Cincinnati Reds: Three players who could benefit from expanded rosters

Expanded rosters could be a possibility this coming season. Which three Cincinnati Reds players would benefit the most if expanded rosters become a reality?

When will the 2020 baseball season start? As of right now, Opening Day has been postponed until at least mid-May, but early-June might be more realistic with a later start date still a possibility. Regardless of when the season starts, Major League Baseball is committed to playing as many games as possible. The Cincinnati Reds will need reinforcements.

The possibility of a shorten-season definitely exists. Will it be 100 games? 81 games? A 50-game race to the postseason? Who knows. What we do know is that, according to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, Major League Baseball is hopeful to play a full season. How they’ll do that remains to be seen, but if doubleheaders are part of the discussion, then teams will need more players.

Typically, when a doubleheader is played, a team’s roster expands by one player, usually a pitcher. Last year, you would’ve seen rosters go from 25 to 26. With the additional player added to the active roster effective this season, rosters would now expand from 26 to 27 on the day of a doubleheader.

Given that off days may be few and far between and weekly doubleheaders part of the 2020 schedule, there’s a good chance that MLB will expand rosters for this season only. Dick Williams noted, via C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, that there’s a possibility of expanded rosters once the season gets underway. Which three Reds players would benefit from more roster spots?

1. Tyler Mahle, Right-handed pitcher

The biggest winner if rosters are expanded would be Tyler Mahle. A starter last season, Mahle was essentially replaced in the rotation by Wade Miley, a left-hander who signed a two-year/$15M contract this offseason. Multiple doubleheaders would mean the need for an additional starter and Mahle certainly fits the bill.

The Cincinnati Reds have arguably one of the best starting rotations heading into the 2020 season. Cy Young candidates Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray are coming off All-Star seasons and former All-Star Trevor Bauer is looking to regain the form that saw him compete for the AL Cy Young in 2018.

Anthony DeSclafani is cemented as one of the five starting pitchers following a solid 2019 campaign, and Miley will grab one of the five spots as well. The thought going into camp was that Mahle, who has two minor-league options remaining, would begin the season at Triple-A Louisville. If the rosters expand, that may not be the case.

Mahle has been a highly-touted prospect for the Reds and despite last season’s 3-12 record, the right-hander showed improvement from his 2018 rookie season. According to FanGraphs, Mahle saw his roundball-rate increase from 38.7% to 48.0%. Mahle’s strikeout-rate also jumped from 21.7% to 23.1% and his walk-rate dropped from 10.4% to 6.1%.

Tyler Mahle may not have ace-potential, but he easily profiles as a mid-rotation starter. Mahle went away from his changeup last season and we saw him become much more reliant on his curveball. The key to Mahle’s success in the big leagues will be keeping the ball in thee ballpark, as last season, in 25 starts, Mahle surrendered 25 round-trippers.

2. Mark Payton, Outfielder

The Cincinnati Reds outfield is crowded. The additions of Shogo Akiyama and Nick Castellanos will certainly impact the playing time of last year’s holdovers Nick Senzel, Phillip Ervin and Jesse Winker. However, Rule 5 draftee Mark Payton may find a home as a reserve outfielder if the roster is expanded.

Few players within the Reds organization may have been more impacted by the halt of spring training than Mark Payton. In 14 Cactus League games, the left-handed hitter connected on nine hits and racked up four RBIs with a .333 on-base percentage. Payton, being a Rule 5 Draft pick, must be on the Reds Opening Day roster or be offered back to the Oakland A’s.

If the rosters are expanded by two to three spots, the Reds would be foolish not to take advantage of the loophole and keep Payton on the roster. The former New York Yankees farmhand is a versatile defender who’s able to play all three outfield positions.

Last season for Triple-A Las Vegas, Mark Payton put up some fantastic offensive numbers. The 28-year-old hit .334/.400/.653 with 30 doubles, 30 home runs and 97 RBIs. Payton’s potential should be enough to keep him on the roster.

Given that Aristides Aquino had opened up Cactus League play so poorly and has one minor-league option remaining, it makes the most sense for Cincinnati to hang onto Payton and send The Punisher back to Triple-A Louisville. Payton also offers more upside than fellow outfielders Scott Schebler and Travis Jankowski, both of whom are still on the 40-man roster.