Cincinnati Reds: Tyler Stephenson will surely replace Curt Casali, right?

The Reds should turn to Tyler Stephenson and move on from Curt Casali.

The Cincinnati Reds catching situation will be one to monitor all offseason. Who will be the starting catcher on April 1, 2021? Knowing David Bell, it’ll be based on who is the better matchup against the Opening Day starter for the St. Louis Cardinals. Regardless, it’s time for Curt Casali to step aside and for the Reds to usher in the Tyler Stephenson era.

I’m a big fan of Curt Casali, and if I had to choose, I’d prefer the Reds keep Casali instead of Tucker Barnhart. That’s not a knock against Tucker either, as he’s easily one of the top defensive catchers in the league and may win his second Gold Glove Award this season. The point is, Cincinnati cannot go into the season with three catchers, right?

Given what we’ve seen from David Bell over the past two seasons, he’s going to change his starting lineup based on the head-to-head matchups between his players and the opposing team’s starting pitcher. If there’s a right-hander on the mound, get ready to see a plethora of left-handed hitters. If it’s a southpaw, right-handed hitters will dominate the Reds lineup.

Knowing that, and seeing the offensive potential of Tyler Stephenson, I think it’s likely we’ll the Cincinnati Reds move on from Curt Casali this winter. Like Stephenson, Casali is a right-handed hitter, while Tucker Barnhart switched to hitting exclusively from the left side last season.

Neither Casali or Barnhart are known for their offense. Both, however, are lauded by their battery mates for their work behind the dish. Few catchers are going to call a better game than Casali, and Barnhart owned nine defensive runs saved (DRS) in 2020 according to FanGraphs. Barnhart also gunned down eight of the 22 would-be base stealers who attempted to swipe a bag.

MLB Trade Rumors recently came out with their latest arbitration projections for the 2021 season. Casali, will likely make between $1.8M and $2.4M. While that’s not a huge number, owners will likely be looking to shed as much unnecessary salary as possible, and Stephenson would be making the league minimum.

For those Reds fans who are clamoring for the front office to re-sign Trevor Bauer, the ownership is going to want to save as much money as possible. That likely means no upgrade at shortstop and rolling with Stephenson behind the dish instead of Curt Casali.

Whether it’s 2021 or 2022, Tyler Stephenson is sure to become the Cincinnati Reds starting catcher very soon. The question this offseason will be whether or not Stephenson replaces Casali before the start of the season, during spring training or during the 2021 campaign.