It took until Game 162 for them to confirm their place. And even then, they lost that game. But falling backwards into the postseason still counts – in the end, the Cincinnati Reds will be playing playoff baseball after all, for the first time since 2020, and for only the second time since 2013.
Aided by the limping to the barn of the New York Mets – a collapse no better embodied by their inability to score a single run in their must-win final game – the Reds were able to just about be better than the competition as it fell away. They won nine of their last 13 games (including a vital one over the Mets, giving them the tiebreaker) to make it into the final wild card spot, and a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers awaits.
Make no mistake, though; the Mets lost the spot more than the Reds won it.
Reds Did Not Forsake The Future….
The Reds did play better over the final few weeks of the season than during the up-and-down middle part, weathering the worryingly-prolonged Elly De La Cruz slump by riding the breakout season of third baseman turned excellent outfielder Noelvi Marte, and getting trade deadline pick-up Miguel Andujar to crush lefties. Yet their long-spluttering line-up might not have almost cost them the Wild Card berth had they not given roughly 1,500 at-bats to distinctly sub-par hitters when they did not need to.
It is not all that uncommon of a situation for a sports team’s hopes of immediate success being prioritized at the expense of their future. Teams make win-now trades all the time. A franchise like the Reds, however – habitually outside the postseason since the end of the Joe Oliver era – must continue to prioritize the development of the future over the temptation of a slightly improved now. To that end, a conservative trade deadline strategy – where the most notable pickups of Zack Littell and Ke’Bryan Hayes cost little in the way of baseball assets – rightly acknowledged the importance of keeping a heightened focus on the future, with only selective aggression deployed.
There does however come a point when delaying the future due to timelines that seem arbitrary and out of step with what is best for all of the franchise’s timelines becomes hard to justify. The future can be sped up when the present merits it. To put some names to it; Sal Stewart could have been called up to the Reds’ big league roster earlier. And once called up, he also surely could have played more.
…But Could Have Brought It Forward More
Instead, the Reds toiled away with a lot of plate appearances for a lot of borderline hitters.
Much as Santiago Espinal is a coach’s favorite for his contact and his defensive versatility, he also posted only a .575 OPS in 301 at-bats, which nevertheless still managed to surpass Connor Joe (.564) and the already-departed Jeimer Canderlario (.410). Between those three, Jose Trevino, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Blake Dunn, Garrett Hampson, Rece Hinds, Jacob Hurtubise, Tyler Callihan and Will Banfield, the Reds gave 1,001 at-bats to players with OPS marks of less than .630 – and in most cases, far below it.
Additionally, although the loyalty to starting second baseman Matt McLain is admirable, it never paid dividends. While it is noted that McLain – who struggled badly all season after missing 2024 with shoulder surgery – has always been a quality player and one whose rehabilitation to his best is worth embarking upon, he also was one of the worst performers among everyday players in the league this season, posting only a .646 OPS in his 507 at-bats. And although Hayes improved with the bat after his arrival from the Pittsburgh Pirates, the defensive specialist was only ever an occasional contributor at the plate.
All too often, the bottom of the line-up was too easy to roll over. With Elly struggling in the middle, the Reds’ offense only just had enough.
Reds’ Veterans Preference
Stewart, by contrast, arrived ready to go. In what was only his first taste of Triple-A action after spending last season at the High-A level, the Reds’ top prospect hit for a .315/.394/.629 stat line for the Louisville Bats this season. And in the 55 at-bats he managed as a Red, Stewart managed to hit five home runs, along with a .255 batting average.
Normally, to go from High-A to being a focal point of a playoff push within 12 months would be unfeasible. But some guys are the exception to the norm. Stewart did not need extra Triple-A seasoning; or at least, not when those in front of him with the big league club at the three infield positions he plays were all underwhelming.