3 Reds players who will have a career-year in 2023

The Cincinnati Reds will enter the 2023 season with little-to-no expectations of competing for a division title. Cincinnati made it to the postseason in the abbreviated 2020 season, but any thought of making it to the playoffs will likely be on hold until, at least, the 2024 season.

Still, there is a lot to look forward to with the upcoming season. The Reds are stacked with young talent and several players will be looking to make their way to The Show in 2023.

There are also a handful of experienced major leaguers on the squad who may be in line for a career-year next season. Which three Cincinnati Reds players could post their best numbers ever in 2023?

1. Reds C Curt Casali will have a career-year in 2023.

The Cincinnati Reds agreed to a one-year contract with former catcher Curt Casali last week. While Casali now becomes the third catcher on the Reds 40-man roster, he'll likely be Tyler Stephenson's primary backup behind the plate.

Moreover, there's a strong possibility that Joey Votto may not be 100% healthy by the time Opening Day rolls around. With both Mike Moustakas and Kyle Farmer no longer on the roster, Stephenson may see a lot more time at first base in 2023.

With that being the case, Casali will see his fair share of starts behind the dish. During three seasons in Cincinnati, Casali totaled 167 games and slashed .260/.345/.440. From 2021-2022, Casali's two home ballparks were not nearly as hitter-friendly as GABP. Casali posted a slash line of just .207/.315/.342 while playing for the San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners.

A return to Great American Ball Park should help Curt Casali bolster his offensive stats. While it's unfair to refer Casail as QB1, fans should expect to see the 34-year-old as the team's starting catcher at least three times per week. That increased playing time could easily result in a career-year for Casali.

3. Reds RHP Lucas Sims will have a career-year in 2023.

The Cincinnati Reds bullpen was dreadful in 2022. Part of the reason for the unit's struggles was due to injury. The Reds saw many of their key contributors miss significant time last season.

Tony Santillan, Tejay Antone, Jeff Hoffman, Justin Wilson, and Vladimir Gutierrez all ended the 2022 season on the 60-day IL. Of those five pitchers, only Hoffman appeared in more than 25 games.

But another key piece of the Cincinnati bullpen who was absent for most of the 2022 season was Lucas Sims. The right-hander never really got off the blocks. Sims was injured during spring training, began the season on the IL, and only appeared in six games before being shutdown for the entire season.

Sims' role in 2023 will likely be very different that what it was assumed to be last season. After the departures of Raisel Iglesias and Archie Bradley following the 2020 season, Sims took on more of the closer's role in 2021. The right-hander converted seven of 10 save opportunities, but his ERA slipped from 2.45 in 2020 to 4.40 in 2021.

Heading into next season, fans should expect to see Alexis Diaz acting as the Cincinnati Reds' closer. Last year's closer ascended to the premiere spot among the relief corps after free agent signee Hunter Strickland struggled.

Lucas Sims, along with Tejay Antone, will likely see more time in the seventh and eighth innings; a role that he excelled in during the 2020 season. If Sims is positioned as a setup releiver rather than the Reds' closer, look for the Georgia native to have a career-year in the Queen City next season.