MLB insider believes fellow small market team provides Reds with offseason template

If the Cincinnati Reds are looking for a blueprint for how to handle the upcoming offseason, perhaps Nick Krall and Co. should turn their attention to the Show Me State. The Kansas City Royals put together a rather bountiful offseason last winter and at least one MLB insider believes the Reds could mimic KC's success if they follow suit over the next few months.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com took some questions from baseball fans and one of the inquiries pertained to a surprise team that could spend aggressively this winter. Feinsand cited the Reds, Washington Nationals, and Pittsburgh Pirates as three teams that he believes could follow the Royals' model from last year.

Did the KC Royals provide the Reds with offseason template?

Kansas City was surprisingly aggressive last winter. The Royals inked Cy Young finalist Seth Lugo to a three-year deal and signed Michael Wacha to a contract as well. The latter exercised his player option, but Kansas City quickly re-signed the right-hander to a three-year, $51 million deal this offseason. The Royals also signed outfielder Hunter Renfroe, and relievers Will Smith and Chris Stratton.

Perhaps the biggest move the Royals made, however, was signing superstar shortstop to a massive contract extension. Reds fans would no doubt love to see Cincinnati's front office and ownership make a similar commitment to Elly De La Cruz.

The Reds have some holes, and the Cincinnati faithful are counting on Krall and front office to fix those issues. While hiring Terry Francona is unquestionably a step in the right direction, the Reds' new skipper needs talented players on the team in order to right the ship.

Mid-tier signings and investing in homegrown talent is the best way forward for the Reds

Of course, that begs the question; which free agents Cincinnati should aggressively target this offseason? Keep in mind that Kansas City didn't go overboard with their signings, and kept all their contractual commitments to three years or less. That would suggest that the Reds could look at some mid-tier talent to pair with the young core already present on the roster.

Players like Michael Conforto, Ryan Yarbrough, Shane Bieber, and Paul Sewald would probably fall into that good, but not great category (though Bieber could certainly be in line for a fine season if he's fully recovered from Tommy John surgery). There are others as well who could fit that mold, but if that's the path Cincy chooses to follow, don't expect names like Anthony Santander and Teoscar Hernández to join the Reds.

The recent separation from Diamond Sports Group certainly clouds the Reds' future spending, but as Royals fans saw in 2024, if you make wise investments during the offseason, it can pay off with a trip to the playoffs. The Reds would be smart to follow the Royals' lead.

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