3 early contract extensions the Reds should pursue

Which Reds players might receive a contract extension in the coming weeks?

It’s not uncommon for players and teams to negotiate contract extensions at this time of year. We’ve seen Yadier Molina, Travis d’Arnaud, Jonathan Schoop, Brandon Crawford, and Lance Lynn all sign new deals since the All-Star break. The Cincinnati Reds have several players they should consider signing longterm, but these three should be atop the list.

A small-market franchise like the Reds will be looking to maximize their investment. It’s not as if every team in Major League Baseball doesn’t try to do the same thing, but the margin for error is much less for Cincinnati.

Essentially, the Reds cannot afford to miss. We’re seeing the impact this season with players like Mike Moustakas (signed a four-year/$64M contract prior to the 2020 season), Shogo Akiyama (signed a three-year/$21M contract prior to the 2020 season), and Eugenio Suárez (signed a six-year/$66M contract extension in 2018) struggling to play up to their contacts.

The result is, the Cincinnati Reds have $30M-plus this season invested in a trio of players that are collectively hitting .162 on the season. Yes, Moustakas has spent a considerable amount of time on the IL, Akiyama has been reduced to a defensive replacement, and the Suárez at shortstop experiment was a colossal failure.

The bottom line is, Cincinnati must hit the bullseye if they offer a contract extension to any of their current crop of players. The Reds have several players who are eligible for arbitration and a handful who’ll become free agents this winter. There are also a couple Redlegs who have team and or player options available this offseason. Who should be Cincinnati’s top targets to sign an early contract extension?