Reds' Kyle Schwarber push was closer than fans realize and leaves room for hope

After much hand-wringing and consternation over budgets and payroll, the Cincinnati Reds did in fact make a competitive offer to Kyle Schwarber. And while fans are understandably crestfallen that a homecoming did not come to fruition, they should be delighted at what Nick Krall stepping up to the plate could mean.

The Reds came in with a five-year offer at $125 million, "with the potential to grow," insinuating that there were some incentives or escalators thrown in. It wasn't a $30 million AAV deal, but a $25 million per year deal is nothing to sneeze at.

That shows that the club is serious about offensive upgrades, and perhaps a pivot is on the horizon — though Reds fans certainly have reason to doubt.

The Reds' competitive offer to Kyle Schwarber indicates that maybe they are willing to pony up for a big bat

The Reds are going to be budget-conscious, so of course, you can't simply expect them to hand out a blank check. That said, maybe we can set our sights a bit higher than the bargain bin options that we've seen regularly connected to the club.

Could that mean a reunion with a fan favorite slugger? Possibly, and Eugenio Suarez makes a lot of sense from a dollars and years perspective, even if the positional fit is a bit of a question. Is Pete Alonso a possibility if his market remains frigid? Potentially, though not likely.

Another option fans could see is Cincinnati turning to the trade market to find the bat they covet. There are several rumored to be available, headlined by the Arizona Diamondbacks superstar Ketel Marte.

After all, there's no way they could've stayed at $119 million in payroll with a $25 million AAV offer to Schwarber, so perhaps they could look at a highly paid bat on the trade market as a potential solution.

At the end of the day, it's all speculation. We don't know how things will turn out. Perhaps, this was — as many have speculated — a one-time deal to get a hometown star into the fold. But if the goal is to build on 2025's promise, then extending that sort of willingness to spend to another powerful bat makes all the sense in the world.

However, if they decide to contract the budget back to last year's mark after being spurned by Schwarber, fans will know that they aren't serious about ascending to the realm of true contenders.