Reds should look to revive the career of this former Rookie of the Year

It sounds like the Cincinnati Reds are done making major moves this offseason. Following the signing of Frankie Montas, Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall told C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic that the club was done with major signings this offseason.

But, in typical cryptic Krall fashion, the Reds executive left open the possibility of adding another relief pitcher or two and mentioned the possibility of bolstering the team's bench. So, don't look for Cincinnati to go chasing Teoscar Hernandez in free agency. But if all the Reds need is a platoon option to pair with Will Benson and Jake Fraley, that type of addition shouldn't break the bank.

At the moment, it's fair to assume that either Stuart Fairchild or Jose Barrero will be the last player to fill out the Reds' bench in 2024. But don't sleep on the possibility that Krall still has a trick or two up his sleeve.

The Reds should take a flier on former Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis

Kyle Lewis won the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 2020. Unfortunately, all that talent seems to have evoparated over the last few years. After posting a slash line of .262/.364/.437 with 11 round-trippers while playing 58 games during the pandemic-shortened season, Lewis has managed to appear in just 70 games over the past three seasons.

Lewis tore his meniscus midway through the 2021 season, and lingering knee issues kept the right-handed hitting outfielder from making an impact in 2022. Following that season, the Seattle Mariners traded Lewis to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 27-year-old spent most of last season in Triple-A and was non-tendered by the D-backs earlier this offseason.

Lewis didn't make much of a contribution in the big leagues last season, but while in the minors, he hit .371/.457/.641 and struck out less than 20-percent of the time. Lewis also posted a 13.3-percent walk-rate for the Reno Aces and had a wRC+ of 164 according to FanGraphs.

Kyle Lewis is also under team-control through 2026 and has minor-league options remaining. MLB Trade Rumors predicted that Lewis would make approximately $1.61 million via arbitration, so it's quite likely the Cincinnati Reds could sign him for less than $2 million. Seems like the type of minor signing to bolster the team's bench that Nick Krall was talking about, doesn't it?