I realized Michael Lorenzen is a FA after this upcoming season and it made me think about if he is an extension candidate or not. Then it made me start thinking of others on the team who are potentially extension candidates.
Michael Lorenzen: As mentioned Lorenzen will be a FA after this upcoming season. He just turned 29 years old last week, so he will be 30 going into his potential free agency (I know, this made me feel old too). He has had an odd career. I would call it inconsistent. With that said, there are times he has looked fantastic. This is truly a career defining season coming up for Michael. If he wins a starting job and pitches well he will make himself a significant amount of money. If not and he is relegated to the bullpen he is probably looking at some 1 year deals. I think you see what he looks like in ST and early in the year. If he’s looking like a solid MOR starter you throw something like 3 years $20 million at him and see if he bites. As of right now TBD.
Luis Castillo: Castillo turned 28 in December. He’s very good and there is even room for improvement. He is a free agent in 2024 and just signed for around $4.2 mil in his first year of arb. If I’m the Reds I’m approaching him with a deal right now to buy out the remaining years of his arbitration and extending him through 2025. See if he will bite on something like 5 years at $75 million. Historically I’m not the type of person that hands out extensions to SPs, but I think at that price it would be worth the risk and Luis wouldn’t have to worry about arbitration.
Tucker Barnhart: Barnhart turned 30 a couple days ago and is a free agent after this upcoming season. Tucker is a GG caliber defensive catcher. He’s a bad hitter. At first glance my instinct is just let his contract play out and let him walk after the season. If the Reds are out of it in July trade him. Teams are always in the market for solid defensive catchers. Tyler Stephenson looks like the real deal to me. I’m trying to come up with a reason to extend him while I type this out and I just can’t do it. For all you Tucker fans out there enjoy this season, likely his last in a Reds uniform until he is inevitably comes back as the manager in 10-15 years.
Jesse Winker: Da Wink turns 28 in August. He’s had a bit of a slow start to his career but in the first half of 2020 his bat looked MVP-like. He’s a FA after 2023 season. No rush to extend him obviously, but if he is looking good this year and the DH is looking permanent might be a good idea to see if he is interested in buying out his remaining arb years and extending a few more. Maybe something like 5 years $50 million or so?
I don’t really see any other candidates at this point on the roster. Please feel free to add any you think of.