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The Cincinnati Reds saved all of their holiday season news for one single day, backfilling the openings in their outfield with a signing of lefty JJ Bleday and acquiring righty Dane Myers from the Miami Marlins later that day.
Both moves were low-cost, with Bleday on a reported salary of $1.4 million for 2026 (with team control through arbitration going forward) and Myers still a pre-arb guy who’ll make essentially the league minimum this season. While it’s certainly Cincinnati’s M.O. to bring in talent that’s a) cheap as can be and b) controllable going forward, it also may be an indication that they are just about tapped out with their payroll possibilities with pitchers and catchers due to report to Goodyear in just over one month.
That’s not to say the Reds are ‘done,’ though. In the wake of those signings, the crew from The Athletic relayed that the team is still open to further additions – namely in the outfield – should things line up the right way for them. That’s encouraging considering Bleday’s awful 2025, Myers’ extremely limited experience (despite already being 30 years old in 2026), TJ Friedl’s injuries (and him also hitting 30), and Noelvi Marte’s up and down career to date (and extremely limited experience as an actual outfielder).
Will Benson, of course, is still very much in the mix, and here’s where we point out that Benson, Bleday, Myers, and Marte all still have options remaining if need be. These are pieces of the puzzle with upside, yes, but aren’t necessarily etched in stone for 162 games as big leaguers next year if things don’t turn around for them.
That opens the can of worms. If the Reds are a) still open to further additions of specific impact and b) are right around tapped-out on their payroll, it’s hard to see them bringing in anyone of note without shedding a little big of salary in the other direction. With that in mind, the latest edition of MLB Reacts for the Reds focuses on which currently rostered veteran making more than league-minimum in 2026 profiles as the most likely to be moved by the Reds in the event of them bringing in another impactful player to offset it.
In Gavin Lux, you’ve got a guy who continues to be positionless and who’s set to make ~$5 million in 2026 in his final year of team control before reaching free agency. Despite possessing zero pop (.374 SLG in 2025 while calling GABP his home park), he did post a 102 wRC+ on a team otherwise devoid of offense, his left-handed swing a good complement to the litany of righties around. Still, he’s more DH than anything and his lack of defense meant he was just a 0.3 fWAR and -0.2 bWAR guy, and there’s worry his .351 BABIP last season rendered him nothing more than a slightly lucky, light-hitting platoon bat who doesn’t play defense well anywhere. If someone bites – and you can replace his offense with someone with more pop – he could be on the move.
Spencer Steer, on the other hand, still has three full seasons of team control as he hits arbitration (at roughly $4.5 million) for the first time in 2026. A shoulder injury set him back early, but he rebounded well after an awful March/April (.767 OPS, 19 HR in 122 G) and was a Gold Glove finalist for his solid work at 1B. He’s versatile defensively – to a point – but Sal Stewart’s emergence could mean he’s a decent ‘sell-high’ guy who just got a bit more expensive. Whereas moving Lux would be a salary clearance, Steer – who’s salary is almost the same – would be to actually move a player and get something decent in return while having an in-house replacement there.
Brady Singer came in last year from Kansas City and did exactly what the Reds hoped he’d do. He stayed healthy, made every start, and even overcame a mid-year slump to finish as a 3.1 fWAR/2.9 bWAR rotation cog. He’s durable, and that’s vital for most every team, but he’s also going to be the highest paid player on the Reds at some ~$11 million in 2026 in his final year before free agency. So, he’s expensive by Cincinnati standards, not going to sign long-term, and provides an essential service any team would appreciate. If the Reds trust their inexperienced pitching depth enough, moving Singer would be the most obvious way to a) get an actual return and b) free up the most money to use elsewhere.
Finally, there’s TJ Friedl, who played more in 2026 than he ever had before and put a lot of his lost 2024 season in the rear-view mirror. He plays a premium defensive position, is one of the few actual outfielders the Reds do have, is their leadoff hitter every single day, and gets on-base without striking out – something the Reds preach to every one of their players. However, he turned 30, his SLG has dipped for three straight seasons, and the once elite speed and baserunning he displayed prior to the leg injuries in 2024 haven’t returned. He’s set to make ~$5 million via arbitration, too, and has two more years of control after 2026, so there’s a ton of Friedl out there the Reds would be trading, but that means (in theory) they could get a lot back for him, too…if they can find a team who thinks he’s more fixable than beginning an inevitable decline already.
What say you? Which of these four veteran Reds do you think is the most likely to be moved before Opening Day?
