Reds roster prediction 1.0: How does Gavin Lux fit on the 2025 squad?

Cincinnati Reds pitchers and catchers have just about a month before they report to Goodyear, Ariz., for spring training.

Entering the offseason with needs at backup catcher and in the bullpen, Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall and his staff still have time to tinker with the roster and upgrade the teams outfield and offense.

Advertisement Looking at what the team has is a good way to get a sense of what needs could be addressed in the coming weeks.

This is where the Reds roster stands and what their 26-man Opening Day roster could look like come March 27.

Tyler Stephenson , Jose Trevino Last year Stephenson was one of just six catchers in baseball to record 1,000 or more innings.

Luke Maile, the teams backup the last two seasons, didnt have his option picked up as the team looked to upgrade the position.

Krall achieved that with the trade for Trevino, an All-Star in 2022, the same year he won both the American League Gold Glove at catcher and the American League Platinum Glove given to the top overall defender in the league.

Jose Trevino is back on top of MLB's Catcher Framing Leaderboard and it just feels right.

@HipHipJose5 pic.twitter.com/E1B7HA9wlG Codify (@CodifyBaseball) May 10, 2024 Last season with the New York Yankees , Trevino was the backup to Austin Wells, who finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting.

Trevino made 62 starts and logged 544 1/3 innings behind the plate.

Playing behind Stephenson, Maile made 44 starts at catcher and caught a total of 378 innings.

The right-handed hitting Trevino also topped Mailes numbers at the plate: Trevino hit .215/.288/.354 in 234 plate appearances while Maile hit .178/.268/.252 in 154 plate appearances.

Trevinos defense could mean more time at DH and even first base for Stephenson, which would help the teams offense.

While Stephenson had a slow start last season, he hit .274/.363/.452 with nine of his 19 home runs after the All-Star break.

Elly De La Cruz , Matt McLain , Jeimer Candelario , Christian Encarnacion-Strand , Santiago Espinal For a team that could see its defensive alignment shuffled on an almost daily basis, the one player who should be in both the lineup and on the field nearly every day is the shortstop, De La Cruz.

McLain missed all of the 2024 season after undergoing shoulder surgery in spring training, but he did return to play in the Arizona Fall League.

While he did play some center field in the Fall League, that was as much about getting him at-bats as it was to see him in the outfield, where he played some in college.

If McLain is healthy, he should be in the lineup next to De La Cruz more often than not.

Advertisement Krall traded for Espinal after McLains surgery last spring and the 2022 All-Star proved to be a valuable bench player, playing good defense in the infield and playing in the outfield for the first time as a big leaguer.

Espinals bat also picked up after he got regular playing time.

He will likely be in a similar role this upcoming season.

The questions are on the corners.

Candelario was injured and underperformed for much of 2024.

Ditto for Encarnacion-Strand but in 83 fewer games than the switch hitting Candelario.

Candelario looked less viable as an everyday third baseman than he had in the past, while Encarnacion-Strand played well at first base, his new position.

Both will get looks at third base in spring, but that position is up in the air.

First base could be a revolving door with Candelario, Encarnacion-Strand, Stephenson and Spencer Steer spending time there.

Noelvi Marte , who was expected to man third last year, was suspended 80 games last year for violating MLB s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

When he returned, he played nothing like the former top prospect he was before the suspension.

A monster spring could get Marte into the conversation at third base, but its more likely he starts the season in the minors.

Spencer Steer, Gavin Lux The Reds traded for Lux in part because they believe he can play multiple positions.

Lux came up as a shortstop but has mostly played second base in his big-league career.

He profiles best at second base but is needed elsewhere.

If Lux wants to see what he could be asked to do, he needs to look no further than Steer, who played five different defensive positions last season and could also be in the mix to be the teams everyday third baseman.

To be as versatile, Lux will have to be able to show he can play in the outfield, or another outfielder will have to win a job in spring training.

The newest member of the @Reds , Gavin Lux joins us on #MLBNHotStove ! The World Series champion shares his raw reaction to being traded and his excitement to get to work with Terry Francona and the young group of talent in Cincinnati.

pic.twitter.com/qaaRsIUaiX MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 8, 2025 The Reds also have Rule 5 pick Cooper Bowman , who has mostly played second base as a pro but did spend time in the outfield last year.

Making the team as a Rule 5 pick can be an uphill battle, but its at least worth mentioning.

TJ Friedl , Jake Fraley , Stuart Fairchild , Blake Dunn This group doesnt look much different from last season, when the Reds finished 28th in MLB in outfield bWAR.

Neither the trade market nor the free-agent market bore fruit, so the Reds will hope there is progress from in-house outfielders.

Friedl, Fraley and Fairchild all dealt with injuries last season, while Will Benson struggled mightily in his second full season in the big leagues.

Fairchild is out of options and offers enough offensively and defensively to make the team unless the outfield is adjusted before Opening Day.

Advertisement If Friedl is healthy, hes the teams everyday center fielder.

Fraley has yet to have a healthy season with the Reds but has shown glimpses of being more than a left-handed platoon outfielder.

Steer was the teams left fielder for most of last season and could be there most days again.

Dunn gets the last spot in this exercise because none of the other outfielders in consideration Benson, Rece Hinds and Jacob Hurtubise have options.

Benson and Hinds could benefit from time with Triple-A Louisville.

Hunter Greene , Nick Martinez , Nick Lodolo , Andrew Abbott , Brady Singer Barring injuries, the rotation seems set with Greene coming off an All-Star year, Martinez signing a qualifying offer worth more than $21 million, the addition of Singer and the returns of the teams two lefties, Lodolo and Abbott.

Rhett Lowder , who reached the big leagues at the end of the 2024 season, could force his way into the rotation.

Lefty Brandon Williamson and right-hander Julian Aguiar will miss the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Alexis Diaz , Emilio Pagan , Sam Moll , Brent Suter , Tony Santillan , Graham Ashcraft , Bryan Shaw , Carson Spiers Diaz remains the teams closer, while Pagan, Moll, Santillan and Suter return.

Ashcraft has always had the fallback option of relieving, but with the additions to the rotation, his inconsistency last year and the teams need, this could be his time to shine in the pen.

Ashcraft has the stuff and temperament to be a closer and could find himself in the back end of the teams bullpen posthaste.

That leaves two spots in the relief corps, which will likely have more names vying for spots as spring training unfolds.

As happens every year, some veteran relievers will come in as non-roster invitees to camp.

And, seemingly every year, at least one surprises in spring and makes the team.

The likely pick for now is the 37-year-old Shaw, who played for new Reds manager Terry Francona in Cleveland for seven seasons over two stints with the team.

Advertisement Spiers has shown himself as a capable swingman, making 10 starts and 12 relief appearances in the big leagues last year.

Another name to watch is Luis Mey , a fireballing right-hander who was named the top reliever in the Arizona Fall League after converting all six save opportunities he had and allowing just one hit, two walks and a hit batter in 8 2/3 scoreless innings.

He also struck out eight of the 30 batters he faced in the Fall League.

The 6-foot-5 Mey was 2-5 with a 3.44 ERA between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga, while striking out 63 batters and walking 43.

Hell have to show that the improved control he showed in the fall is a trend, not an outlier.

Someone else to watch in spring is Zach Maxwell , who dominated for Chattanooga and picked up five saves at Triple A.

(Top photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Imagn Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.