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 -- There's a little more than three weeks to go before Spring Training camps open around baseball, but there are still seemingly plenty of potential moves for teams to make. That's because about 200 free agents are still languishing on the market, with a few others available for trades.
How have the Reds' fared in this offseason compared to their rivals in the National League Central division? Let's take a look.
Brewers
2024 finish: First place (93-69)
Key additions: LHP Nestor Cortes
Key departures: SS Willy Adames, closer Devin Williams
Milwaukee has a knack for weathering losses. The Brewers traded ace Corbin Burnes prior to last season and missed their other ace, Brandon Woodruff, with a right shoulder injury all year. Still, they won 93 games and easily claimed first place in 2024 under first-year manager Pat Murphy. Can they do it again? It won't be easy without Adames and Williams, but Cortes -- who came over in the Williams trade to the Yankees -- could be a key rotation addition.
Cardinals
2024 finish: Second place (83-79)
Key additions: None
Key departures: 1B Paul Goldschmidt, RHP Andrew Kittredge, RHP Kyle Gibson, RHP Lance Lynn
St. Louis is entering a rebuilding phase and could still move third baseman Nolan Arenado and closer Ryan Helsley before it's all over. It will be weird not seeing the Cardinals contending for a little while.
Cubs
2024 finish: Third place (83-79)
Key additions: OF Kyle Tucker, LHP Matthew Boyd, RHP Cody Poteet, C Carson Kelly, LHP Caleb Thielbar
Key departures: OF Cody Bellinger, RHP Hayden Wesneski
The Cubs brought in manager Craig Counsell from the Brewers the previous offseason but then produced a lackluster season. Chicago has arguably been the busiest NL Central club, and it made the big move by adding a three-time All-Star and a marquee name in Tucker via trade with the Astros to add boost to its lineup. The Cubs also cleared salary by moving Bellinger, which could help them make another huge move -- perhaps adding Alex Bregman?
Pirates
2024 finish: Fifth place (76-86)
Key additions: 1B Spencer Horwitz, OF Andrew McCutchen
Key departures: LHP Aroldis Chapman, RHP Luis Ortiz
Pittsburgh, which also jettisoned players like first baseman Rowdy Tellez near the end of last season, still looks quite similar to the club it had in 2024. The Bucs brought back a fan favorite in the 38-year-old McCutchen, but he did hit 20 home runs last season. Horwitz could be a potential star, though he is still unproven.
Now let's look at where Cincinnati stands so far this offseason with its moves.
Reds
2024 finish: Fourth place (77-85)
Key additions: Manager Terry Francona, 2B Gavin Lux, RHP Brady Singer, RHP Nick Martinez, C Jose Trevino, LHP Brent Suter
Key departures: 2B Jonathan India, C Luke Maile, 1B Ty France, RHP Buck Farmer, RHP Jakob Junis
Cincinnati and president of baseball operations Nick Krall bolstered the rotation by trading for Singer and making a $21.05 million qualifying offer that Martinez accepted. The biggest coup was getting Francona, a future Hall of Fame manager, to come out of retirement after a year off. And while Lux adds some left-handed offense, Krall still hasn't achieved his primary objective of adding a bigger offensive threat. There's still a chance for another addition, perhaps Luis Robert Jr. from the White Sox or Taylor Ward from the Angels via a trade, or one of the several free agents still looking for a job.
The Reds open Spring Training when pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 10. Even if nothing else is done before then, Krall can still keep trying for more moves during camp.
In other words, stay tuned.