Reds just made an expensive Matt McLain mistake they could’ve avoided

The Cincinnati Reds made a very expensive mistake, and it's going to cost them upwards of $2 million this winter. Matt McLain barely qualified for Super Two status this year, meaning he'll be due a raise a through the arbitration process this offseason.

This could've easily been avoided if the Reds would've optioned McLain to the minor leagues during the regular season — something they would've been completely justified in doing. Fans will remember McLain's outrageously horrific 47-game stretch during the final two months of season when he hit .215/.284/.340 with 58 strikeouts. All the while, Sal Stewart was waiting in the wings.

Super Two status enables the top 22% percent of players who've accrued more than two (but less than three) years of service time to qualify for arbitration. According to MLB Trade Rumors, this year's cutoff is expected to be two years and 140 days of service time. McLain has exactly two years and 140 days of MLB service time. As such, he's estimated to take home about $2.6 million in 2026; almost $2 million more than the league minimum he would've received without Super Two status.

Matt McLain qualifies for Super Two status and the Reds are about to fork over a bunch of money

When a player is healthy and not part of the active roster, he does not gain service time. That's why a player like Christian Encarnacion-Strand, though he debuted in 2023, has only accumulated one year and 77 days worth of MLB service time. The 'one year' actually came while he was on the 60-day IL in 2024.

This past season, however, Encarnacion-Strand spent most of the year with the Louisville Bats after being optioned to the minors. Had the Reds done the same with McLain — and goodness knows they had every reason to do so — his service time would've been paused.

Since players must remain in the minor leagues for at least 10 days after being optioned, McLain would've failed to meet the service time minimum, and much like Elly De La Cruz and Andrew Abbott, wouldn't have been eligible for arbitration until after next season.

Most Reds fans would probably have overlooked this mistake if McLain had actually played up to his potential in 2025. But after watching him post a .220/.300/.343 slash line, the Cincinnati faithful won't like seeing his mediocre performance rewarded with a bump in pay. Unfortunately for the Reds' ownership group, that's the way the system works.