The Cincinnati Reds have the pitching rotation and bullpen to compete for a spot in the postseason. But their lineup has struggled, especially with injuries, and it could handicap the Reds and legendary manager Terry Francona from making a postseason run in 2025.
With Hunter Greene back on the bump in the Queen City on Friday night, the Reds have everything they need to start pushing for the postseason except a big bat at first base.
Jeimer Candelario and Christian Encarnacion-Strand are both injured right now, but have teamed up to form one of the worst first base units in the league. Spencer Steer has been the main first baseman in their absence. While Steer has been solid, he's much better in a utility role because he can play just about anywhere on defense.
The answer to the Reds' first base issue is sitting in Baltimore right now.
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The answer to the Reds' prayers is Orioles slugger Ryan Mountcastle
Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle would be a perfect fit for the Reds, but Cincinnati would need to trade for him with the hopes that he can turn his play around this season. At this point in the season, the slugger is slashing .230/.263/.327 with a career worst 71 OPS+.
Mountcastle has a career OPS of around .750 and has consistently sat in the .720 to .800 OPS range for his entire career. To see him post an OPS of below .600 is quite a shock, but it's something that could be fixed with a change of scenery, especially considering how poorly the Orioles have played as a whole this season.
While Mountcastle likely had a lot of trade value coming into the season, the Reds could take a shot on him and likely land him for a lot less than fans expect.
For the Orioles, this would net them some prospects while clearing room for Coby Mayo or Samuel Basallo to take over as the everyday first baseman in Baltimore. One of these two stars is the future at the position while Mountcastle will likely leave town after this season.
For the Reds, this would provide a veteran presence at first base who could take over for Steer and allow the young Reds utility player to play that role instead of locking himself in at first base. This would likely mean the Reds would need to cut ties with Candelario when everybody is healthy, but that's a contract they would need to eat if the Reds want to be contenders this season.