4 Cincinnati Reds who won't be back next season, including 1 trade target
By Mark Powell
Cincinnati Reds who won't be back: Curt Casali
The Reds backstop finished the season on the injured list, but given his offensive production probably did not have a roster spot awaiting him were he to return this season anyway. Casali hit just .176 this season in 80 at-bats. He was third on the depth chart behind Tyler Stephenson and Luke Maile, both of whom could be retained this offseason if the organization chooses.
Casali is a decent depth catcher at his best. He can be stashed by a non-contender in hopes he breaks out and can earn some prospect capital come next season's trade deadline. Teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers have taken this approach with veteran before, especially when coming off a down season. Casali's best seasons in Cincinnati were 2018 and 2019, though he rarely played more than 80 games per year with the club.
As Drew Koch noted in his article outlining the Reds offseason plans, it's tough to see a scenario in which Casali is on the roster in 2024:
"Heading into 2024, it's hard to see the Cincinnati Reds going forward with three catchers on the Opening Day roster once again. While manager David Bell was certainly able to find ways to make it work, there's no doubt that it made things more difficult that it needed to be."
Enough said.