Reds news: Yasiel Puig MLB return? Frankie Montas' health, Chaim Bloom joins rival

The Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers pulled off a blockbuster trade a little over five years ago. The Dodgers took on the final year of Homer Bailey's contract along with prospects Josiah Gray and Jeter Downs. In return, the Reds received Kyle Farmer, Alex Wood, Matt Kemp, and Yasiel Puig.

A lot has changed since then. Bailey and Kemp have since retired from baseball, Gray and Downs were key pieces in future trades the Dodgers made to bolster their roster, Farmer landed in Minnesota, and Wood is currently a free agent.

But the biggest name involved in that December 2018 was arguably Puig. Over the past several years, The Wild Horse has been absent from Major League Baseball. But it appears as though Puig is making a play to return to the big leagues in 2024.

Is former Reds outfielder Yasiel Puig returning to MLB?

According to Francys Romero, a contributor for MLB.com, some major league teams have expressed interest in signing Yasiel Puig. Currently playing on the Caribbean winter circuit, Puig is hitting over .350 and has hit a dozen home runs.

Romero cites the Tampa Bay Rays as a potential suitor for Puig's services. Puig is now 33 years old and hasn't played in the big leagues since 2019. A former All-Star, Puig posted a .777 OPS in 100 games with the Cincinnati Reds in 2019 before being dealt to the Cleveland Guardians as part of the return for Trevor Bauer.

Newest Reds pitcher Frankie Montas' shoulder is "great"

The Cincinnati Reds finalized their deal for Frankie Montas last week. The Reds fanbase is apprehensive to embrace the signing, and with good reason. Cincinnati is paying Montas $16 million despite the right-hander appearing in just one game last season.

However, according to Montas (via MLB.com), his shoulder feels "great". Montas is excited to show Reds Country that he's 100-percent healthy, and is likely to be slotted near the top of the Cincinnati starting rotation.

Chaim Bloom joins Reds' rival as speical advisor

Former Boston Red Sox executive Chaim Bloom has joined the St. Louis Cardinals as special advisor to the team's president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. Bloom was fired by the Red Sox just before the end of the 2023 season.

Bloom's failure in Boston might be more attributed to the team's lack of spending rather than his lack of knowledge. Bloom is very well regarded by most baseball insiders, and if the Cardinals fail to reach their lofty goals of returning to the MLB Playoffs in 2024, St. Louis may have it's new head of baseball operations already in the building.