Cincinnati Reds should make the playoffs in 2019 if the front office can stay out of the way

By trading away young veterans and leaving prospects in the minors longer, the Cincinnati Reds have positioned themselves to make the playoffs in 2019.

The Cincinnati Reds have positioned themselves to be a team filled with elite talent in 2019. The two position players that need to make it to the majors to stay by then are third baseman prospect Nick Senzel and catching prospect Tyler Stephenson. Senzel had the reputation as an aggressive defender at Tennessee, while Stephenson is the organization’s top catching prospect. They will complete the reload of the position players from the last playoff team.

From a pitching perspective Anthony DeSclafani will have had a chance to become a true ace. Amir Garrett will have passed Brandon Finnegan and will be pressuring DeSclafani as the top pitcher on the staff. Robert Stephenson and Cody Reed will have established themselves as solid MLB contributors in the rotation.

In the bullpen the trio of Nick Travieso, Sal Romano, and Barrett Astin will be in their second season of full-time experience unless Astin stays up the entire 2017 season, while Michael Lorenzen will be in his third year as the Reds’ closer. It may be the first year that Raisel Iglesias is not Lorenzen’s primary set-up man as following the 2019 season Iglesias will be eligible for free agency.

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The bench will be anchored by Eugenio Suarez in the first year that Senzel is the everyday third baseman and Zach Vincej in his second season as the top defensive infielder on the Reds’ roster. The back-up catcher by this time will either be Tucker Barnhart or Stephen Turner.

In order for the Cincinnati Reds to be ready for the playoffs, they must be smart about who leaves.

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By the time that 2019 rolls around Devin Mesoraco will have moved on to an American League team where he can DH on his off days. Tony Cingrani will be fighting for his roster spot on some one else’s roster. Adam Duvall will either be on the Reds’ bench or have been traded to another team when Jesse Winker takes over left field full-time.

The big question mark is who will be the center fielder. There is little chance that Billy Hamilton will still be in Cincinnati by the start of the 2019 season. He will be increasingly expensive because of his defense and speed.

That’s OK. The Reds will have Jose Peraza and Winker at the top of the line-up. The center fielder just needs to bat seventh and play defense. Plus, Blake Trahan could be ready by 2019, so Peraza could move to center.

The Reds will have Rookie Davis and Tim Adleman as Triple-A depth. The Reds could also flip them to other teams for more prospects before then. That is the secret of a mid-market team. Every iteration requires letting some talent go, so there are options in the pipeline.

Next: The four closer idea of the Reds isn't a good one.

This is just a rough idea of what the team will look like in 2019. It could be the first year that the Reds are back in the playoffs. All the front office has to do is clear out the old players and find a replacement for Bryan Price. Whatever they do, they can’t let DeSclafani and Peraza go like they have in past years with similar players.

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