Cincinnati Reds: 4 free agents worth overpaying this offseason

2. Jake Odorizzi, Starting pitcher

Obviously, the Cincinnati Reds would love to re-sign Trevor Bauer, but if he goes elsewhere in free agency, signing Jake Odorizzi would be a nice consolation prize. Odorizzi missed much of last season with a myriad of injuries, but in 2019, the right-hander went to his first All-Star Game. The Reds need a solid starter to help boost their beleaguered offense.

Odorizzi suffered a back injury before the season that put him on the injured list, then was struck in the chest by a line drive that sent him to the IL with abdomen injury before a blister shut him down for the rest of the 2020 season. In all, Odorizzi pitched just 13.2, though he struck out 12 batters over that time.

If you eliminate last season, Odorizzi was trending in the right direction since joining the Minnesota Twins. His strikeout-rate went from 22.8% to 27.1% and his walk-rate from 9.8% to 8.1% according to FanGraphs. Odorizzi doesn’t give up a lot of home runs either, as he was responsible for just 26 during the 2018 and 2019 seasons combined. Bauer accounted for 34 homers in 2019 alone.

With Trevor Bauer likely to land a substantial deal this offseason, that leaves Marcus Stroman as the second-best starting pitcher on the market. With needy teams like the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox likely to bid against one another for the services of the top two starters on the market, Cincinnati may have to overpay if they wish to maintain some top level talent among their starting staff.