Terry Francona’s influence could reshape Reds' 2025 draft strategy in Round 1

The 2025 MLB Draft will be held next month in Atlanta, and the Cincinanti Reds will be selecting ninth-overall in Round 1. Unlike other sports where franchises can sometimes draft for need, Major League Baseball teams almost never do that. The best player available mantra was tailor-made for MLB. But will the Reds take the same approach this year with Terry Francona leading the charge?

The Reds signed Francona this past offseason to take over the reigns from David Bell. Nick Krall and the Reds front office needed a new voice in the clubhouse, and a skipper with a proven track record who could hold players accountable. Safe to say that through the first few months of the Reds' 2025 campaign, Francona's done just that.

But Tito is only signed through 2027 with an option for the 2028 season. The future Hall of Famer retired in 2023 following health concerns, and while Francona is said to be in good shape this season, he is 66 years old. He can't do this job forever, even though he'd like to.

Terry Francona’s influence could reshape Reds' 2025 draft strategy in Round 1

The fact of the matter is that Francona, and likely Elly De La Cruz, are only going to remain in Cincinnati for so long. Francona is only under contract through 2028 and De La Cruz becomes a free agent after the 2029 season, meaning that the Reds should go into Round 1 of the 2025 MLB Draft with a win-now mindset and target a player who can help this franchise almost immediately.

Baseball fans have already seen Jac Caglianone and Nick Kurtz make their MLB debuts this season — both players were taken the first round last summer. Christian Moore recently made his major league debut for the Los Angeles Angels, and it's a good bet that Chase Burns may soon join his draft mates in the big leagues before the end of the 2025 season.

The Reds should mark any and all high school talents off their draft board for Round 1. Whether they target a starting pitcher like Kyson Witherspoon or an outfielder like Jace Laviolette is irrelevant; but Cincinnati should be looking at college players, not high schoolers.

The Reds have plenty of young talent in the lower levels of the minor leagues. Prospects like Tyson Lewis, Sammy Stafura, Alfredo Duno, and Cam Collier all have a bright future. But none of those players are expected to be major league-ready until at least the 2027 season, if not later. The Reds window for winning is now, and Krall needs to operate with that mindset during the upcoming draft.

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