Reds fans feel duped as the Kyle Schwarber chase now seems like pure theater

The Cincinnati Reds were in the Kyle Schwarber sweepstakes up until the end, but ultimately lost bidding war. Schwarber reportedly agreed to a five-year, $150 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Reds reported offer came in at five years and $125 million.

So while the total value of the contract fell $25 million short, at least the Reds were willing to spend $25 million on an elite-level player. And with Schwarber off the board, common sense would lead one to believe that Cincinnati's front office will now look to reallocate those funds in order to bolster the roster in other ways, right?

Not so fast, my friends. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required), the Reds are not expected to pursue other expensive free agents. Their offer to Schwarber was tied to their belief that his addition would help drive ticket sales. Say what?!

Reds fans feel duped after the Kyle Schwarber chase falls short

If Rosenthal's reporting is to be believed — and there's no reason to doubt it — the Reds' pursuit of Schwarber had little to do with acutally improving the team's chances of winning, but rather their opportunity to make more money because of his close ties to the area. Schwarber grew up in Middletown, Ohio which is just a few miles north of Cincinnati.

If the Reds fail to pursue any other meaningful additions — and reserve that $25 million they were willing to spend on Schwarber — preferring instead to make some low-cost additions around the margins on high-upside players and/ or reclamation projects, the front office and ownership group should be utterly embarrassed and ashamed.

The fans in great city of Cincinnati weren't excited about seeing Schwarber in a Reds uniform because he grew up a few miles down the road. They were excited about the difference he could make in the middle of the batting order. Current free agents like Pete Alonso, Ryan O'Hearn, and even former Reds third baseman Eugenio Suárez could do the same thing, and the Reds should immediately pivot.

This line of thinking is insulting to the Reds fanbase. Homecomings are always a nice story, but they don't amount to a hill of beans if the homegrown player hits .174 and commits 29 errors. Such a player could've grown up a stone's throw from Great American Ball Park, have attended every home game for 13 years, listened to Marty and Joe on the radio, and Reds fans would want him excommunicated from the state of Ohio. It's not about a player's upbringing, it's about his on-field production.

Reds fans don't care if a player is from Indiana, Kentucky, Sweden, Japan, or even Canada (see Joey Votto, 2007-2023). The Cincinnati faithful just want to see their team win, and win big, which is something this franchise hasn't done since 1990. The Reds haven't even advanced in the postseason since 1995 — the longest such streak in professional sports.

The Reds still have time to save face. There are plenty of high-level free agents available who could make a tremendous impact on next year's roster. But if the Reds front office and ownership group continue to cry poor after offering Schwarber a contract worth $25 million AAV, fans aren't going to buy it. And soon enough, they'll stop buying tickets.

Cincinnati's failed attempt to land Schwarber could result in the exact opposite of what their pursuit was intended to do — fill Great American Ball Park with Reds fans.