What's the ideal Cincinnati Reds lineup with the likely addition of the universal DH?

8. Mike Moustakas, Reds designated hitter

Has it really come to this? Unless the Cincinnati Reds find a taker for Mike Moustakas' albatross of a contract, the answer is yes. Moustakas has been dogged by injury and underperformance since joining the Reds in 2020, and the only viable place to put him is the No. 8 spot in the batting order as Cincinnati's DH.

Moose will be taking home $16M next season, and the club is on the hook for an additional $22M in 2023. Moustakas will be paid $18M in 2023 and has a $20M team-option or $4M buyout for the following season.

Moustakas has been the subject of much trade speculation throughout the offseason, but unless Cincinnati's front office is game to attach high-level prospect or one of their starting pitchers to a deal, I think Moose will be on the team's Opening Day roster.

Moustakas has been a steady performer in the major leagues for years, but since arriving in the Queen City, he hasn't lived up to the billing. The last two seasons combined, Moose has played in just 106 games and hit .217/.304/.413.

There's still plenty of pop left in that bat, and perhaps moving Moose from third base to the role of designated hitter will help keep him healthy. In previous two seasons before moving to Cincinnati, Moustakas was worth 5.2 fWAR and had a wRC+ of 109.