The Cincinnati Reds stated their intention to return to the top of the National League Central standings by bringing celebrated manager Terry Francona out of his one-year retirement.
Cincinnati opened the offseason with a shock hiring of Francona, bringing the longtime Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Guardians skipper out of retirement to lead their young team.
Then, at the end of November, the Reds made a move to shape up their starting staff by trading second baseman Jonathan India to the Kansas City Royals for pitcher Brady Singer.
The sense around Major League Baseball is that Cincinnati is gearing up to challenge the division’s heirarchy of the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals.
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer throws another log on the fire for the seemingly resurgent Reds: a trade for Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor, who Cleveland is reportedly shopping and has played for Francona in the past.
“Francona’s relationship with the Guardians and Naylor in particular might make it seem like a natural conversation,” Wittenmyer wrote.
While Cleveland was on its way to winning the AL Central last July and likely not interested in dealing away one of its offensive centerpieces, the atmosphere may be different now.
Naylor is just one season away from free agency, with 24-year-old designated hitter Kyle Manzardo widely believed to be his heir apparent at first base.
First base has been a revolving door of players since the departure of Joey Votto. FanGraphs currently has Jeimer Candelario penciled in as the Opening Day starter at the position.
The rub here is that Naylor is slated for free agency after the upcoming season. Spotrac currently lists his market value as able to command a five-year contract worth north of $100 million.
It’s not a bank-breaking financial figure, but those numbers likely will increase if Naylor performs well in 2025. Would the notoriously penny-pinching Reds risk trading for a rental that they might not be able to sign next winter?
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