This week's mailbag gets into the Reds' offense, whether Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, and Jorge Polanco will stay with their respective clubs, trade targets for the Braves' rotation, and whether the Rangers could trade Jacob deGrom.
Bill asks:
What can the Cincinnati Reds possibly do to fix the mess that is their lineup? They need at least one big bat and probably do not have the money to accomplish that.
The Reds' offense ranked eighth in the NL with 4.42 runs scored per game. Let's examine where the lineup stands after the Reds were eliminated by the Dodgers in the Wild Card round.
- C: Jose Trevino and Tyler Stephenson handled catching duties.
- 1B: Spencer Steer was the regular this year, but rookie Sal Stewart began taking starts after coming up in September.
- 2B: Matt McLain was the typical choice, with Gavin Lux starting occasionally.
- SS: Elly De La Cruz has the full-time job.
- 3B: Ke'Bryan Hayes took most starts, with a few going to Stewart. Before Hayes was acquired, Santiago Espinal logged innings here.
- LF: Austin Hays was the top choice, followed by Lux and Will Benson.
- CF: TJ Friedl has the full-time job.
- RF: Noelvi Marte took over the starting job. Jake Fraley spent time here before getting injured, and Benson was also in the mix.
- DH: Of late, it was a Lux/Miguel Andujar time share. Hays also picked up a good number of ABs here.
No one on the Reds had a stellar offensive season. Almost every regular fell between a 97 wRC+ and a 109 mark, with 100 being league average. Where can improvements be found?
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Bichette posted 3.4 WAR in 139 games with an .840 OPS (Vladi was .848). [Even missing almost a month, he fell only three hits short of Bobby Witt for most hits in MLB.] Perhaps they get to the WS without him, but doubtful they win the division. If the Jays let him go, they need to replace that WAR to contend in a tough division.
Don’t see Ms resigning Polanco. He can’t play 3B and they need to sign Suarez or someone else there. They have Cole Young, and Colt Emerson on the way, at 2B. While Polanco probably hit enough this season to be a DH, over the next three years they need to play Raleigh at DH more often that the 38 times he played there this season. Polanco gets his long term deal elsewhere. .
Suarez cannot hit at T-Mobile Park. Look at his home road splits.
I love deGrom but it feels like a guarantee that if the Mets traded for him, he would immediately get hurt again and miss a full season.
DeGrom seems like an AA target (if he could induce the Rangers to eat $25M of that salary.) He’d fit well in the Braves rotation. Yeah, I know—-a healthy DeGrom looks good in every rotation.
I like this fit. Mets fan, but I think it seems like a good fit. Seemingly less risk now trading for DeGrom than when the Braves swung it for Sale.
Not really similar, but it kinda reminds me of when the Braves traded for Tim Hudson. Worked brilliantly, but of course Hudson was really an ace and younger, but I recall the Braves resigning Hudson while he was older, and he was still very good.
I like deGrom, but I don’t see how an older (high end), but highly-injured, expensive arm will solve ATL’s 2025 rotation issues that saw the Opening Day rotation on the IL. He’s 38 y/o in June ’26 with essentially a 2/75M deal (mutual option for 3rd year, unknown buyout amount). To think that he’ll be near 170 IP, again, in ’26 when he hadn’t more than 100 IP since 2019 is fool’s gold. We’d have to give up a decent prospect, he’d have a NTC and put us in a worse financial position. Frankly, he’s a luxury that ATL can’t afford.
W/the exception of DeGrom having a NTC, those are the same arguments made against the acquisition of Chris Sale. AA didn’t “have to give up a decent prospect” and got the Sox to eat a significant amount of Sale’s remaining salary. DeGrom’s 2025 season mirrored Sale’s 2023 season—-just over 100 IP and a return to health. DeGrom missed a few starts in August due to a shoulder strain, but was otherwise healthy all season. I didn’t claim that DeGrom would “solve Atlanta’s 2025 rotation issues.” I simply suggested that he would be a good fit w/the Braves. Quality pitcher that could raise the rotation’s ceiling. He wouldn’t have to throw 170 innings to provide upside value. Thinking about the Dodgers rotation construction w/respect to adding DeGrom. More quality arms that throw fewer innings. He also grew up in Florida. Possible he might be open to waving his NTC to pitch closer to home for a competitive team that he was a fan of growing up..
He’s got a full-NTC so I think it’s moot.
@YBC: with the way the comments nest, I can’t tell who you’re replying to, but deGrom is from Florida and iirc, grew up a Braves fan. I think he’d waive his NTC to go there. As far as the Mets go, I have no idea if he’d waive it to go back. Maybe?
Interesting your handle is “Soto should bat first” given the Mets didn’t exactly look like a favorite for Soto, but I think Steve Cohen is far different than the “Coupons”, I mean Wilson’s who appeared willing to low ball their players. I wouldn’t say 0 chance, but I wouldn’t say likely either though I would have to think the Mets would be very interested. Sounds like a very Stearns kinda move.
