan is on the 40-man roster but has only four career Triple-A games.
How will the Reds divvy up playing time at the hot corner this season?
Marte needs to prove he doesn’t need the juice to be a productive MLB hitter, that’s my opinion him at the moment. Hopefully he is the guy the Reds saw when he was on the fast track to becoming a big piece for them.
They had no business calling him up after suspension. Reds needed to make him earn it
having watched Lux for a few years there’s nothing that makes me believe he has the arm for third but I guess anythings possible
Was going to say, how is this team currently lining up if they need to play Lux at 2B? McLain goes to 3B?
That is why acquiring Lux was a head scratcher when they needed outfielders.
If you add an IF prospect like Arroyo with what they gave up for Lux, I bet they could have landed Robert, who actually is under contract for 1 year longer.
I feel like Arroya, the draft pick, and Sirota would have been enough for Sox to say yes. They would still have Marte, De La Cruz, McLain, Steer, other IF prospects IF longer term.
Obviously you don’t follow the Reds because the Sox wanted more than Arroyo. It started with Lowder or Burns and Arroyo plus. This is why the Sox have Roberts still because every team that looked in on him walked away laughing from the Sox demands.
I know that but that was also post Lux deal. Reds also wanted the Sox to kick in some money which is why it crumbled (I would have done it if I were the Sox to get the guys you want).
I know the Sox have had unrealistic expectations on a deal but I think he gets traded before Opening Day for something in between selling low and the expectations of a package that they had previously set.
By the time you hear about a potential deal, the discussion is over or they would have announced a trade. By extension, any players discussed was the high bar and they get real at some point. It’s called negotiations. Everyone asks for the moon at the beginning.
Faceoff of like-minded frugal JR vs Reds over Robert’s ’25 salary, which was “worst case” 19mil if the 2yrs of club options were not picked up (15+ 2mil buyout ’26+ 2mil buyout ’27). JR won’t pay for a better quality of prospect b/c cash saved is higher priority.
IMO Stewart should’ve been the target rather than Arroyo off torn labrum (higher floor/lower ceiling), but since $ were the fight, harder to agree. The needs were ideal for both, so a shame.
Who knows, a good first couple of months out of Robert and injuries/underperformance from the Reds OF can lead them back to each other later
Are you still working with the latex manufacturer?
That would be Art Vandelay.
Your Dad sells knock off Wizards called Wilards.
@sac, Sox definitely turned that offer down. Reds were all over him but they could never come to terms due to Sox asking price.
Sox should have done the trade, took calendario then traded him once he reestablished his value
“Art Vandelay”..Of Vandelay industries. They’re very well known.
IMHO, Reds may regret the Lux trade as much as the Cubs will eventually regret the Michael Busch deal.
Zyhir Hope and Jackson Ferris, #8 and #52 among all MLB prospects is a far too high price to pay for Busch just like Sirota and the 41st pick in the draft are likely to provide more value than Lux.
Krall said they traded that pick to free up money to spend in 2025 free agency. Then they spent more money.
I can’t imagine that the reds would give up what they did for him to be a bench bat. Either they have reservations on McClain’s health or are expecting him to start at 3rd. I do wonder if he’ll have the motivation to play well for the Reds. Who goes from a WS winning team to a middling team and plays well? Remember Bronson talked nothing but Red Sox after his trade, Kemp was done quickly, Puig worked out well, but Hulk loved to smash.
Bronson talked nothing but Red Sox?
Bronson was and still is a beloved favorite in Cincinnati. The guy never won the Reds a title but still doesn’t pay for drinks and his band books plenty of gigs all over the greater Cincinnati area. I’m bias though because I loved having Bronson here and just like him, I’m a huge Pearl Jam fan.
I know CES is coming back from a broken wrist, but given how strong his debut in 2023 was is he really going to be the odd man out of the 1B/3B/DH playing time battle?
I would be surprised if CES doesn’t play a lot and perform well. It may be 1B, DH and maybe 3B (likely a combination of all 3 with most of his time spent at 1B and DH). Time will tell as it always does.
No, you’re right Sunday, CES will be the everyday 1Bman. He’s hit at every level and provides a big HR threat.
Also coming back from injury, Candelario will be the everyday player at 3B. Neither of them have suddenly forgotten how to hit because of one injury. Lux was acquired in case McLain had yet another setback from his injuries. McLain looks healthy as an ox, so Lux will be the de facto DH, with
some time at 2B, LF, and perhaps 3B.
Likewise, Austin Hays looks healthy and will push Benson and Fairchild down the depth chart. Hays was an AS just a couple of years ago and will provide the bat that the Reds have been missing in the OF. Can they resign him after this year?
That is likely what will happen. Steer will factor in somewhere if healthy. Healthy is the key word. Health seems to be a major factor year in and year out with the Reds. It seems we can’t have enough pitchers available.
Depending on Steer’s recovery, I’m sure I’m in the minority on this but I would start Candelario at 1B, platoon Lux and Espinal at 2B, McClain at SS, Elly at 3B and Steer at DH. As Steer gets healthier, have him at 1B and Candelario at DH. CES and Marte back to the minors to work through their various issues. If/when resolved then revisit what to do with the excess but likely injuries during the season will provide some amount of “clarity”.
Elly isn’t moving anywhere.
With what he is given, Tito may not have much of a choice on this. Though I hate yo see Candelario butcher first base, he is a DH only basically, and hasn’t even done THAT well yet.
I am 1000% in agreement!! Elly made few errors at 3B and easily has the arm for it. McLain was solid at SS. Keep Lux at 2B where he’s comfortable. Steer makes amazing stretch plays at 1B.
