TODAY: The Reds officially announced Lowe’s contract. Sheldon reports that Lowe will earn $1.75MM if he makes Cincinnati’s active roster, with another $250K available in contract incentives.
FEBRUARY 13: The Reds and first baseman Nathaniel Lowe are in agreement on a minor league deal, per Mark Feinsand and Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. The SportsMeter client will be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee.
A year ago, the notion of Lowe settling for a non-roster deal would’ve seemed far-fetched. From 2021-24, the now-30-year-old Lowe was the Rangers’ everyday first baseman — and a good one, at that. He slashed a combined .274/.359/.432 (124 wRC+) with 78 home runs, 104 doubles, 10 triples, 13 steals, a strong 11.3% walk rate and a 23.3% strikeout rate that was only a bit north of average. Defensive metrics were bearish on his glove early in his MLB run, but he posted quality marks in both Defensive Runs Saved (4) and Outs Above Average (10) in 2023-24.
As the Rangers began the process of paring down their payroll, they traded Lowe and his $10.3MM salary to the Nationals for left-hander Robert Garcia. The change of scenery didn’t work out whatsoever for Lowe. He appeared in 119 games and tallied 490 plate appearances with a .216/.292/.373 batting line (86 wRC+) before being designated for assignment and released in August. Lowe’s walk rate in D.C. dipped to 9.6%, and his strikeout rate climbed to 26.5%. He was also a bit more prone to pop-ups and hit fewer line drives than he had during his Texas stint.
The Red Sox, needing help at first base, quickly scooped Lowe up and got better production out of the veteran’s left-handed bat. In a smaller sample of 119 plate appearances with Boston, Lowe turned in a .280/.370/.420 slash that pretty closely resembled the production from his time in Arlington. His production was buoyed by a .361 average on balls in play that he’s highly unlikely to sustain, but Lowe was also dogged by a .267 BABIP with the Nationals — a whopping 72 points south of the .339 mark he carried into the season.
With the Reds, Lowe will have a chance to win a prominent role in the lineup. Top prospect Sal Stewart is the presumptive front-runner at first base, but he has all of 18 big league games under his belt. The 2022 No. 32 overall pick belted five homers in that time and had a big year in Triple-A as well (.309/.383/.524, 152 wRC+) but some veteran competition for him won’t hurt. Also in the mix at first base are Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Spencer Steer. The former hasn’t hit in the majors since 2023 and has minor league options remaining, while the latter can play all over the diamond.
There could be occasional DH at-bats available, although the returning Eugenio Suárez will likely take the bulk of those reps in 2026. Suárez could also see time at the hot corner if the oft-injured Ke’Bryan Hayes hits the injured list, which would open up additional avenues to get both Stewart and Lowe into the lineup — assuming Lowe performs well enough to make the roster, of course.
Once he landed in Boston he got much better. Maybe that carries over and the Reds pick up a decent bat without spending much.
I’d bet he hits well there, seems hard not to.
Marlins should have been in on him too.
A lot of teams should’ve been in on him. He still his righties at a decent rate, he’s not that old and he was better last year.
… unless you’re a Red.
Why didn’t Boston keep him? Genuinely asking.
They have Casas coming back to be the LH 1B bat and they acquired Contreras.
Contreras will be the everyday 1B
Wondering what salary they’ve agreed on if he makes the MLB roster.
Huh. Didn’t think he’d be forced to take a mil deal. Probably makes it to the majors tho at some point
The biggest reason no team grabbed him, and signed him to a minor league contract was his arbitration number was $13,000,000. I am not sure at what point the arb number was no longer applicable, but it was talked about at length.
Kinda surprised he didn’t get a major league deal. I think it’s a potentially great pick up for the Reds.
I wonder if he has an actual shot at winning the First Base job with the Reds. They seem to have several parts for some of the same positions and very few for others
Probably no chance at a starting job. But he has a pretty good shot to make the team as a lefty bench bat.
1st base vs rhp occasionally. dh vs rhp occasionally. LH pinch hitter vs rh relievers all the time.. Great pickup. Inside track to win #13 position player spot on active roster.
