Bleacher Report's biggest 'what if' for Reds might've saved David Bell's job

David Bell's tenure as the Cincinnati Reds manager came to an end earlier this week. The Reds shocked the baseball world by terminating Bell's contract last Sunday with two years still remaining on his deal.

The Reds will now look to hire a new skipper, and a list of potential Bell replacements will undoubtedly be forthcoming in the next few days. Reds fans have already heard the name Skip Schumaker, and interim manager Freddie Benavides has also thrown his hat into the ring.

But was Bell unfairly fired? Eh, that's a bit of a stretch. While the former manager wasn't the only reason the Reds failed to contend in 2024, Bell did make his fair share of errors along the way. However, Bleacher Report recently released an article titled Each MLB Team's Biggest 'What-If?' of the 2024 Season. The outlet nailed Cincinnati's biggest 'what-if', and it could've saved Bell's job.

What if Reds' 2B Matt McLain was healthy this season?

Bleacher Report claims that the Reds' biggest what-if was the absence of Matt McLain. It's hard to argue with that. McLain posted a 3.1 fWAR in less than 90 games last season with a 128 wRC+ according to FanGraphs. The former first-round pick was worth 4 defensive runs saved (DRS), 2 outs above average (OAA), and ranked among the 90th percentile in sprint speed. You could make the argument that McLain was the Reds' best player in 2023.

But a shoulder injury that required surgery, followed by a ribcage stress reaction, ended McLain's 2024 campaign before it even got started. Had McLain been healthy all season, a lot of things would have been different in Cincinnati.

The possibility of trading Jonathan India would have been squarely on the table. McLain was expected to be the Reds' starting second base with India shuttling between first and second base as well as the outfield.

McLain would've easily been batting No.1 or No. 2 in the batting order; lengthening the lineup and providing more protection to a player like Elly De La Cruz. Given McLain's combination of power and speed, it's quite possible that the Reds would have had three 20/20 players on this year's team.

The Reds were missing more than just Matt McLain in 2024

Yes, the Reds certainly missed McLain this season, but he wasn't the only key player missing from Cincinnati's roster this season. The Reds were without Brandon Williamson, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Tejay Antone for most of the 2024 campaign. TJ Friedl was in and out of the lineup, and Noelvi Marte was suspended for the first 80 games.

How many more games does a healthy Reds team win in 2024? Would it have been enough to save Bell's job? That's something we'll never know.

More Cincinnati Reds News and Rumors