On Thursday, both the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians made some waiver claims to strengthen their rosters ahead of the final month of the season.
Cincinnati, who has emerged as a surprise postseason contender, added two slugging outfielders in Harrison Bader and Hunter Renfroe.
The Reds are still alive in the Wild Card race and are looking to reach the postseason for the first time since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
These moves ultimately strengthen the depth of their lineup as they try to catch the San Francisco Giants for the third NL Wild Card spot.
On MLB Network, several analysts discussed these moves and how they help the Reds.
"They got significantly better."#MLBCentral highlights the Reds' active day yesterday, picking up Harrison Bader and Hunter Renfroe to add to their outfield depth! #ATOBTTR pic.twitter.com/FQkfiNhGOc
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) September 1, 2023
Mark DeRosa stated that he loves these pickups for the Reds and stated that Renfroe is somebody who should have been on their radar several years ago, as the Reds are a team that needed some production out of their outfielders.
Robert Flores discussed how Bader is a significant upgrade in center field in terms of defense.
Another important thing that was discussed by Jayson Stark is the fact that both Renfroe and Bader are quite familiar with the NL Central.
Bader spent six seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and was one of five players on the team to win a Gold Glove in 2021.
Renfroe was recently with the Milwaukee Brewers, having spent the 2022 season with the team.
A graphic was then shown that revealed some of Renfroe’s stats against left-handers.
DeRosa claimed that the Reds got significantly better as a result of these moves.
NEXT: Harrison Bader Is Headed To A Contender
