Photo: Doug Gray
How many outfielders does one team need? That’s a question that the Cincinnati Reds may be looking to answer. This past week alone they’ve acquired two of them, signing JJ Bleday to a 1-year deal for $1,400,000 and trading for Dane Myers in a deal with the Miami Marlins. With those two additions it has left Cincinnati with 11 guys on the 40-man roster who played outfield in the 2025 season. Despite there only being three starting spots in an outfield, The Athletic is reporting that the Reds could be looking to add yet another outfielder to the mix.
Their reporting suggests that they are more likely to look to add an outfielder via the trade route than another free agent signing. While Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall noted over the weekend that the latest moves likely allow Gavin Lux to spend more time as a utility infielder, he’s still an option in the outfield if needed. The same can be said for Spencer Steer, who Krall noted that the team would like to see at first base given his defense at the position.
Even removing those two guys from the mix, that leaves quite a few players in the mix. Here’s what the 40-man outfielders profile like:
Center Fielders
TJ FriedlDane MyersBlake Dunn
Corner Outfielders
Noelvi MarteWill BensonJJ BledayTyler CallihanRece HindsHector Rodriguez
Some of those in the corner outfield list have some experience in center field, but the club has either stated they are being looked at more as corner outfielders (Bleday, for example) or their usage in center tells us the story.
The Reds have to spots pretty much locked up in their outfield. TJ Friedl is going to be the starting center fielder and Noelvi Marte is going to be the starting right fielder. Hector Rodriguez is almost assuredly going to begin the year in Triple-A where he only has limited experience. But everyone else has big league time under their belt and should be heading into spring training in seven weeks with a chance to make the club with a good showing in March. And a key point to make here, too, is that every one of those “non-starters” has at least one option year remaining and can be sent to the minor leagues if the club wants to go in a different direction at the big league level.
Cincinnati is likely looking to add someone who can probably play some center and who can hit left-handed pitching. Those types are in short supply. But when you acquire Dane Myers and talk up how he can do those things despite having less than 200 career at-bats in the big leagues facing left-handed pitchers and he’ll also turn 30 before the season begins, it tells you just how badly you believe the team needs to find a player who could fill out that role on the roster.
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