Offense in focus as Reds eye improvements

SAN DIEGO -- Coming off a 100-loss 2022 season in which the Reds ranked near the bottom of the big leagues in multiple offensive categories, it’s no secret that the club needs to upgrade its production during this offseason.

“We’re trying to look at the entire offense, how can we get better?” Reds general manager Nick Krall said on Monday during the Winter Meetings. “Now it’s trying to figure out how can we use what money we have available to get better.”

A rebuilding club, Cincinnati has slashed its payroll considerably since the previous offseason, providing a bit of flexibility -- within reason.

“We still have some money available. A little bit of money. We don’t have a ton,” Krall said.

The area with the most opportunity to add depth could be in the outfield. The Reds currently have six outfielders on their 40-man roster in Nick Senzel, Jake Fraley, TJ Friedl, Michael Siani, Stuart Fairchild and Nick Solak.

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Although the lefty-hitting Fraley and Friedl emerged in the second half, none of the players in that outfield group has firmly established himself as an everyday player yet. Senzel, hampered by injuries in each of his four big league seasons, is dealing with another setback, as the fractured big left toe that caused him to miss the final 14 games of last season hasn’t healed properly. He recently had surgery to remove a bone in the toe.

Senzel’s foot has remained in a boot, and he was still using a scooter to move around at Redsfest last weekend.

“It was tough to see him scooting around still. That's how he left the season,” Reds manager David Bell said.

However, Bell still felt optimistic about Senzel being ready in time for the season.

"He's going to be walking in a couple weeks, and once that happens it's going to go really fast,” Bell said. “We're still four months away from Opening Day, so there is time for him to get back. He's done a great job of taking care of himself. He looks really good. It's tough for anyone to manage their weight and their physical conditioning when you can't run or do anything. So I give him a lot of credit.”

The Reds have made some smaller offseason additions. They acquired Solak in a trade with the Rangers, infielder Kevin Newman in a trade with the Pirates and signed free agent Luke Maile to a one-year, $1.175 million contract to be the backup catcher.

In-house, they expect catcher Tyler Stephenson and second baseman Jonathan India to return fully healthy after their injury-filled seasons. The club is hopeful that first baseman Joey Votto can recover from surgery that repaired a torn rotator cuff and torn biceps in his left shoulder. Jose Barrero remains a question mark for shortstop after he struggled during his two-month stint at the end of last season. Prospect Spencer Steer, who was up for the final month, will have a chance to compete for the job at third base.

As for the status of Mike Moustakas, who has dealt with injuries and underperformed throughout the first three years of his four-year, $64 million contract, it’s believed that the club is still looking to trade the corner infielder, who is still owed $22 million.

"He’s on our roster. That’s it,” Krall said.

Bell wasn’t concerned about the fluidity of the roster or the lack of spots being locked in.

"I'm kind of focused on the guys that we had at the end of the season, the second half of the season. It's just the way the game goes. I know that can change between now and Spring Training," Bell said. "Of course you're always looking to make improvements, and that's just kind of the way things go.”

The Reds were busy with talks throughout Monday’s first full day of Winter Meetings action.

"We talked to a bunch of teams, talked to agents. Talked to people all day," Krall said. "Talked to people last night. Just trying to figure out what’s out there and what we can do."