Cincinnati Reds: 3 outfielders most likely to be traded this offseason

Which Reds outfielder is most likely to be dealt this winter?

The Cincinnati Reds have a good problem on their hands once again. As the team heads into the offseason, it would appear that Cincinnati has one of the deepest outfields in the league. Last season, the universal DH helped David Bell to more adequately divvy up playing time, but as of now, the designated hitter will not be an option in the National League.

We’ve seen the Reds, thankfully, move on from Travis Jankowski and Scott Schebler, but Cincinnati still has several players capable of playing on the outfield grass. Nick Castellanos decided that he would return for a second season in the Queen City and will take home $14M next season with the possibility of opting out next winter.

I think it’s safe to say that Castellanos will be on the Reds Opening Day roster in 2021. The same goes for Shogo Akiyama. During his rookie season, Akiyama struggled out of the gate, but found his stride over the last few weeks of the pandemic-shortened season. Akiyama was also a finalist for a Gold Glove and will be part of the Reds outfield in some capacity next season.

As for the other outfielders on Cincinnati’s roster, their future with the ball club is still unknown. The Reds have made an abundance of trades over the past few seasons and using one of the team’s talented outfielders could help Nick Krall replenish the farm system. Let’s take a look at the three outfielders who are most likely to be playing elsewhere in 2021.

1. Jesse Winker is the most likely outfielder to be dealt this winter.

Jesse Winker appears to be a man without a position, for the moment anyway. According to Rob Manfred, the league has no plan to implement the universal DH in 2021, though the idea may be on the table once again when negotiations come around after next season. Winker started just 13 of his his 54 games in the outfield; all the others came as a designated hitter.

The good news for Winker is that he had a solid season at the dish. The 27-year-old, who’s entering his first year of arbitration eligibility, hit .255/.388/.544 with 12 home runs and 23 RBIs. At one point during the season, Winker was the hottest hitter in all of Major League Baseball. From August 4th through the 31st, Winker slashed .397/.484/.859.

Unfortunately, Winker couldn’t keep up the frenetic pace and was humbled during the month of September. During the final month of the 2020 season, Winker hit just .104 and had only three extra-base hits. This has been Winker’s MO for sometime, as the left-handed slugger can get white-hot, but then becomes ice cold.

There is no better time like the present for the Cincinnati Reds to trade Jesse Winker. This was the first season, albeit only a 60-game sprint, in which Winker was relatively healthy. He also put up a career-high in OPS+ (142). Winker is a below-average defender and may be of great value to an American League team in need of a designated hitter.

3. Constant injuries may keep the Reds from trading Nick Senzel.

Given the way Cincinnati’s outfield is currently constructed, dealing Nick Senzel might make the most sense. After all, Shogo Akiyama can handle center field and should be in the lineup nearly every day. The Reds then have a plethora of options to platoon in left field while Nick Castellanos could anchor right. The problem is, Cincinnati may not be able to get much value for Senzel.

This situation looks eerily similar to that of Aristides Aquino, but for different reasons. While Aquino may be on the block due to his poor offensive performance, Senzel may find his way onto the trade block because of his inability to stay on the field. That said, any inquiring team would never give the Reds proper value for Senzel’s services.

Nick Senzel is a former first-rounder, and while loaded with potential, the 25 year-old played only 104 games during his rookie season and was limited to just 23 games during last year’s 60-game season. Senzel suffered through injuries at the minor league level as well, and there’s been no rhyme or reason to it.

Senzel was moved from third base to the Reds outfield in 2019 and played admirably for his first time leaving the infield dirt. A move back to the infield seems unlikely, though there is an opening at shortstop. However, the Cincinnati coaching staff has invested a lot of time into helping Senzel become a proficient outfielder.

In the end, I find it highly unlikely that Nick Senzel will be dealt. While he has a favorable contract situation for a team looking to rebuild, few teams would give up high-level prospects in return for a player who has yet to prove he can stay healthy.