Are the Reds the Biggest Threat to the Brewers in the NL Central?
The MLB offseason is far from over, but one of the Brewers’ division rivals is rumored to have finished building their team. The question is; are the Reds the biggest threat in the NL Central?
The NL Central has been in a constant state of flux, with experts and fans alike having trouble picking a winner of the division for the past handful of years. No one has repeated as the division winner since the Cubs in 2017, so a Brewers repeat is anything but guaranteed. As it stands now, every team in the Central has a chance to dethrone Milwaukee, but perhaps no team has a better chance than the Cincinnati Reds.
The Reds had an interesting 2023 campaign. They got off to a slow start, before enjoying a red-hot June and July, then cooling off down the stretch. They enjoyed breakout seasons from T.J. Friedl, Matt McLain, and Spencer Steer, and had an electrifying debut from then-top prospect Elly De La Cruz that made Cincinnati the hottest baseball town in America for two summer months. They struggled to find reliable starting pitching and consistent bullpen work, despite good seasons from closer Alexis Diaz and starter Andrew Abbott. Notably, the Reds struggled to beat the Brewers last year, ending with a 3-10 record against Milwaukee. They would finish the season 82-80, but are undoubtedly aiming for a higher win total this year.
So that begs the question: Where will Cincinnati’s improvement come from?
Offseason Additions
The Reds haven’t made the big splash some expected, but they have added to a weak pitching staff with some proven major leaguers. They first padded their bullpen by adding pitchers Emilio Pagan (2.99 ERA in 69 1/3 IP in 2023) and Nick Martinez (3.43 ERA in 110 1/3 IP), both of whom found success in their roles last year. They also added veteran starter Frankie Montas, who only pitched a third of an inning last year, but did finish sixth in the Cy Young voting as recently as 2021. Perhaps their biggest splash was signing infielder Jeimer Candelario to a three-year, $45-million contract after his breakout season in 2023, wherein he slashed .251/.336/.471 with the Nationals and Cubs. In total, the Reds have committed $105.25 million to their roster for 2024, a number nearly $10 million higher than the Brewers’ projected payroll.
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