Cincinnati Reds Could Use an Outfield Upgrade--The A's May Have One

Jason Burke | Jan 6, 2025

Cincinnati Reds catcher Austin Romine s (28) helmet and mask rest in the dirt in the seventh of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022, at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Mlb Pittsburgh Pirates At Cincinnati Reds Sept 14 7830 / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Cincinnati Reds could use an upgrade in the outfield, or at least a better platoon partner to pair with either Jake Fraley or Will Benson. Right now, Fraley and Benson are penciled in as the options to handle right-handers while manning one of the corner outfield spots, while Santiago Espinal and Stuart Fairchild are slotted to take on lefties.

Three of those four options had an overall OBP below .300 last season, with Fraley's .330 being the lone exception. If the Reds are going to utilize a platoon in the outfield, then they should make some minor upgrades.

The A's have two players that could certainly be available that are currently slotted to play left field for the club in West Sacramento. Those options are Miguel Andujar and Seth Brown. Andujar is in his final year of team control and is estimated to make $2.8 million through arbitration, while Brown is under control through 2026 and has already agreed to a deal for the '25 campaign at $2.7 million.

Neither option would break the bank.

Brown's power potential may be seen as a nice perk, going from the pitcher friendly Oakland Coliseum to the hitter's paradise in Cincinnati, but it could be Andujar that is a better fit for both clubs.

Heading into his age 30 season, Andujar is coming off a year in which he played 75 games and hit .285 with a .320 OBP and four homers, good for a 103 wRC+. He has a killer arm in left, too. Given that he's slotted to play primarily against left-handers, he could be an upgrade offensively over either Espinal or Fairchild.

Last season when facing southpaws, Andujar went 23-for-56, good for a .411 average and a 192 wRC+ (100 is league average). Recently departed Jonathan India was the team's best against lefties with a 126 wRC+, while Espinal (121) and Fairchild (115) were also solid in larger samples than Andujar's.

It wouldn't be an obvious upgrade, but it certain has some potential. The return also wouldn't have to be terribly costly, given the couple million in the contract that the Reds would presumably eat.

The reason this works out for the A's is because moving either Brown or Andujar would open up playing time immediately for Esteury Ruiz. He was playing more against left-handers to begin with in 2024 before an injury ended his season, so trading Andujar opens a spot up for him now as a mini showcase to see what he can do before the A's ultimately turn to prospects Denzel Clarke or Colby Thomas later in the year.

The other way this could have an impact would be with the A's payroll situation. As has been discussed plenty, the A's need to reach a payroll of $105 million in order to avoid a grievance from the MLBPA. They're currently at around $90 million with not too many clear upgrade options for them to go after.

One way they could reach that figure is via trade, and one team that is looking to offload a starter is the Arizona Diamondbacks. That starter will presumably be Jordan Montgomery, who finished 2024 with a 6.23 ERA and is owed $22.5 million in 2025.

The A's only need to add $15 million to their payroll to avoid the grievance, but eating $7.5 million may be too much for the D-Backs to stomach for the package they're considering. If the A's move the nearly $3 million that Andujar is owed, then they would need to add closer to $18 million in payroll, meaning Arizona eats just $4.5 million.

That could be enough to get both clubs into a spot where they're comfortable with the return.

The A's don't necessarily need to trade Andujar or Brown this offseason, but it would clear up a roster spot for an addition like Montgomery, who could help them win, and it would help clear up the roster just a bit ahead of Opening Day with so many outfield options to consider, and more on the way. Moving one of them could be trying to address an issue before it's an issue, but at some point in 2025, there will come a time when the A's just simply run out of room on the roster.

This seems like the best case scenario to address that problem and add another potentially solid starter to the mix in the process. The Reds may be the team that ends up benefitting as well.