3 Reds players who won't be non-tendered, but will eventually lose their roster spot

2. Reds RHP Levi Stoudt hasn't done enough to keep his roster spot

Levi Stoudt was part of the Cincinnati Reds 2022 trade that sent Luis Castillo to the Seattle Mariners. In addition to Stoudt, the Reds also landed Noelvi Marte, Edwin Arroyo, and Andrew Moore.

Stoudt was hardly a "throw-in". A former third-round pick of the Mariners back in 2019, Stoudt was in the mix to be part of the Reds 2023 Opening Day starting rotation. But a tough spring training saw the right-hander begin his season in Triple-A.

Stoudt yo-yo'd between Triple-A and the big leagues last season, and the 25-year-old had mostly negative results. In four major league appearances, including two starts, Stoudt posted a miserable 9.58 ERA and 2.32 WHIP.

It's hardly fair to outright condemn Stoudt's performance based off little more than 10 innings of work. But his production in the minor leagues wasn't anything to write home about either.

According to FanGraphs, Levi Stoudt posted a 6.23 ERA and 7.40 FIP in 82.1 innings of work at Triple-A Louisville last season. Even worse, however, might be Stoudt's 13-percent walk-rate and 5.47 walks per nine innings.

Stoudt faces some stiff competition this spring in order to secure a spot in the Reds starting rotation, and is probably ticketed for a relief role going forward. But if the Cincinnati Reds add arms this offseason, Stoudt may lose his spot on the 40-man roster.

3. Reds SS Jose Barrero will still be on shaky ground after the non-tender deadline

Some Reds fans believe it's already time for the Cincinnati Reds to part ways with Jose Barrero, but there's no financial incentive to do so. With Nick Senzel rumored to be non-tendered later today, the Reds may want to hang on to Barrero for added depth.

Barrero has struggled to hit major league pitching; there's no doubt about that. But Barrero has fewer than 150 games played in the bigs and only 447 career-plate appearances. So while Barrero has failed to gain any sort of traction, let's not pretend that he's actually received a fair shake.

Reds fans have watched Senzel scuffle through injuries and poor performances for five seasons, and the team is just now looking to part company with the former first-round pick. Barrero will likely be given a similar stretch of time before the Reds finally wave goodbye.

However, the Reds have a tremendous amount of depth with Jonathan India, Elly De La Cruz, Noelvi Marte, Spencer Steer, and Matt McLain all possessing the ability to play up the middle of the infield.

If the Cincinnati Reds have the opportunity to trade Jose Barrero, they should certainly pull the trigger on any deal. But that seems unlikely to materialize after watching Barrero post strikeout-rates above 30-percent.

Barrero will be walking a tight rope throughout the offseason, and any free agent signing this offseason could result in a correspondng move that sees the 25-year-old designated for assignment.

In the end, Jose Barrero may reach Goodyear as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, but there are hurdles he'll have to clear. All signs point to Cincinnati keeping Barrero on the roster at the non-tender deadline, but his roster spot heading into the offseason is anything but secure.