NL Wild Card race: The 3 contenders and 2 teams who will let its fans down
No. 2 Contender that will miss the postseason: Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds currently hold a 21 percent chance of making the postseason, according to FanGraphs. I wouldn't bet on the Reds to make the postseason, but it would be nice to see this magical team make the postseason.
They only have eight games left on the season: three against the Pirates, two against the Guardians, and ending with three against the Cardinals. To clinch a postseason spot, they need to win the majority of their games and also hope others lose, now down one game in the Wild Card.
They hold a record of 4-6 against the Pirates, which needs to completely change if they hope to make the postseason. The Reds have played the Guardians in 2023 and hold a record of 1-1, which included them getting shut out in their first game. The Cardinals often like kicking teams out of playoff races and hold a 5-5 record versus the Reds, with many of the games coming down to the wire.
Even if the Reds made the postseason, they probably wouldn't make it far with how young and inexperienced their rotation is as well as the lineup. They have starters like Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, and Brandon Williamson, all of whom have been doing well in 2023, but they just aren't ready for the big time yet. They also have Alexis Diaz and Lucas Sims in the bullpen, who are amazing relief pitchers; they need more additions to be ready for a postseason run.
They have talented players in the lineup like Elly De La Cruz, but he just isn't looking good with constant strikeouts, hitting only .231 and having only 11 home runs in 90 games. They have others like Jonathan India, who they tried to trade away, but they don't have a player who can lead them to playoff glory. They will have to spend big money this offseason, which seems likely since Joey Votto's contract is now expiring, and they would instead buy out the 2024 club option and pay him $7 million instead of the $20 million.
The Reds have a young and talented team full of future All-Stars, but they aren't ready for the big time yet. They don't have much experience and would get dominated by a competent team in the postseason.