Reds have a compelling reason to move Matt McLain to center field in 2027

The Cincinnati Reds have a lot of issues to solve and not a lot of money to put towards solutions. When you have a situation like that, creativity is the only way forward. One of the positive things working in Cincinnati's favor is that the club has a lot of versatile players, and that could be key to finding a collection of talent that makes things work.

For example, third base is an issue for the Reds who can no longer afford to hope that Ke'Bryan Hayes can hit like an average big leaguer. The unfortunate reality is that the free-agent market is barren at the hot corner, and the minor league system isn't deep enough to swing a major trade. Fortunately, they have Sal Stewart who could easily slide back to his natural position allowing the organization to target the deeper pool of cost-effective talent at first base.

Another player whose versatility Cincinnati could leverage is that of Matt McLain. Ideally, McLain would've put together a promising September to salvage his 2026 campaign and provide us some hope moving forward. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, as the 27-year-old hit a miserable .154/.188/.292 over the season's final month.

Still, there are certain ways in which McLain has value, and we can only hope that if given one more chance, he can revert to his promising 2023 form. With the Reds having some other internal options at second base, perhaps it makes sense to give McLain a try in center field, which is something the club briefly undertook in 2026.

Matt McLain playing center field would give the Reds more flexibility to build out the best possible 2027 roster

While McLain is a superb defender at second base, as evidenced by his record-setting errorless streak that topped out at 127 games, defensive excellence in center field means even more than it does at the keystone.

With 85th-percentile sprint speed and a high level of athleticism, McLain could be an equally stellar defender in center, which is a position he primarily played during his freshman year at UCLA.

That would allow the Reds to give run at second base to a variety of different players. For instance, given all the chances McLain has gotten, it's far too early to give up on Edwin Arroyo, who just turned 23 on August 25 and has a long history as a top prospect.

September sensation Juan Brito has earned a longer look after a .309/.339/.509 line since he got picked up by the Reds. In addition, the Reds just agreed to a major league contract with Oswaldo Cabrera, indicating that they want to see more from the former New York Yankees fan favorite.

On top of that, should the Reds decide to bring in outside help, the pool of talent is deeper at second than it is in center. The top center fielders are guys like Cedric Mullins, Trent Grisham, and Daulton Varsho, which is an uninspiring collection.

While the Reds won't target top of the second base market for a guy like Brandon Lowe, Jazz Chisholm Jr. might take a one-year pillow contract, and both Gleyber Torres and Luis Arraez are both projected by Spotrac to land three-year, $54 million deals that theoretically could be within Cincinnati's reach.

Sometimes you have to get creative when you're working on a tight budget, and McLain's athleticism and versatility could help the Reds put together the best possible collection of 26 players for 2027. If that means a move to center field, so be it.

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