The Cincinnati Reds are 2-6 to start the 2025 season. It has been a long eight games, with fans’ hopes diminishing little by little, every inning that passes by. The pitching staff has been amazing, carrying the load of the lackluster offense. Even calling them “lackluster” is being generous.
**All stats as of April 5**
Reds Begin Season with Dismal Stretch on Offense
Out of 11 hitters on the Reds roster that have ten or more at-bats this year, there are two players, just two, who have an OPS above .700: Elly De La Cruz (.773) and Matt McLain (.862). Out of the remaining nine hitters, a whopping zero of them have an OPS above .600, with the third highest being Santiago Espinal’s .583 OPS.
The offense seemingly woke up on March 31, where the Reds routed the Texas Rangers easily in a 14-3 win. What followed was three consecutive games in which the Reds lost 1-0. With this impressively poor performance, they join the 1960 Philadelphia Phillies as the only teams in the live ball era to lose three games in a row by a 1-0 score, ending up on the wrong side of history.
If that wasn’t enough of an indicator of how poorly they have played, another (not so) fun fact is that they went four calendar days without holding a lead.
Notable Struggling Reds
Part of the reason the Reds’ offense has been so weak is because of their important pieces struggling to contribute. In their already thin lineup and roster, Jeimer Candelario, Spencer Steer, and TJ Freidl have been non-factors to start the year.
After a three-RBI Opening Day, Jeimer Candelario has been swinging a wet noodle at the plate, with a poor approach and weak contact. Spencer Steer has a slash line of .048/.091/.048 for a .139 OPS in 21 at-bats. If anything, he is the only one on the team who deserves a pass, as he should be on the IL with an ongoing shoulder issue that has not been resolved.
Cincinnati’s leadoff hitter Freidl experienced a down 2024, with hopes of returning to his form from 2023, with a mid-.800s OPS. Unfortunately for him and the Reds, he has produced at just a .465 OPS this year, providing nothing on the bases paths and defense either. He is surprisingly in the 8th percentile in sprint speed, making him one of the slowest leadoff hitters in the league.
Reds mgr Terry Francona on solving scoring woes:
“We were going to have a human sacrifice but nobody volunteered.”
— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubMLB) April 5, 2025
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What’s Next For Cincinnati?
It has been an agonizingly long eight games, with many fans upset at the team looking identical to previous seasons. Their MO is a good pitching staff with poor offense, and it looks like 2025 will be no different. If the Reds want to make a true playoff push, they need to target an outfield bat to supplement their lineup. They have had the luck of landing both Elly De la Cruz and Matt McLain, but the middle infield duo cannot do it all on their own, especially with McLain’s injury-riddled start to his career.
Names like Luis Robert have been linked as possible future Reds. Although Robert has not performed up to his standards as of late, he still has more upside than all of the Reds’ outfielders combined. It may be a buy-low situation if the Reds would like to go that direction, but Robert is certainly not the only option.
If no move is made, the Reds will remain the same, and fans will remain disappointed with the oldest team in MLB.
The post A Closer Look at the Reds’ Historically Bad Offense to Start the Season appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.