The Cincinnati Reds signed first baseman/outfielder Wil Myers late in the offseason, to a one-year deal.
They were hoping he could perform as well as he did between 2020 and 2022, when he was an above-average hitter in each season.
That, unfortunately for the parties involved, didn’t happen.
The team announced the release of the slugger on Friday.
The #Reds today released OF Wil Myers.
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 23, 2023
They had designated him for assignment earlier in the week.
Now, Myers will be free to sign with any team.
The Reds thought he could be one of the best hitters on the team, so they gave him a $7.5 million contract.
However, he ended up hitting .189 with three homers over 37 games; and the Reds’ youth movement yielded numerous options that are just better than Myers at this stage.
Injuries have definitely been an issue for Myers, especially in recent seasons, but he is not that old at 32 years of age.
He also had a solid .768 OPS as recently as 2021, the year in which he hit 17 home runs.
After a few good seasons in San Diego with the Padres, he peaked in the 2020 campaign with a .959 OPS and 15 home runs in just 55 games.
He couldn’t quite keep up that star level, but was solid in 2021 and 2022 and that made the Reds think he could be productive.
Myers, who has 156 career home runs and 107 stolen bases, will need to find a new home.
He should be able to, at the very least, get a minor league deal, but an MLB contract somewhere else is not out of the question given his former top prospect status and experience.
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