Are the Cincinnati Reds Primed for a Run in 2025?
In 2024, the Cincinnati Reds fell very short of a postseason spot. They finished the season at 77-85, 16 games out of the division and 12 games out of a Wild Card spot. With new coming superstar Elly De La Cruz getting his shot at his first full season, more was expected from the Reds. While the starting rotation was stellar, the lineup underperformed, and they were essentially out of contention entering the final month of the season. Here is what to expect from the 2025 Cincinnati Reds.
Despite being the small market club, the Reds front office made some noise this offseason. While none of the moves will blow your socks off, “needle pushing” is the best phrase to describe what the Reds did this winter. The most impressive move of all was who filled their vacant manager spot after David Bell was fired in late September of last year. Bell had been managing the team since 2019 and garnered one pathetic playoff appearance during the shortened COVID season when the team was two and barbecue after scoring zero runs in those two games. Letting go of Bell seemed like the first step to a new era for Cincinnati, and that was confirmed when Terry Francona was announced as the new manager in early October.
At 65 years of age, Terry Francona is a baseball legend. Despite an uneventful and underwhelming nine-year career as a player, Francona certainly made his mark as a manager with two World Series wins with the Boston Red Sox and an AL Pennant with the Cleveland Indians, better known as the Guardians today. He has also been named Manager of the Year three times over his 23-year managing career. Francona, also well known as Tito, will begin a new challenge, taking on a three-year contract with a young and talented Cincinnati Reds roster.
In late November, the Reds made their first big splash, sending their 2021 Rookie of the Year, Jonathan India, to the Kansas City Royals to acquire starting pitcher Brady Singer to boost their starting rotation. The Reds’ offseason player additions also included a trade to acquire infielder Gavin Lux from the Los Angeles Dodgers, a trade to acquire relief pitcher Taylor Rogers from the San Francisco Giants, and a pick up of outfielder Austin Hays from free agency. The Reds were also in talks to acquire outfielder Luis Robert Jr from the Chicago White Sox, but the deal fell through, which is what led to the Hays signing. What these moves mean for the Cincinnati Reds is that they are trying to build a winning ballclub for Terry Francona.
Hunter Greene will enter 2025 as a dark horse Cy Young candidate. Coming off of an outstanding year, only late-season injuries prevented him from finishing higher than eighth in Cy Young voting for 2024. After Greene, in no particular order, the rotation includes recently acquired Brady Singer, following Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo. The fifth starter will likely be rookie Rhett Lowder, who shined in just six starts at the end of the season last year, posting a 1.17 ERA in just over 30 innings pitched. Barring injuries, the Reds 2025 starting rotation of Greene, Singer, Abbott, Lodolo, and Lowder has the potential to be one of the better staffs in baseball. However, in 2024, the pitching was far from the issue.
Besides Elly De La Cruz and Tyler Stephenson, the 2024 lineup was incredibly inconsistent. Riddled with injuries throughout the year, the Reds’ offense never quite found their footing. In 2025, their biggest acquisition may just be Matt McLain’s return from injury. In 2023, McLain was taking veteran at-bats as a rookie and proved to be an integral piece in the offense after missing the entirety of 2024 with shoulder and rib cage injuries. Hitting is contagious, and McLain’s return to the infield could spark some of the other batters in the lineup to bounce back with stronger numbers after struggling in 2024.
Gavin Lux was the main needle pusher added on offense for 2025. Lux has been in the majors since 2019 and has won two World Series rings with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Lux provides much-needed veteran leadership and experience to a very young Reds roster. Lux can play above-average defense almost anywhere on the diamond, defense being a part of the team’s struggles under David Bell’s tenure as manager. Since future Hall of Famer Joey Votto, who retired in 2024 and left the Reds clubhouse in 2023, the Reds have lacked the seniority required to lead a team to success.
That same leadership is important for the development of 23-year-old superstar Elly De La Cruz. After bursting onto the scene in the middle of 2023, De La Cruz displayed improvements during his first full year in 2024. Even though last year was an impressive showing, it is believed that De La Cruz has still yet to show his fullest potential. De La Cruz’s talent is immeasurable, and it is now Terry Francona’s role to get the most out of him through cleaner defense on routine plays, better plate appearances to reduce strikeouts, and more selective stealing to increase base running productivity. All of these skills and more are things to look out for in De La Cruz’s 2025.
With additions to the rotation, bullpen, and offense this winter, the Cincinnati Reds added much-needed depth and leadership, headlined by hiring a decorated manager. With these improvements, the 2025 Reds look like a well-rounded ballclub, and I see no reason why they could not compete in the NL Central crown for at least the next couple of years. The Reds have not made the playoffs since 2020, won a playoff game since 2012, a playoff series since 1995, and have not won it all since 1990. How far will they go in 2025?