As a still disgruntled Pads fan, i hate to say it, but the TV strike zone box on broadcasts is not the official box and if you look at the Baseball Savant page, the pitch was much closer to a borderline strike than what the broadcast K box showed.
Y’all were robbed. If this happened in 2026 that’s a walk after a 2 second review.
I like both teams but what’s right is right.
I still feel robbed, but my dumb rational brain is coming around to the possibility that that might not have even been overturned under ABS and that what we think we are looking at on TV may not be what umps and review crews are looking at on these future reviews. I blame Eno Sarris for this dispassionate logic.
So ABS uses a strike zone more closely aligned with Baseball Savant? The networks best start using that next season to avoid anger, confusion and riots. The last is unlikely.
If its use in the minors is any indication of how they plan to utilize it in MLB, then yes. And absolutely yes.
“Much closer to a borderline strike” is still a ball, right?
theoretically, yes. But it can quickly fall into that potential “the call stands” territory if it’s more borderline strike (savant) than obvious ball (TV K-zone box)
I love the Angels as a trade partner with the Reds if we were a functional organization.
Jo Adell could pop 30-40 HR, play RF well, move Marte to his natural 3B position, and cost little in the way of cash flow.
Taylor Ward is more expensive and only around for one year but would cost less in prospect capital. He’s a meh LF’er and Cincy is pretty set there.
Noelvi Marte is doing a respectable job in right learning a new position. He’ll be fine there. KeBryan Hayes is our 3B. Adell playing left and batting cleanup is intriguing however. How about we take Adell and a prospect off your hands for Hayes and Scott Williamson?
Forgot about Hayes. Super stud with the glove.
Your trade is intriguing except we don’t really have prospects to spare.
Jo Adell would look good batting 4th for Cincy in LF. Throw in LHRP Brock Burke and the Reds could send back Brady Singer.
Martel couldn’t make a throw to a bag. That’s why they moved him to right. Elly makes enough errors for one side of the infield.
The offense needs more than one bat. Easy enough to pitch around one. They are in desperate need of having situational hitters who can do something besides strikeout or pop-up to the infield with runners on.
They averaged 4.4 runs but did that with a lot of weeks scoring over 10 one game, and 2 or less the rest. Starting pitching kept them at .500. Won’t forever.
Marte….not Martel. Error
Bregman had a good, not great year, I’m not sure I’d be too excited to lo lock him up for 6 more years at large money.
Why?
“Bregman had a good..large money”..Teams really want Bregman’s next 2-3 years. But is this really worth giving him a 6 or 7 year deal? No would be my honest answer.
I agree that Bregman will again be linked to Alonso. I think in both player’s scenario, I think you’ll see teams like Boston & the Mets “monitoring” how much other teams are willing to offer.
I can see Boston only going so deep considering they’ve found success w/o Devers.
If I was Boston I’d treat Bregman like he’s already signed, if he opts out see ya.
Strong first two months, but mediocre or worse after he returned from injury, slashing .250/.338/.386 over the last three months of the season. Couple that with his uninspiring 2024, and recognizing Fenway and whatever they call that ballpark in Houston are made to inflate his style of hitting, and I’d run far and fast from any long-term, high-cost deal.
I believe Bregman’s strong start made the Red Sox comfortable trading Devers. They’re no doubt still fine with the latter, but not sure they still believe Bregman is a wise longterm get.
Good point. Yes, I think Bregman certainly helped solidify their lineup w/or w/o Devers.
That’s kinda the key here. If you’re unwilling to resign Bregman, does it turn your offense to merely average? Can you trust the rest of the lineup to improve? Does a veteran like Bregman make that significant of a difference? Does another veteran like Story regress or improve?
I guess if we had the assured answers to these questions, we might be GMs!? 👍
Bichette could be the missing link in the Giants lineup.
They can sign a front line pitcher AND Bichette and still be under the tax threshold. But there’s nothing stopping the Giants from EXCEEDING the tax threshold of $244M.
SFG’s window to compete is opening. They need production out of 2B; Schmitt is a nice player but he would serve the team better as a utility player or Koss. That makes one of them expendable. Between, Gilbert/Encarnacion, Right Field should be covered in house. That leaves the rotation; add Shane Bieber and possibly Merrill Kelly, done. The bullpen needs some help but it’s not as dire as some would suggest; farm hands converting to reliever, free agency and the Rule 5 should get the BP back on track. And resigning Tyler Rogers!
What is brewers total payroll as compared to blue jays, Yankees, Phillis and dodgers payroll.? It should be so easy to root for the little Guys and that is the brewers ! Go brewers and I’m a cubs fan who are about to Go down themselves to a superior team.
I’d rather people stop complaining and acting like rings can be bought, when most of the top 10 teams in payroll didn’t make it that far in this year’s postseason.
That’s what makes baseball like no other sport. Spending more than everyone else doesn’t ensure you success. It certainly helps, but it’s no automatic.