Let’s take a look at the season that was for the 2024 Cincinnati Reds, the questions the team must address this winter and the early outlook for 2025.
Read more: 2024 MLB offseason previews: What’s next for the White Sox, A’s, Pirates and more?
Things that went right
Throughout the season, Elly De La Cruz captured the imagination of Reds fans. Sure, the shortstop strikes out as often as anyone in baseball, but magical things happen when he puts the ball in play, thanks to his plus power skills and spectacular speed. De La Cruz ran away with this year’s stolen base crown and reached base at a higher rate than many expected. He’s going to be a treat to watch for many years.
Hunter Greene might not have matched De La Cruz in terms of headlines, but his emergence as a budding staff ace was a significant development for Cincinnati this year. The hard-throwing righty improved his ability to limit hard contact and keep the ball in the yard, and he already possessed terrific strikeout skills.
Things that went wrong
Overall, plenty of things went wrong for a team that was supposed to contend for the postseason. Several exciting young hitters endured disappointing years. Perhaps no player was more frustrated than Matt McLain, who was expected to be a lineup centerpiece before he underwent shoulder surgery and wound up missing the entire season.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand had similar expectations but didn’t fare much better. He played poorly in 29 games before having his season ended by a fractured right hand that required surgery. Noelvi Marte was another young hitter who let the team down, as he was suspended for the initial 80 games of the season and made little impact in the second half.
A pair of veteran outfielders also fell short of expectations. TJ Friedl dealt with three IL stints for unrelated injuries in the first half and didn’t make a big impact down the stretch. Meanwhile, Jake Fraley’s power completely disappeared.
Expectations weren’t quite as high on the pitching side, but there were still some letdowns. Nick Lodolo couldn’t copy Greene’s step forward, which isn’t surprising for someone who logged four stints on the IL. In the bullpen, Alexis Díaz trended in the wrong direction with his strikeout rate and walk rate, as he dealt with diminished fastball velocity for a second straight year.