Examining Reds' internal corner-infield options

This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon's Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CINCINNATI -- Among the plethora of transactions made by the Reds on Friday, one seemed potentially telling when first baseman Ty France was outrighted to Triple-A Louisville to take him off of the 40-man roster. France declined the assignment and became a free agent.

France was arbitration eligible and likely would have gotten a raise after he earned $6.775 million in 2024. But the date to tender or decline contracts to club-controlled players isn't until Nov. 22.

“We could have held it out," Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall explained. "But honestly, allowing him to walk now cleans up some of our roster. We knew we probably weren’t going to tender him a contract and it just made it a little cleaner to do it now.”

Acquired from the Mariners for Minor League catcher Andruw Salcedo on July 29 after being designated for assignment, France brought some stability to the position as he batted .251 with a .683 OPS and five home runs over 52 games for the Reds.

As of Friday, Krall and ownership had not finalized Cincinnati's 2025 payroll budget. Whether it remains close to the approximately $90 million it was in '24, or goes down, it's clear that there will be no room for extras like a 30-year-old veteran first baseman this offseason.

Not when the club has the internal choices it currently has in players like Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Jeimer Candelario, Spencer Steer and, perhaps, Jonathan India.

“I think that’s why it was hard to see [France] getting tendered a contract from us, because of the options we have at first," Krall said.

Krall denied that the moves made on Friday -- which included declining the $3.5 million option for backup catcher Luke Maile -- were an indication that payroll was being slashed.

"We’re still working through our payroll," he said.

When it comes to those internal options at first base, each of them have question marks going into next season.

Candelario, the corner infielder who signed a three-year, $45 million contract last December, had a poor first year for Cincinnati. He batted .225 with a .707 OPS and -0.7 bWAR while hitting 20 home runs with 56 RBIs in 112 games before his season ended in August because of a broken big left toe. Although mostly in left field in 2024, Steer played 63 games at first base but also batted .225 with 20 homers while posting a .721 OPS with 92 RBIs. India, a career second baseman in the big leagues, has never played first base except for during this past Spring Training.

The biggest question mark of all is Encarnacion-Strand, who was supposed to be the everyday guy and a big supplier of power.

From the get-go, the 24-year-old struggled, as he batted .190 with a .513 OPS and two homers in 29 games. Over his 123 plate appearances, Encarnacion-Strand struck out 35 times with only four walks.

“He was pressing out of the chute, and then he got hurt," Krall said last month.

A fractured right hand required surgery and Encarnacion-Strand didn't play after May 7.

That's why the Reds sent Encarnacion-Strand to the Arizona Fall League after the season. The early returns have been promising. He was batting .500 (7-for-14) in four games with four walks and five strikeouts in his first 19 plate appearances. But he isn't out of the woods with the hand injury.

"He had a setback with some scar tissue," Krall said. "Nothing serious, but he should be playing [this] week. Hopefully he’s continuing to move forward in his rehab progression.”

When asked about the corner-infield situation -- namely Encarnacion-Strand and third baseman Noelvi Marte -- Krall made it clear there will be no free rides next spring under new manager Terry Francona.

“Some guys are going to have to come to Spring Training and actually earn spots," Krall said on Oct. 8. "They’re not going to be given spots."