Reds are perfect fit for this impending free agent (but not for the reason you think)

With Christian Encarnacion-Strand back in Triple-A and Spencer Steer putting up so-so numbers, the Cincinnati Reds may be in the market for a first baseman this offseason.

For months, the team has been circling a player familiar to manager Terry Francona: Josh Naylor. The former Cleveland Guardian and current Seattle Mariner would fit in nicely with the Reds’ current scheme, but it’s not his power that could turn heads if Cincinnati picked him up as a free agent.

Since joining Seattle, Naylor has been tearing up the basepaths. The 235-pound slugger doesn’t seem a likely candidate to be swiping bags, but in just 21 games, he has 11 steals.

Josh Naylor is top slugger, but his surprising guile on the basepaths should put him on the Reds radar

With the aggressive approach of Mariners manager Dan Wilson, Naylor has found a way to be even more dangerous, and while he doesn’t seem likely to be a real speed threat once the league catches on, his ability to time his jumps and stretch for extra bases would fit right into Francona’s style of play.

Francona is already familiar with Naylor’s abilities. In the skipper’s final year in Cleveland, the first baseman swiped 10 bases. In 2025, he has already snagged 22 bags. He may be the most unlikely 20-20 candidate in baseball. All this despite having one of the worst sprint speeds in baseball. It’s all in the lead he gets, which exceeds 16 feet on his stolen base attempts.

Francona loves the old-school approach of “get ‘em on, get ‘em over, get ‘em in.” During his time in Cleveland, which coincided with a de-emphasis on steals, he sent his baserunners from first to second 24% more often than league average. He’s helped speedster Elly De La Cruz cut his outs created on the basepaths from 12 in 2024 to 4 so far in 2025.

Adding Naylor to the lineup, of course, wouldn’t just be because of his “speed.” His .818 OPS would be among the best on the Reds’ current roster and better than De La Cruz’s current mark. Naylor would also shore up one of the weakest parts of the lineup; Reds first basemen have a collective -2.2 bWAR this season. And boy, would it be fun to watch the guy run.

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