What the Reds Could, But Won’t, Do with Newfound TV Money

The Cincinnati Reds signed a new TV deal for 2025. Will it lead to more offseason additions? If it does, who could those additions be?

Randal Grichuk of the Arizona Diamondbacks bats against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 07: Randal Grichuk #15 of the Arizona Diamondbacks bats against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on September 07, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images)

The Cincinnati Reds were one of many teams who entered the offseason with uncertainty regarding where their games will be broadcast.

In November, the Reds had come to an agreement with the MLB for them to broadcast their games for the 2025 season.

Earlier this week, the Reds reversed course and came to an agreement with the newly-branded FanDuel Sports Network, formerly known as Bally Sports.

The Reds have never been a team to spend a lot of money, and it seemed as though the Reds were going to be done adding when Nick Krall stated that sending a Compensation Pick in the upcoming draft to the Dodgers in the Gavin Lux trade gave the Reds a little bit more breathing room financially.

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However, even with this new TV deal being regarded as a bit of a discounted deal, the payroll should be able to expand by a little bit.

The big question is, will it?

If history prevails, the answer is probably not. But, to have fun, here are a few names the Reds could look to add with this new flexibility.

Randal Grichuk

The Reds have been searching for outfield help throughout the entire offseason. With the addition of Gavin Lux, there has been some chatter that Matt McLain could get some run in the outfield. Even if that becomes a reality, the Reds still need a right-handed platoon bat to pair with Jake Fraley.

Enter Grichuk and his 139 wRC+ in 2024.

Grichuk slashed .291/.348/.528 with 12 homers across 106 games, including a .319/.386/.528 slash line against lefties last season.

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Jake Fraley had a difference in OPS between righties and lefties approaching the 200-point mark. With only 56 plate appearances against lefties in 2024 and those large discrepancies, it is clear the Reds plan to have a platoon mate for Fraley.

In 2025, the Reds need upgrades. Grichuk is just that. With such an impressive season, I thought most people may find themselves surprised at the contract Grichuk receives.

But the further we get into the offseason, the more I believe he will get what most originally expected. A one-year deal for around $10-$12 million for Grichuk seems reasonable at this point. If the Reds were to offer a second year for less money per year, that could make some sense.

Plus, if Just Baseball’s own Clay Snowden believes Grichuk is a good fit, it must be true.

Kirby Yates

In his age-37 season, Kirby Yates was awesome.

Yates posted a 1.17 ERA across 61 2/3 innings with 33 saves, which was the third highest saves total in the American League.

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The Reds need bullpen help.

As a unit, the Reds bullpen finished 18th in ERA in 2024 and saw closer Alexis Diaz have a down year with an ERA of 3.99.

Diaz led the team in saves with 28. Can you guess who was behind him? Justin Wilson and Brent Suter. They each had two saves.

Now, for teams with elite closers, it is not crazy not to have a secondary option for closing games. But, the Reds need more options in the back end of the bullpen on days when Diaz needs a day off.

If you asked me to be honest with you, I’d say I would prefer Diaz to not handle the 9th inning, but I am not in charge of the team. Therefore, at least having another option in the pen that has lots of experience in high-leverage situations is needed for a team that has playoff aspirations.

Diaz posted a 22.7% strikeout rate and a 32.7% ground ball rate in 2024. Those marks were in the 48th and 5th percentiles in all of baseball. Not good.

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Yates posted a 35.9% strikeout rate and a 45.5% ground ball rate, which put him in the 98th and 66th percentiles, respectively, a much better fit in Great American Ball Park.

Entering his age-38 season, Yates won’t command more than a one or two-year deal. In fact, I would predict a one-year deal.

Once again, the Reds can swing that.

Kyle Finnegan

Similarly to Yates, Finnegan has plenty of experience in high-leverage situations as he has been closing games for the Washington Nationals since 2021, including being their full-time closer the past two seasons.

Entering his age-33 season, Finnegan may be a bit cheaper than most would expect given his peripheral numbers suggest some regression.

Finnegan posted ERA’s of 3.76 and 3.68 in 2023 and 2024. However, in those seasons, he had expected ERA’s of 4.70 and 4.34.

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Although Finnegan averages 97.2 MPH, he only boasts a 22.1% strikeout rate.

This lowers the 33-year-old’s value, which is good for the Reds. An added positive for Finnegan, he has appeared in at least 65 games each season going back to the beginning of 2021.

For a team that was injury-riddled in 2024, that type of durability would certainly be a welcomed addition for the Reds.

Finnegan still gets ground balls at a slightly above average clip, and would not be asked to be the closer in Cincinnati. Like Yates, having someone else with that closer experience is just nice to have coming into the game in the 7th or 8th inning.

The new money for the Reds is great. It is not going to propel them to a place to give out a nine-figure contract or anything close to that. If they still cannot afford these smaller contracts this offseason, it would be a disappointment.

I am still excited and hopeful that the Reds will continue to do what they can for this franchise to make the playoffs, and hopefully advance for the first time since 1995. These moves would be a great step in that direction.

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