Why not? Had a not-great 2025 and could conceivably bounce right back. A bit disconcerting that no team offered an MLB deal; maybe there’s more under the hood that the baseball public is not privy to…
It looks like he had a career year in ‘22. Other than that, he’s a sub-.750 OPS hitter, not that great for a 1B and it’s hard to carry a 1B-only player on a 4-man bench.
Pt, I think you’re looking at someone else’s stats. Nathaniel Lowe has a career OPS of .771. The only year he had a sub .749 OPS was last year, otherwise he’s consistently in the plus .770 range.
If you know the Reds, they have a ton of position flex on their roster. He’s a good bet to make the team as they need a LH slugger.
I’m not sure why. You have more those type guys than you need now. CES probably will go to AAA as a result. You don’t want to take ABs from him. They signed another first base type to a minor league deal earlier. Makes no sense as usual.
I think he’s injured again or behind schedule, they did sign toglia? Or someone as well so I’m confused. Also thought this guy would get a major league deal from someone..
Injured and he has a worse Bb/K ration than Aquino did. This poster can’t understand what depth is for some reason and he’s complaining about a minor league contract. Even if Sal wins the job outright why not have more depth in AAA.
That’s what I was thinking. They have Sal Stewart there and signed Toglia earlier. They also talked about Suarez playing some first.
The Reds have Stewart, Suarez, and Steer who all could see time at 1B. Steer will likely see a lot of time in the OF but he was a 2025 GG finalist at 1B.
All those guys, plus CES, hit right handed. Toglia is technically a switch hitter but his splits look like a righty’s too. So I think there room for a left handed bat.
Reds need that experienced LH bat off the bench and Lowe fits the bill.
Cguy nailed it. What sets him apart is he’s a lefty hitter with a little pop on a predominantly righty hitting team. More late inning moves Tito can make.
I’m a lifelong Reds fan and I think we are getting to the point that CES isn’t going to be the player we saw flashes of during his rookie year. He hasn’t proven he belongs above AAA so until he earns an MLB roster spot I wouldn’t worry about him losing out on any at bats.
This could just be the Reds throwing Lowe a bone and letting him audition for other teams during Spring Training. I believe that’s what the front office gave for the rationale of signing Tony Kemp and Mike Ford a few years ago (whom they eventually resigned).
First base only veterans who can hit a little are basically a dime a dozen and have no value.
Seam – First base is so easy a caveman can play it.
It’s wild to me how far off First Basemen have fallen in Major League Baseball. I’m 48 and as a kid it seemed like there were at least 6 or 7 really good 1B in both the National and American Leagues. There were always really good 1B being left off of the all Star rosters.
great point… gone is the days 25-35 yrs ago when you’d see big HR bopping first baseman with clout like the Philllies Ryan Howard, and White Sox Frank Thomas, Cards Albert Pujols, etc etc etc… I know there’s some decent 1B now, but not like there used to be. I already miss Joey Votto from the Reds when he used to be on base 40% of the time and smack doubles and homers aplenty, but age waits for no one! I hope we have a real one in Sal Stewart!
Lowe will probably make the team as a bench player if Sal isn’t doing fantastic in Spring Training. Then they’ll trade him if we aren’t contending, but I think we’re going to surprise. Most have the Reds at 4th place, I don’t think that’s accurate. I really think they’re better than the Pirates, Cardinals and Brewers at this point, and the Cubs are about as good, but we have better starters if they stay healthy.
That was also the steroid (live ball) era. Can’t compare those numbers with today.
I wasn’t even necessarily talking about the steroid era of the 90’s. The 80’s seemed to have a lot of good 1B as well but that was 40 years ago so I could easily be misremembering things.
Joe – That’s because the DH is now in both leagues. If you’ve got a player who is a good hitter but is poor defensively or injury prone, you put him at DH. And because of today’s shorter bench, platooning at DH is also common instead of moving him to fulltime 1B.
@FPG I like the logic, but I’m struggling to think of any real world examples of guys playing DH most days that could be playing 1B instead. Schwarber is maybe the closest, but I don’t even know if he’s played 1B
five – Funny you should mention Schwarber. He played first base for a while my team, including starting 9 of 11 postseason games at 1B.
