Cincinnati Reds: Diving deeper into the payroll obligations

With free agency revving up, how much money do the Cincinnati Reds have committed to next year’s payroll? Let’s dive a little deeper, shall we?

The average payroll in Major League Baseball last season was roughly $135 million. The Cincinnati Reds spent well below that mark with an active payroll of about $91 million. Let’s take a deeper look at what the Reds already owe as they enter the 2019 season and how much dough they may be able to spend.

If you take into consideration the retained salaries of players like Devin Mesoraco, Yovani Gallardo, Adam Duvall, and others, plus the deferred salaries of Bronson Arroyo and Ken Griffey Jr., the Reds 2018 payroll looks more like $113 million. There’s only one free agent contract, Matt Harvey‘s, coming off the books so a lot of next year’s payroll will look the same.

The Cincinnati Reds currently have just north of $68 million accounted for in next year’s payroll. The biggest chunk of that belongs to perennial All-Star Joey Votto. Votto is signed through the 2023 season and will be making $25 million this season.

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The other albatross of a contract on the books for next season is one most Reds’ fans wish would just go away. Homer Bailey is owed $23 million next season. Not only that, if Cincinnati desires to move on from their oft-criticized starter, it’ll cost them an additional $5 million for his buyout.

Beyond that, Cincinnati doesn’t have a ton of financial commitments for next season. Eugenio Suárez’s new deal kicks in next season, as the Reds’ third baseman will be making $7 million next season. Tucker Barnhart is due to make $2.5 million, as is reliever David Hernández.

Two more relief pitchers round out the committed salary the Reds have going into 2019. Jared Hughes ($2.1 million) and Raisel Iglesias ($5 million) are slated to make a combined $7.1 million in salary next season.

So, as was mentioned above, that puts us at just over $68 million committed towards next year’s payroll. Of course, absent from that number are the salaries of the arbitration-eligible players such as Curt Casali, José Peraza, and Michael Lorenzen. Billy Hamilton‘s salary, which is sure to jump beyond the $4.6 million he made in 2018 is not included either.

Scooter Gennett‘s 2019 salary is not part of the equation either, as he is in the final year of arbitration eligibility. There is also the possibility of a long-term extension between the Cincinnati Reds and Scooter should the two sides come to an agreement this offseason.

So, as the Reds prepare to enter free agency, with an increase in payroll on the mind of Reds’ owner Bob Castellini, Cincinnati has some considerable funds to utilize. With Bailey’s salary coming off the books next offseason, a few backloaded contracts could be just what the doctor ordered for the Cincinnati Reds.

The deals will start coming hard and fast in the coming days and weeks. Look for the Reds to be aggressive, especially with regard to starting pitching. While they’re not likely to overspend, the Reds recent hires to the coaching staff show that they’re not just going to sit on their hands either.