The Cincinnati Reds were the first team outside of the playoff picture last season, falling seven games short of the St. Louis Cardinals in the wild-card race with an 83-79 record.
After a very quiet offseason to this point, the question is what does the Reds’ ceiling look like for the upcoming season after several notable departures on their roster.
The Reds haven’t gained any ground in the winter on the Cardinals, who were propelled by a franchise-record 17-game winning streak in September, and they were 12 games back from the National League Central champion Milwaukee Brewers. Will the Reds be better than a third-place team in 2022 or will they even fall below the Chicago Cubs?
With the sport in an ongoing lockout, here’s a look at all the changes in the division:
MILWAUKEE BREWERS (95-67 record in 2021)
In: RF Hunter Renfroe, INF Mike Brosseau, C Pedro Severino, RP Trevor Gott, RP J.C. Mejía.
Out: RF Avisaíl García, 3B Eduardo Escobar, 1B Daniel Vogelbach, C Manny Piña, LHP Brett Anderson, RP Brad Boxberger, RP Hunter Strickland, CF Jackie Bradley Jr., C Luke Maile.
The Brewers ran away with the division last season and the core of the roster remains in place. Corbin Burnes, the NL Cy Young winner, Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta will continue to highlight the rotation. There is Josh Hader and Devin Williams in the bullpen. Christian Yelich struggled throughout the 2021 season, but he’s still a mainstay near the top of their lineup.