Throughout baseball history players have transitioned to first base before the DH came into existence, usually as they got older and their original position became too demanding.
Do you remember Raffy moving from 3B to fulltime DH last year? He was pegged as a natural 1B starting way back when he was scouted as a teenager.
David Ortiz is another first baseman who became a fulltime DH so they could install a better defensive player at 1B.
First base is the easiest position to play, it’s where good hitters go when they can’t handle another position and the DH spot is already taken. But these days, the DH role is intentionally left open for guys like Schwarber.
Yes sir, Carlos Delgado comes to my mind. Guy was a stud but only made a few all star teams.
I miss the abundance of power hitting 1B as well.
I forgot he was still out there, but I am surprised he had to settle for a minor league deal this winter. After he got to the Red Sox, he looked enough like his old self again I figured somebody would want to pick him up on a guaranteed deal, even if only a year or two.
Dirty – He started well with the Sox, but then he quickly faded.
From Sept 8th to the end of the season he had a .656 OPS and in the postseason he had just one single, that’s it …. no extra base hits, no walks, no RBI.
It’s only natural to remember just the good moments while blocking out the bad. His defense wasn’t that great either.
He’s always been an up-and-down hitter though, and it evened out to slightly above average. Of course it was inconvenient for us that his cold streak coincided with the September skid because the entire lineup had gone anemic and it seemed they were doing their best to give our wild card away, but I didn’t feel like it was anything out of the norm for how he typically performs.
Dude stunk for the Sox. Surprised anyone signed him. He’s toast.
Every report indicated he was not a fan of the losing environment and had no interest in being a veteran player in a team of much younger players, wouldn’t be surprised if the disparity in numbers is solely attitude
I would of rather seen the Pirates give this guy a shot instead of Ozuna at 12 million, this could be a great cheap pickup for Reds
good point. As a Reds fan I’m thrilled, and giving Ozuna 12M may work out, but I don’t see it being worth it, but certainly better than the Reds signing Jeimer Candelario to 2 yr and like 30M. The day they did it I was all over their public boards on social media saying this is a completely awful signing you will not look back on well. So, Ozuna is a 70% likely signing to that side of things, but good luck!
Pack your bags CEStrikeout, you’re done
Phil (officially the owner now) heard Lowe and thought he would be cheap.
And he was!
Something about this signing is telling my gut that this will end up huge for the Reds. Not a Reds fan, not a Lowe fanboy. The guy can hit and he can play some D. These types are a dime a dozen but he’s on the right side of a platoon situation at worst.
Not sure I agree but like the sentiment. One of the things I like most about these last signings before Spring Training for any team and their veteran non-roster invitee choices is trying to guess which will unexpectedly come through for their team.
Him being a 1B only guy, he could hit over .500 a la Mikey Ford and still not make the team unless there is an injury.
Bottomline, Reds organization hasn’t developed a decent position player in ages and Stewart might be the first in quite some time.
Yeah, that EDLC is some slacker. Probably be dfaed by Memorial day right?
Kurtz would have solved all the insane musical chairs at 1B that Krall floats….splitting time there between Stewart and Steer, maybe even Suarez when he’s not the DH, and oh yeah, now Lowe. Of course, Kurtz simply didn’t fit the stated and restated Katuska draft philosophy since he never played middle infield.. I do like the signing, given that they seem to want to start no more than two LHHs against RH starters.
Reds cannot afford to buy top shelf SP and have to draftit. That’s just MLB as it is today.Kurtz was not an option.
They have four decent starters as it is without Burns.. They could always sign a decent 5th starter for cheap if they had to. Colorado just signed Quintana for $6MM. Williamson and Lowder are also waiting in the wings. Offense was and continues to be the more pressing need. Barring injury…and arms are more fragile…I think Burns may well turn out to be the second-best pick in that draft. But Big Amish is already demolishing MLB pitching and will be an All-Star for the next 10-15..
