Key Takeaways
- The Reds’ post‑2021 teardown – sparked by Nick Castellanos’ opt‑out – produced several players (Spencer Steer, Sal Stewart, Will Benson) who are now contributing on the field.
- Tyler Mahle’s move to the San Francisco Giants represents the culmination of a series of trades that began with Tucker Barnhart’s departure and peaked around the 2022 deadline.
- While some returns (e.g., Steer, Stewart, Benson) have proved valuable, others (e.g., Castillo’s haul, Pham/Northcut swap) remain mixed or unresolved.
- The lockout‑induced offseason forced the front office to make creative, low‑cost moves (Fernando Cruz, minor‑league acquisitions) that have begun to pay dividends.
- The draft lottery fallout left Cincinnati picking seventh in 2022, selecting Rhett Lowder, who is slated to face Mahle in his Giants debut.
After a record $165 million spending spree before the 2020 season, the Cincinnati Reds snapped a six‑year playoff drought, only to finish 2021 at 83‑79 – seven games shy of a wild‑card berth. Faced with a disappointing season and the looming MLB lockout (Dec 2 2021–Mar 10 2022), the front office signaled a shift away from immediate contention and toward rebuilding for the future.
The first tangible step came in November 2021 when veteran catcher Tucker Barnhart was traded, setting off a chain of transactions that would ultimately reshape the roster. Nick Castellanos exercised his opt‑out after the 2021 season, signing a five‑year, $100 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. Castellanos publicly criticized the Reds for not matching that offer, but the club’s decision not to re‑sign him proved beneficial: the compensatory pick they received (No. 32 overall) was used to draft outfielder Sal Stewart, who has already emerged as a leading candidate for National League Rookie of the Year.
The trade that sent Tyler Mahle to the Minnesota Twins in 2022 was the centerpiece of a flurry of deadline moves. In exchange for Mahle, the Reds acquired three players: Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion‑Strand, and left‑handed pitcher Steve Hajjar. Of the trio, only Steer remains with Cincinnati; he has compiled 4.3 bWAR since his 2022 debut and is a regular contributor in the lineup. Encarnacion‑Strand showed power in 2023 (13 home runs in 63 games) but was hampered by injuries, leading to his designation for assignment and subsequent trade to the Baltimore Orioles. Hajjar never reached the majors and has since retired.
Mahle’s departure was part of a larger wave that included the trades of two‑time Gold Glove catcher Tucker Barnhart, outfielders Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suárez, and ace pitcher Sonny Gray. The Winker‑Suárez deal brought the Reds four players from Seattle, of whom left‑handed starter Brandon Williamson and reliever Connor Phillips remain on the roster. Gray was dealt to Minnesota for former first‑rounder Chase Petty, who made his big‑league debut in 2023 and is still considered a top prospect at age 23.
Even during the lockout, when major‑league signings were prohibited, the Reds remained active. On February 1 2022 they signed right‑hander Fernando Cruz — a former Royals shortstop who hadn’t played affiliated ball since 2015 — to a minor‑league contract. Cruz posted a respectable 1.4 bWAR over three seasons with Cincinnati before being flipped to the New York Yankees for Platinum Glove‑winning catcher Jose Trevino after the 2024 season.
A seemingly minor July 2022 trade sent outfielder Tyler Naquin and lefty Phillip Diehl to the New York Mets for Class A prospects Hectór Rodríguez and José Acuña. Rodríguez was moved to the outfield and is now regarded as one of the team’s top prospects; Acuña, after missing a season with injury, has posted a 1‑0 record with a 2.70 ERA in two Double‑A starts.
The marquee deadline transaction came on July 30, 2022, when the Reds shipped ace Luis Castillo to the Seattle Mariners for shortstops Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo, plus right‑handers Levi Stoudt and Andrew Moore. At the time the haul was praised, but the outcome remains uncertain: Marte has dealt with an 80‑game suspension for a drug‑policy violation and was optioned to Triple‑A after a brief Opening Day stint; Arroyo missed the entire 2024 season after shoulder surgery and is currently rehabbing in Louisville; Stoudt has not returned to the majors since 2023; Moore is now in the Padres’ system.
Bookending the Mahle trade were the moves of outfielder Tommy Pham and infielder Brandon Drury. Pham went to Boston for minor‑league pitcher Nicholas Northcut—a swap that ultimately proved a wash—while Drury netted international prospect Victor Acosta, who received a $1.8 million bonus from the Padres but has yet to advance beyond High‑A in the Reds’ system.
The Reds finished the 2022 season 21‑39 over the final two months, tallying 100+ losses for the first time since the franchise’s inception. Because 2022 was the inaugural year of the draft lottery, Cincinnati fell from a projected fourth overall pick to seventh, tying with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates won the lottery and selected eventual Cy Young‑winner Paul Skenes; the Reds took right‑hander Rhett Lowder at No. 7, a pitcher slated to oppose Tyler Mahle in Mahle’s Giants debut at Great American Ball Park on Wednesday night.
Overall, the Castellanos‑triggered teardown has yielded a mixed bag of immediate contributors (Steer, Stewart, Benson) and lingering prospects whose ultimate value is still being evaluated. The Ripple effects of those moves continue to shape the Reds’ present and future as they navigate a post‑lockout landscape while awaiting the maturation of their younger talent.