Cincinnati Reds May Non-Tender Former Top Prospect Nick Senzel

Nick Senzel and the Reds are likely heading in different directions this offseason.

Nick Senzel has never really taken off since being the second overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft. 

At one point he was one of the top prospects in the league and he entered the majors with high expectations. After 377 games over five seasons, Senzel has amassed negative Wins Above Replacement. Now it appears he will be non-tendered this offseason.

With the 40-man roster crunch and the impending moves the Reds will make this offseason, keeping Senzel on the roster is a tenuous proposition. For starters, he is a platoon bat at best. 

He mashes left-handed pitchers but he is an automatic out against righties. Last season he slashed .348/.389/.619 in 118 at-bats against southpaws, but just .164/.240/.257 in 183 at-bats against righties.

You may be thinking “Why not keep Senzel as a platoon option?” The Reds already have a glut of right-handed hitters for the infield and Senzel was a defensive liability in the outfield. According to Statcast, Senzel’s success rate at making plays in left field was 11% lower than it should have been and 10% lower at right field. With TJ Friedl’s ability to hit left-handed pitching, Senzel is not needed in center.

Spotrac estimates Senzel’s arbitration number to be somewhere around $3.6 million next season. That would make him one of the highest paid players on the team to be a part-time player that is needed less than a third of the time. Just 27% of the Reds total plate appearances last year came against southpaws.

Jose Barrero's future could also impact the decision. He is out of options next year, which likely means the Reds will break camp with him on the active roster. Barrero’s last chance to prove he can be a valuable player to the Reds should preclude them from keeping Senzel. 

In a year where the Reds will be competing for the playoffs, they cannot keep two “prove it” players on the roster, especially when one of them is set to make nearly $4 million. He would become a free agent if he was non-tendered by the Reds. 

The non-tender deadline is Friday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. ET. 

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