2 pending free agents the Reds need to re-sign and 1 they need to let walk

The Reds should let catcher Curt Casali walk.

This one's a little tough, because Curt Casali is a consummate professional. After spending three years in the Cincinnati Reds organization, Casali went on to play for the San Francisco Giants in 2021 and 2022, but was re-signed this past offseason. However, it's hard to see the Reds running it back with three catchers once again in 2024.

Those 40-man roster spots are very valuable, and without the ability to option Casali in the minor leagues, he's quite frankly taking up space. The Reds will looking to add some of their young prospects like Rece Hinds and Christian Roa to the roster during the offseason.

In the event that Cincinnati cannot come to terms with Luke Maile on a free agent contract, then keeping Casali is great backup plan. No, he doesn't offer as much in terms of offensive production, but Casali is the best defensive catcher on the team.

That said, it just doesn't make any sense to bring back a player with an OPS+ of 36 only to suit up once or twice per week. The Reds do maintain a mutual-option on Casali's contract for the 2024 season, but it's unlikely that they'd pick that up.

Tyler Stephenson's recent power-surge should help convince the Reds that keeping the former Georgia high school standout as their QB1 heading into next season is the right idea. The Reds could then re-sign Luke Maile and keep Chuckie Robinson stashed away in the minor leagues in order to maintain depth at the catcher's spot.