3 Reds players who don't deserve to be on the 40-man roster

Kevin Newman does not deserve to be on the Reds 40-man roster.

The Cincinnati Reds traded away Kyle Farmer this past fall, and in the same day acquired shortstop Kevin Newman from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for relief pitcher Dauri Moreta. Newman is little more than an insurance policy for the Reds in the event that Jose Barrero fails to improve upon his woeful 2022 performance.

The Reds have invested too much into Barrero to just shove him aside. That said, his leash will be very short heading into 2023 after the horrific performance he put forth during his extended time at shortstop last season.

Newman is an experienced shortstop who is known more his defense than his hitting. While his bat was relatively productive last season (.274/.316/.372), the previous two seasons saw Newman hit a combined .226/.268/.302.

The Cincinnati Reds also have a bevy of talented shortstops who'll be knocking on the major league door during the upcoming season. Fans throughout the tri-state area are excited about seeing Elly De La Cruz make his major league debut, but former first-round pick Matt McLain is very close to making it to The Show as well.

In the end, Kevin Newman feels like little more than a placeholder. If Barrero is able to show that 2022 was an outlier and not a sign of things to come, Newman become very expendable. If De La Cruz or McLain crack the Opening Day roster, then there's little reason at all for the former Bucs' shortstop to occupy a spot on the 40-man roster.