Reds prediction will have fans groaning over another outfield gamble

Bleacher Report tried to do the useful thing this week and identify one realistic move each team could still make to patch its biggest hole before spring training. And for the Cincinnati Reds, the suggestion was painfully familiar.

In the NL Central section of Kerry Miller’s roundup, the Reds are linked to a “buy low” outfield bat — Michael Conforto — framed as an even cheaper alternative to a bigger-name DH type. 

If you’re a Reds fan, you can probably hear the collective sigh from across the river. Because this isn’t just a move. It’s the move the Reds always make when the offense needs a real jolt: a low-cost veteran flier that the front office can sell as “upside,” while fans are left staring at the same fundamental issue — just wearing a different jersey.

Reds fans won’t enjoy the latest Michael Conforto prediction

Cincinnati did this exact dance with Austin Hays last winter. A one-year deal, modest dollars, “change of scenery,” hope it clicks. They did it with Wil Myers and Colin Moran. So when Conforto’s name pops up as the next “realistic” patch, it doesn’t feel like a fresh idea. It just feels like a rerun.

MLB.com’s own Reds coverage has been blunt about where that impact is most likely to come from: left field — specifically, a bat that can slot behind Elly De La Cruz and make pitchers pay for attacking him. The same piece notes that Cincinnati currently has two “set” everyday outfielders (TJ Friedl in CF and Noelvi Marte in RF), and then “a whole bunch of questions,” especially in left. 

And that’s why Conforto makes fans groan: he looks like the exact kind of compromise that lets the Reds pretend they solved it. Conforto’s 2025 line is not exactly screaming “middle-of-the-order fix”: .199 average, 12 homers, .638 OPS.  That’s not the bat that changes how opponents pitch a series at Great American Ball Park. 

Yes, the upside argument is easy to write. Conforto has a track record. He’s had power. He’s had on-base ability in the past. Great American is friendly to left-handed pull power. In theory, you cross your fingers and talk yourself into a bounce-back season.

While Cincinnati was busy trying to “shore up” the outfield and run back a similar lineup, the bigger picture hasn’t changed: the Reds’ 2025 offense was below average (MLB.com pegs them at a 90 OPS+, 26th in MLB), and even in that ballpark they were 21st in homers. So if the plan is to contend, the solution can’t be “another maybe.”

A Conforto signing wouldn’t be unforgivable on a roster that already added the impact bat and was looking for depth. On this roster, it hits differently. It’s more like shopping in the bargain bin again.