McCoy: Reds moves, though small, might make them playoff contenders

The Reds, though, took a step this fall that indicates they are in serious mode.

Instead of hiring from within, they lured one of baseball’s best managers out of a one-year retirement. They talked Terry Francona into moving into the manager’s office.

To get him, it is a cinch they made him some promises about improving the team. Francona is good, but he is no miracle worker. He needs the players.

To that end, President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall and his staff seemed to dawdle in the early offseason, making fans nervous.

But with a late flurry, Krall & Company have made several moves that may have turned the Reds into a contender, perhaps making them a legitimate threat to win the watery weak National League Central.

What has Krall done? Many positives. In fact, 85 to 87 wins could win the division.

For sure, he did enough to improve upon the 77 wins they posted last season — and they did that without two top hitters, Matt McLain and Christian Encarnacion-Strand. And nearly every starting pitcher missed time with injuries.

So here is what has been done to gain 10 or more additional victories in 2025.

— Re-signed pitcher Nick Martinez to a one-year $21 million deal, a stellar move. He came out of the bullpen because of all the injuries and on most days he resembled Pedro Martinez.

The 34-year-old right-hander began the season in the bullpen and made 26 relief appearances. When injuries to the rotation stacked up, he moved into the rotation and was a success.

The man they call ‘Tricky’ was tricky enough with his assortment of pitches to finish 10-7 with a shiny 3.10 earned run average.

With all the starting pitchers lined up, Martinez most likely goes back to the bullpen, but he is ever-ready to step back into a starter’s situation if needed.

— Signed outfielder Austin Hays to a one-year $5 million deal. One year? Yep, Hays is using the Reds as a trampoline to bounce back. He was an All-Star in 2023, but was nagged all season by injuries. If he does bounce back, the Reds made a profitable signing ... and then he’ll be gone next year.

During his All-Star season with Baltimore he played 144 games with a .275/.325/.444 slash line, 16 homers and 67 RBI.

He split an injury-wracked last season between Baltimore and Philadelphia and played only 95 games and hit five homers and drove in 20. A serious kidney infection played havoc with his season.

He is not the power-hitting right-handed bat the Reds need for the outfield, but if healthy he will benefit from the cozy confines of Great American Ball Park.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

— Traded for left-handed relief pitcher Taylor Rogers, a big plus because the bullpen needs help. Rogers is good and the Reds hope they didn’t trade for the wrong Rogers instead of Taylor’s right-handed twin brother, Tyler.

Rogers mostly served as a late-inning situational pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, a specialist to face left-handed batters. He appeared in 64 games, but only 60 innings, and put together a 2.40 earned run average.

— Traded Jonathan India for starting pitcher Brady Singer, an excellent veteran presence to help the young staff of Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, Rhett Lowder and Graham Ashcraft. Too many? You can never have too many starting pitchers as the Reds discovered last season as starter after starter lapsed on to the injured list.

Singer, a 28-year-old right-hander, is as durable as a Rolex watch. He didn’t miss a start, 32 of them, last season. His record was 9-13, but his ERA was respectable at 3.71. He pitched 179 2/3 innings, struck out 170 and walked only 54.

— Traded for infielder Gavin Lux. Too many infielders? Perhaps so, but will the Reds stay healthy in the infield this season? Lux can play the outfield if needed and the Reds remain questionable in the outfield.

Lux appeared in 139 games last season for the Los Angeles Dodgers with a mediocre slash line of .251/.320/.383.

— Signed catcher Jose Trevino, a defensive dandy and an accomplished handler of pitchers. He was the New York Yankees No. 1 catcher two seasons ago. He will be a solid back-up to Tyler Stephenson and enable Francona to rest Stephenson and play him some games at first base or as a designated hitter.

While Krall didn’t make any headline-splashers, he dipped his toes in the shallow end enough to find some usable players that will make the Reds a competitive team ... and perhaps a division-winner.

Reds pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Goodyear, Ariz., on Monday. The first full-squad workout is Feb. 17.