The Cincinnati Reds are, officially, a rebuilding team after letting go of catcher Tucker Barnhart, infielder Eugenio Suarez, outfielder Jesse Winker, and pitchers Wade Miley, Sonny Gray, and Amir Garrett, among others.
There is no other way around it, even if they pursued other free agent targets: they are rebuilding because their owners doesn’t want to spend.
They do have, however, some impressive young talent.
They have last year’s National League Rookie of the Year Jonathan India, and Nick Lodolo and Nick Senzel remain exciting building blocks.
People have soured on Senzel somewhat, because injuries and underperformance have prevented him from reaching his considerable ceiling.
But the Reds will now be able to guarantee him all the playing time he can handle, provided he is healthy.
The Reds will avoid arbitration with him, as the two parties agreed to a contract on Monday afternoon, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray.
“Source: Reds, Nick Senzel settle at $1.25 million, avoiding arbitration,” Murray tweeted.
Source: Reds, Nick Senzel settle at $1.25 million, avoiding arbitration.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) March 21, 2022
It’s incredible that Senzel is already arbitration-eligible.
Looking For A Rebound Season
Last year wasn’t so kind with him: he slashed .252/.323/.315 with just one home run in 124 plate appearances, in another injury-plagued season.
The power, in particular, was the most disappointing result of his line: it was almost non-existent, which is discouraging for a guy who hit 12 homers in 104 games a couple of seasons ago, in his age-24 campaign.
In 2022, however, he is eager for a fresh start.
He will be, barring any injuries, the Reds’ starting center fielder, and will have every opportunity to show the Reds he can be their long-term man at the position.
He is entering make-or-break territory, though, so he will need to perform.
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