How much money do Reds owe Jeimer Candelario if they release him?

The Cincinnati Reds made a surprising move during the 2023-24 offseason. Despite a glut of infielders on the 40-man roster and in their farm system, Cincinnati decided to sign Jeimer Candelario to a three-year contract.

As the 2024 season began — with Matt McLain on the injured list and Noelvi Marte suspended for the first 80 games of the season — many Reds fans came to grips with Candelario's deal. Without McLain and Marte, Cincinnati needed that extra infielder in the lineup and a steady veteran presence in the clubhouse.

But Candelario has been an utter disappointment since arriving in Cincinnati. Outside of six-week stretch last summer, Candelario has performed well below expectations, both in the batters' box and on the field. Candelario's -1.2 bWAR since joining the Reds says it all. But in case you're not convinced, the 31-year-old has just over 20 home runs and an 82 OPS+ through less than 130 games in a Cincinnati uniform.

How much money do Reds owe Jeimer Candelario if they release him?

It feels like a stretch to suggest that Cincinnati will part ways with Candelario less than two years into a three-year deal. The Reds waited until Mike Moustakas had just one year remaining before releasing the former free agent bust. Moustakas was worth -1.8 bWAR through 184 games with the Reds and was let go prior to the 2023 season despite being owed $20 million.

Candelario inked a three-year, $45 million deal with an $18 million team-option for the 2027 season. According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, Candelario is owed $16 million for the remainder of this season, and his salary actually goes down to only $13 million in 2026. That's the good news.

The bad news, however, is that Candelario's team-option for 2027 contains a $3 million buyout. So while on paper it would appear that Cincinnati would owe Candelario less money in 2026, it ultimately comes out to be $16 million in both 2025 and 2026. In short, if the Reds released Candelario at this very second, they'd owe him $32 million.

That's a mighty big chunk of change, and Reds owner Bob Castellini will try to squeeze every ounce of production out of Candelario for at least the remainder of this season. And given Candelario's standing in the clubhouse — he's seen as one of the team leaders — it might be jumping the gun to suggest that he'd receive the same type of treatment Moustakas did during the 2022 offseason.

Sorry, Reds fans, but given the numbers attached to Candelario's contract, you'd better get used to seeing No. 3 in the lineup on a regular basis. Hopefully he'll catch fire once the calendar flips to May; something he's done in the past. From May 1 through June 30 last season, Candelario hit .269/.306/.522 with 11 home runs and 30 RBI, but was plagued by injuries during the second-half of the season and ended the year on the IL.

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