Reds need Justin Wilson to rebound in 2022

We've talked recently about the need for the Cincinnati Reds to receive positive contributions from the likes of Mike Moustakas, Amir Garrett, and Eugenio Suárez in 2022. But what about Justin Wilson?

The left-hander, whom the Reds acquired from the New York Yankees at the trade deadline, picked up his player option for next season.

Reds reliever Justin Wilson picked up his player-option.

Wilson will receive $2.6M from Cincinnati in 2022, and for the moment, may be the only reliable lefty in David Bell's bullpen.

Garrett is up for arbitration, and seeing as how the Reds already parted ways with Wade Miley and Tucker Barnhart, giving AG a raise wouldn't necessarily align the club's payroll with their resources.

Cionel Pérez is another candidate to be in the Reds bullpen next season, but the southpaw was wildly erratic last season

Pérez will have to fight tooth and nail this coming spring to secure a spot on the Reds Opening Day roster.

Reiver Sanmartin is another option, but the left-hander performed well in two starts last season, albeit against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Reds General Manager Nick Krall has said that Sanmartin will compete with Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo for a spot in the Cincinnati starting rotation next season.

At $2.6M, the Reds are not going to be so quick to dismiss Justin Wilson as they were Zach Duke and Sean Doolittle. Both veteran lefties were dumped after they failed to right the ship.

Wilson struggles mightily last season while with the Yankees. Wilson was 1-1 in 18 innings of work, owning a 7.50 ERA, 7.50 K/9, and 4.50 BB/9.

A change of scenery, however, seemed to do Wilson some good. While his K/9 and improved only slightly, Wilson's ERA dropped to 2.81.

The Justin Wilson the Reds saw after acquiring him from the Yankees last summer is the same version that Cincinnati hopes to see on the field in 2022.

Unless the Cincinnati Reds acquire a lefty via trade or free agency this offseason, the team has very few options to call upon out of their bullpen next season.

Wilson is not a high-leverage lefty, but he can be a valuable piece of the Reds bullpen in 2022.