Well a guy like Kurtz is always an option, and the one I’d rather the Reds have taken. That being said, and I said it the day we drafted Burns that I’m happy with the pick. Burns has number one starter potential
Always though the same, they missed to pick a bat among several excellent options.
As a Reds fan, I like this move.
Well, I guess if no one else is gonna say it I will. The Reds have hit a new Lowe w/this signing. 🤣
What happened to ahahahahaha
DDT
I went back home, got a brand new face
For the boys at MLB (boys at MLB) 🤣
Actually this signing is a new high in the Lowe MLB transactions this winter (Brandon to rats @ $11.5MM: Josh to LAA @ $2.6MM). Nathaiel signed for only minor league money.
I have Lowe expectations :’
Not worried about who loses at bats. Get the most talent on your roster as possible and field the best product possible. Give Tito all the chess pieces he needs. If he can return to form in what should be the prime of his career, this is a heck of a pickup.
An all time lowe
What a steal. Hope he excels here
THIS! This is a winning move. Every team should look for this sort of opportunity each season.
Shrewd pickup, I like it
this looks so much better than when they blew their budget on Jeimer a few seasons ago… I said then, what are they thinking, he will not be good at all.
Yeah, not a Reds fan but could definitely feel for Cincinnati fans when the Reds gave Candelario that ridiculous deal.
Suarez, Pagan, Pierce, Ferguson, Burke, Bleday, Lowe, and Myers. Added almost a third of active roster players for a little over $40MM- and some on this site would call it “dumpster diving”
👏 👏👏👏👏👏
Be with you girl, like being Lowe.
Hey, hey, hey … like being stoned!
Go Reds!
He’ll definitely have a shot to make the roster, pushing someone else off.
Every year some GM hits gold on a low cost pickup.
This has real potential to be this year’s edition.
Good luck with Baby Huey, from a Nats fan. He was a huge disappointment for our team.
I know the defense would suffer but I wouldn’t mind seeing on occasion Hayes sit against righties. He’s become an automatic out and has zero power. That would open up a spot for Lowe to start. Lowe DH, Steer LF, Suarez 3B, Stewart 1B. Combined with Elly, Friedl, and Marte that’s a pretty solid lineup. Not to mention Stevenson and McClain who could bounce back. Reds have a strong staff too. They could easily push for a wild card.
Depth never hurts. The projected starting lineup is assuming everyone stays healthy. Hayes has back issues that keep him out every year. TJ plays so hard he gets hurt too. This gives them the opportunity to not miss a beat if someone goes down.
Yeah, that makes sense. But if everyone in a perfect world were to stay healthy, I wouldn’t mind seeing Hayes hit the bench against righties.
Surprised this guy couldn’t get a MLB deal.
This could be the 2nd best signing the Reds have made this season. Left handed infield bat, desperately needed on the Reds this year. Gold glove, silver slugger, World Series ring. It makes a big difference for players if they play in a crap lineup compared to playing meaningful ball. Sneaky good move by the Reds
He needs to lose that beer belly.
I know a lot of folks will say defense but could this mean less K Hayes at the plate? If McLain doesn’t bounce back don’t think we could have Hayes and McLain both in the lineup on the same days and expect to win. If this guy does bounce back and not saying he will we need a left handed bat other than leadoff in the lineup most days. I could see a scenario where Suarez starts 3rd base batting cleanup, Lowe 1st base batting behind Suarez, Steer LF batting 2nd and Stewart DH batting 6th to get our best hitters in the lineup. Marte might end up a platoon with benson or bledey batting 7th with Stephenson & McLain rounding things out. Other days could have Stewart play 2nd, Hayes 3rd and Suarez DH.
Just don’t get think you can have Hayes & last year version of McLain both in the lineup on a regular basis and expect to win games. One all glove no bat is easy to hide in the lineup and most teams even playoff teams do it but a lot more difficult to hide 2 poor hitters in a 9 person lineup.
Shannon, I don’t see one year deals with Suarez and Lowe pushing Hayes off of 3B. Hayes is one of the best defensive players in baseball and has a multi year contract.
You talk about McLain needing to bounce back, why wouldn’t he be the one replaced in the lineup? Hopefully one or both will have a better year at the plate.