Reds: Answering the 5 biggest questions of the offseason

4. Will the Reds pick up Wade Miley’s team-option?

This might be the easiest decision the Cincinnati Reds’ brass will have to make all winter. Wade Miley enters the offseason with the Reds holding a $10M team-option or $1M buyout. Miley, who pitched a no-hitter this season, should have his option picked up.

Miley was the anchor of the year’s Cincinnati rotation. I, for one, was very surprised at how Miley managed to navigate the season, and while September didn’t end as he had hoped, the southpaw still started 28 games and, according to Baseball Reference, led the Reds in WAR (6.0).

Miley is a pro in every sense of the word. He’s diligent about how he handles his craft, and while he’s not going to blow you away with a 97-MPH heater, Miley knows how adapt his game to the opposing hitter. This was, statistically, Miley’s best season since 2015 in Boston, and may have been his best since 2012 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

All five of Cincinnati’s starters are under team control through next season. Vladimir Gutierrez is pre-arbitration eligible, Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle will be up for Round 2 of arbitration, and Sonny Gray has one year remaining on his contract.

I’m not sold that all five starters will return to the hill for the Reds in 2022, but Miley’s option should unquestionably be picked up. Even if Cincinnati picks up Wade Miley’s option with the intent to trade him this offseason, the bottom line is, the Reds cannot allow the left-hander to enter free agency.