Reds best lineup would put 31-million dollars of payroll on the bench

As the Cincinnati Reds look to make up ground in the chase for the final NL Wild Card spot, David Bell needs to put his best players on the field night in and night out. His team currently trails the San Diego Padres by just one game in the standings.

However, if Bell were to put his eight best position players into the lineup for every game over the next month-plus, over $31M-worth of the team’s payroll would be sitting on the bench.

It’s become painfully obvious to anyone who watches this team play that the Reds’ two starting third basemen have produced little to nothing this season. Both Mike Moustakas and Eugenio Suarez have struggled mightily in 2021.

Furthermore, while Shogo Akiyama has seen more time in the field while Nick Senzel continues to nurse an injured knee, the 33-year-old has -0.9 WAR, a .214 batting average, and a 44 OPS+. If David Bell benched Moustakas, Suarez, and Akiyama, the Cincinnati dugout would be home to $31.5M-worth of the team’s payroll.

The Reds high-priced trio has accounted for -3.8 WAR in 2021.

There’s just no easy to way to say; Mike Moustakas, Eugenio Suarez, and Shogo Akiyama have been dreadful this season. Yes, Moustakas has suffered through a painful injury. Yes, Suarez has 23 home runs on the season. And yes, Akiyama’s playing is anything but consistent. Still, the Reds are paying those three players a combined $31.5M for -3.8 WAR.

The Cincinnati Reds payroll, according to Spotrac, is sitting just below league-average at $125M, while their 26-man roster accounts for almost $116M. That means that Moose, Geno, and Shogo are accounting for nearly 27% of the team’s 2021 payroll.

I wish I could tell you what’s happened to Eugenio Suarez. The Reds’ slugger is hitting a mere .172 this season, and though he’s among the best in the NL in home runs, his 144 punch outs are the second-most in the National League.

Moustakas returned form the injured list a few games ago and has yet to find his groove. But, even before the three-time All-Star’s trip to the IL, Moustakas wasn’t playing well at all. The left-handed hitting slugger was slashing just .241/.337/.437 before landing on the injured list back in May. Since his return, Moose is hitting just .125/.263/.219. Ouch!

I tend to give Shogo Akiyama a lot of slack. The former Seibu Lion made his transition to the majors leagues during the abbreviated 60-game season amid a global pandemic. This past spring, his wife suffered a traumatic injury the caused him to leave Arizona, and then upon his return, Akiyama injured his hamstring.

Add to that his lack of playing time and I tend to give Akiyama a pass. That said, he’s still taking home $7M this season and will likely be in Reds uniform in 2022 as he’s owed $8M next year.

The Reds best lineup would include both Kyle Farmer and Jose Barrero.

Strange as this may sound, the Cincinnati Reds best lineup would see the aforementioned trio all riding the pine while both Kyle Farmer and Jose Barrero occupied the left side of the infield. Farmer could easily slide over to the hot corner while Barrero manned the very familiar shortstop.

The outfield would then be comprised of Aristides Aquino in left field until Jesse Winker returns from injury, Tyler Naquin in center, and All-Star Nick Castellanos in right field. At this point, Shogo should be little more than a defensive replacement.

The Cincinnati Reds are just one game out of the Wild Card hunt while $31.5M-worth of the payroll is doing little to boost the team’s offensive profile. This is just another reason why David Bell should be in the running for NL Manager of the Year and in line for a multi-year extension.