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 -- A new year is here. What will 2025 have in store for the Reds?

For one thing, there's a new manager, with Terry Francona in the dugout. But at the moment, Francona has largely the same roster to work with that finished 77-85 under David Bell.

All-Star Elly De La Cruz will be back for his third big league season trying to top his 20-60 season. De La Cruz, under new hitting coach Chris Valaika, will also seek to cut down his strikeouts and errors. Another All-Star, starting pitcher Hunter Greene, will be building off the best season of his young career, with a 2.75 ERA over a career-high 26 starts.

What else can the Reds possibly look forward to? Here is a lookahead to some things to watch in 2025.

One (realistic) free agent target who would still be a perfect fit: DH/OF Jesse Winker

It would be a reunion that would bring the 31-year-old lefty hitter back to where he started his career. The Reds¡¯ payroll has limited flexibility, but there should be enough room for a lefty bat like Winker's. A 2021 All-Star for Cincinnati, where he was a homegrown outfielder from 2017-21, Winker struggled for a couple of years with other teams. But he had a bounce-back season in 2024 for the Nationals and Mets as he batted .253 with a .764 OPS and 14 home runs while being worth 2.0 WAR, per Baseball Reference, over 145 games. Winker isn't gifted defensively, but he can play both corners and knows Great American Ball Park well.

One player poised to have a breakout season: 2B Matt McLain

McLain is looking to resume his promising career after he missed all of 2024 recovering from left shoulder surgery following a Spring Training mishap. He is expected to be fully healthy after seeing some action in the Arizona Fall League. The 25-year-old was arguably Cincinnati's best all-around player as a 2023 rookie while batting .290 with an .864 OPS, 16 homers, 50 RBIs and 14 steals. McLain, a plus defender, should also upgrade the team up the middle as he replaces Jonathan India and resumes as De La Cruz's double-play partner.

One prospect to watch in 2025: SS Edwin Arroyo

One of the key prospects acquired from the Mariners in the 2022 trade of ace Luis Castillo, Arroyo is ranked as Cincinnati's No. 3 prospect and No. 65 overall by MLB Pipeline. He missed all of 2024 recovering from left shoulder surgery after being injured during Spring Training. Now 21 and after showing he was fully recovered in the Arizona Fall League, Arroyo will likely begin 2025 at Double-A Chattanooga, and he could move up quickly with his already superb defense and an improving switch-hitting bat. He batted .252 with a .757 OPS, 13 home runs, 60 RBIs and 29 stolen bases over 123 games at High-A Dayton and Double-A in 2023.

One prediction for the new year: De La Cruz will be the NL MVP

Set to turn 23 on Jan. 11 and entering his third big league season, the switch-hitting shortstop may still be scratching the surface of his potential. Despite leading the Majors last season with 218 strikeouts and 29 errors and running into a league-leading 15 outs (non-stealing), De La Cruz hit 25 home runs with an .810 OPS, 67 stolen bases and 76 RBIs while playing 160 games and finishing eighth in MVP voting. If he can cut down on the mistakes and strikeouts and improve from the right side while still trending upwards on his power and speed, De La Cruz will have a chance to be Cincinnati's first MVP since Joey Votto in 2010.