3 players the Reds wish were still on their roster

Hindsight is always 20/20. It's easy to look back on a decision that you made last year or even last week and think to yourself, "Man, I wish I didn't do that." Well, if it happens to you and I, it most certainly happens to baseball executives as well. Which players do the Cincinnati Reds wish were still on the roster right now?

Whether it was a trade that didn't go your way or a player that you allowed to enter free agency only to see him go on and have an outstanding season or career, as a general manager, you just hope to have more hits than swings and misses.

The oft-criticized Cincinnati front office has made its fair share of blunders by either by trading away talented young prospects, or not re-signing some key free agents. Which three players do the Reds wish they still had on their roster or in their farm system?

1. Josiah Gray, Former Reds pitching prospect

Josiah Gray has now been traded twice his career, but this time, I think he's found a permanent home in our nation's capital. Gray was a key piece of the trade that earlier this summer sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to Los Angeles. But, before he was a National, or even a Dodger, Gray was part of the Cincinnati Reds farm system.

Gray was originally drafted with the 72nd overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, the same year that Jonathan India was taken in the first round. Gray was packaged with another top prospect, shortstop Jeter Downs, and was shipped to LA in exchange for Alex Wood, Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, and Kyle Farmer. As it turns out, Farmer is the only player left from that deal.

Gray made his major league debut this season, first for the Dodgers and then for the Nats. While he went just 2-2 with a 5.48 ERA, the talent is there and the right-hander is expected to be a big part of Washington's starting rotation moving forward.

At the time, the Reds front office was focused on moving on from Homer Bailey, who was unceremoniously dumped by LA shortly after the trade was made. Farmer was the best thing to come out of that trade, though he's little more than a role player. And yes, I love Kyle Farmer and couldn't imagine what this year's team would have looked like without him.

While the Cincinnati Reds may have a very deep rotation at the moment, Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle are only under team control for two more seasons and Sonny Gray and, most likely Wade Miley, will be free agents after next season. Pairing Josiah Gray with Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and Vladimir Gutierrez would've given the Redlegs an imposing young rotation for years to come.

2. Kevin Gausman, Former Reds relief pitcher

The talent was always there, but Kevin Gausman never really put it together during the early part of his career. A former first-round pick, No. 4 overall by the Baltimore Orioles in 2012, Gausman bounced around the league quite a bit.

After six seasons and an ERA of 4.22 over 236 games with the Orioles, Gausman found a new home in Atlanta. During his year-plus with the Braves, the right-hander posted a 4.77 ERA and was eventually let go after 26 starts.

The Reds swooped in and picked up Gausman off waivers in 2019, as a reliever, Gausman recorded 29 punch outs over 22.1 innings and posted an immaculate inning during his 15 appearances with Cincinnati to end his 2019 season.

The Redlegs declined to bring Gausman back and decided instead to non-tender the Colorado native rather than pay what likely would have eclipsed a $9M salary in 2020. That's exactly what the San Francisco Giants paid Gausman that offseason, and there may not have been a better bargain in all of baseball.

In 2020, Kevin Gausman posted a 3.62 ERA over 59.2 innings of work and his strikeout-rate reached a career-high of 32.2%. Gausman parlayed that success into what amounted to a one-year/$18.9M contract after agreeing to a qualifying offer.

Gausman is sure to cash in this offseason and likely will sign a massive extension with the San Francisco Giants or find a new home as a free agent. The Cincinnati Reds sure wish they had an arm like Gausman in their rotation. The 30-year-old went to his first All-Star Game this season and finally realized the potential that saw him taken in the first round nearly 10 years ago.