All the reds prospects seem to outgrow their position they r a team of first baseman playing out of position
Stewart and Collier are two prime examples. Both are limited to corner infield or DH. The Reds need some good prospects who can play the OF. Maybe they can trade some of the middle and corner IF prospects for some equally good OF prospects.
Sal Stewart could be worthy of promotion at some point in 2026 as he works his way through AA.
Him and Collier both. It’s going to be really crowded on that infield.
Other:
The Reds are treating third base like a position battle, but the real problem is roster inefficiency. They have three flawed options (Candelario, Lux, Marte), and none of them profile as an above-average everyday 3B:
The biggest inefficiency here is trying to force a one-player solution instead of platooning based on game state and matchups. The Reds have enough positional flexibility to run a hybrid third base system:
Vs. Right-Handed Pitchers – Prioritize Gavin Lux for his left-handed bat, despite his weak defense. This allows them to maximize offensive balance while minimizing his exposure to difficult defensive plays.
Vs. Left-Handed Pitchers – Start Candelario, but sub him out late in games for a better defender (e.g., Santiago Espinal), depending on game situation.
Late-Game Defense – If leading, Marte or Espinal should finish the game at third to maximize defensive stability.
Given that the Reds aren’t going out to get an above average 3B man, they need a structured platoon approach that maximizes offense while minimizing defensive risk. The question isn’t “Who plays third?” It’s “How do we optimize third base production as a unit?”
Type that up and send it to Francona
Espinal can at least play the position. All the other options are embarrassing defensively and risk hurting the pitching in a ballpark that’s tough enough to pitch in already. It’s not like any of the other guys hit well enough to offset the sub-par defense.
Marte troubles are all my fault. I pulled two really great cards of his then he gets traded, hit with the suspension, and does terrible. Sorry Noelvi
I hope I’m wrong, but in this case there’s a lot of nothing. Even if all candidates show to be fully healthy, there’s very little upside. Candy is a defensive liability, Lux isn’t a 3rd baseman, CES and Marte must still prove they’re ready for the majors.
They have to figure out where Steer is going to play before they can sort out this mess. The best 9 bats need to make up your primary lineup and the Reds are not going to be at the top of any defensive metric charts regardless of who is at 3rd. I believe they have to plan on Steer at 1st to start to help his shoulder issues and he is their best defensive 1st baseman anyway. McLain, Elly, Friedl, & Stephenson are set up the middle. I believe that puts Hayes in Left, Fraley in Right, Lux at 3rd and Candelario at DH. If you are facing a lefty you can play CES at 1st and move Steer to the outfield once he is good for it. Fairchild, Espinal & Trevino are your bench that can cover every spot between the 3 of them when someone need a break. Notice Marte is not listed anywhere on this because frankly, he is lucky he is even allowed at their ST facility. That guy has a whole hell of a lot of improvement to make before he even sniffs the bigs again.
I honestly hope they put Steer somewhere and leave him there. There is an old baseball saying, move the veteran, not the kid who has other things to worry about. I keep wondering if that was the reason for Steer’s batting average dipping 50 points more than anything.
Sparky moved the veteran Pete Rose to third base, if you recall.
Point is the 2025 Reds are better, deeper and more able to withstand adversity in all phases of the game than last year. Good job by front office to accomplish this without trading away our future down the road. Can we compete with LA? No, but much has been done with very little capital. Should be fun to watch this season unfold.
Since the poll said to specify “other” in the comments, I’m forecasting Espinal. Not saying that will be their plan or even that I’m hoping for it, just being a realist. Every other option will spend time on the IL and by the end of the year, he will have the most innings, even if it’s less than half of the total.
Lux couldn’t make the throw across the diamond from SS, yet they expect him to make it from 3B?
Don’t need one…Elly can cover SS and 3B by himself. Put the extra field in the OF.
The Reds plan for 3B is still better than the Red Sawx plan.
The Reds have a great manager. They’ll win the central.
vs rhp Lux starts at 3rd. Late in tight games Espinal replaces Lux at 3rd and Lux rotates to LF, 2nd base, or out of game. I see Espinal as a defensive replacement in a lot of games in 2025, all over the field.
Nothing wrong with Lux, but it was a silly move by Krall when we have Mclain, Steer, Jeimer and CES all coming back. Not to mention Espinal.and Marte, behind
How was it a silly move when 3 of the 4 guys you mentioned ended last year on the IL, with McLain missing the entire season? Espinal is a back up and Marte had a horrific year last year.
If the Reds have NOT figured out 3b by the time Spencer Steer is ready to start playing the field, he should be given the bulk of the work, while still playing enough 1b and of.
Whats wrong, other than pleasing the player, with getting Elly some reps there? I love the kid, but let’s be honest, he had the most errors in baseball at SS last year. Next closest was O’Neil from the Pirates and they moved him to CF. Same thing the Reds were considering when McClain broke onto the scene in 2023. Kid is a PHENOM, but he will continue to cost them 5 games a season defensively at SS. Yes, he’ll win games with his bat and legs, but it’s got to be about winning and we won’t win a Championship with Elly at SS everyday with this current t roster make up. I’d love to see him roaming CF with that range, speed and length. He’d be the next Griffey Jr (think Seattle, not the older version we got in Cincy). WHy NOT? This lineup becomes much more balanced and easier to maximize at bats daily for the best bats if he’s in CF or playing solid 3B. I do believe 3B would be a waste of his God given natural abilities. You got a Cheetah, set him free on the Savannah, LOL.