3 Reds players we'll be glad are gone in 2024 and 2 we wish stayed

The Reds will miss Ben Lively

It's still surprising that the Cincinnati Reds outrighted Ben Lively off the 40-man roster and made no real attempt to re-sign the fiery right-hander to a minor-league deal. And if indeed the Reds sought to bring Lively back to the Queen City, they failed in their efforts after he agreed to terms with the Cleveland Guardians.

Lively is never going to be a frontline starter, but after all the injuries the befell the Reds rotation in 2023, it was assumed that keeping a low-cost, established pitcher like Lively was all but a foregone conclusion. As it turned out, the Reds front office had other plans.

None of this is to say that Cincinnati is going into the 2024 season unprepared. President of baseball operations Nick Krall and his team have done a good job of restocking the Reds roster with quality and quantity. But Lively seemed to fit the roster so well.

After having success overseas in 2021, Lively signed a minor-league deal with the Reds prior to 2022. After spending all season at Triple-A, the veteran earned a trip back to the big leagues last season. Lively worked as a starter and reliever, and were it not for one bad outing, his stat line would look a whole lot better.

This was an odd move, especially given the timing of it. Had the Reds decided after making some offseason additions that Ben Lively was no longer needed, so be it. But to let him go prior to the start of free agency seemed like a mistake. Let's hope it doesn't cost the Reds in 2024.