The process was very different between the two moves, but on the whole the Reds bolstered their outfield depth in a day.
The Reds are betting on a bounce back from Bleday, who posted a strong .762 OPS in 2024 before taking a step back in 2025.
“He had a 120 WRC-plus in 2024,” Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said. “If he can get back to that and we can get him back to that, that’s an everyday player that has some legitimate add to your offense.”
Krall said that Bleday is a solid corner outfield defender, can provide some power and will compete for an everyday spot in left field.
Bleday is excited about the opportunity.
“(They) were looking for a corner guy,” Bleday said. “We’re not going to just hand you the spot, you’ve got to earn it. That was still enough for me to hear them out to want to come here.”
Krall views Myers as an impact defender who has a track record of hitting well versus left-handed pitching. The left-handed Bleday and the right-handed Myers could form a platoon in left field, and Myers will also back up TJ Friedl in center field.
“(Myers) can play center field, and he’s average to above in center field,” Krall said. “Over the last three years, he has hit .297 against left-handed pitching with a .360 on-base. We really think he can help that group whether it’s Bleday, Benson, Friedl, giving guys days off and improving the defense as well.”
While the Reds already have six potential contributors in the outfield between Bleday, Myers, Friedl, Noelvi Marte, Will Benson and Spencer Steer, Krall said that the Reds are continuing to evaluate opportunities to make their lineup better through free agency or trades.
“We’re going to try to improve the rest of the offseason,” Krall said. “We want to figure out if there’s a way to get better. We’ve got a good group to go in and compete. You’re always looking to get better.”
While the Reds’ payroll for 2026 is getting close to the level it was at last season, Krall said that the Reds still have some flexibility to work with. Bleday and Myers both make under $2 million, so the Reds didn’t exhaust much of their financial flexibility on Saturday.
“We looked at these deals as potential upside,” Krall said. “But it also allows us to continue to make this team better.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
About the Author