Jeimer Candelario's contract isn't the only thing making this Reds player expendable

Jeimer Candelario is likely done for the season. The Cincinnati Reds' most-costly free agent signing is currently on the injured list with a fractured toe, and it would seem that his first season in the Queen City is all but over. If he fails to return to the field, Candelario will finish the 2024 season with a .225/.279/.429 slash line, 20 home runs, 56 RBI, and 92 OPS+. That's hardly what anyone throughout Reds Country was hoping for after watching Cincinnati hand Candelario a three-year, $45 million deal.

But while many Reds fans are already clamoring for Nick Krall and Co. to trade Candelario this offseason, no team is going to take on the remaining two years and $30 million owed. Candelario was woeful at the dish and even worse in the field, though the 30-year-old did experience quite the surge during the month of June.

Whether you like it or not, Candelario is here to stay. The same cannot be said for Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Also on the IL, Encarnacion-Strand barely played this season, and when he did, last year's rookie looked overmatched. Both players occupy a similar spot on the field and in the lineup, but Candelario's hefty contract isn't the only reason that Encarnacion-Strand might be playing elsewhere in 2025.

Jeimer Candelario's contract isn't the only thing making Christian Encarnacion-Strand expendable

Candelario's contract will demand that he's on the field when healthy. But there are other reasons that Encarnacion-Strand's return to the Reds in 2025 is far from certain. Not only will Candelario be back next season, but Ty France's performance down the stretch makes it almost a lock that the former Seattle Mariners' infielder will be on next year's roster as well.

France was midseason acquisition after being designated for assignment by the Mariners, and the former All-Star has put up terrific numbers since donning a Reds uniform. France is hitting .307/.357/.474 since joining Cincinnati, and though his arbitration number will likely be somewhere in the neighborhood of $8 million, the Reds cannot afford to non-tender him this winter.

While Candelario and France will be standing in the way of Encarnacion-Strand finding playing time in the big leagues, Cincinnati's top infield prospect won't be in the minor leagues for long at this rate either. Cam Collier has been everything the Reds had hoped for, and more, since the MLB Futures Game in July.

Collier is hitting .286/.441/.526 since mid-July and has seven homers and 26 RBI during that 41 game stretch. Collier is still at the High-A level, but if the combination of Canadelario and France can hold down the fort until Collier gets another year of experience under his belt, the time could be right for the former first-round pick to take over at first base in 2026. Fellow prospect Sal Stewart could also be in the mix.

Of course, nothing is forcing the Reds to move on from Encarnacion-Strand. The slugger has still has minor league options left, numerous years of team control remaining, and will cost the league minimum in 2025. But if another team in need of some thump in the middle of their lineup comes calling, don't put it past the Reds to make a trade involving Encarnacion-Strand this offseason.

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