Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall isn’t the best at talking to the media. He tends to repeat pet phrases (like “keep moving forward”) and doesn’t exactly exude excitement for the fanbase.

But if there’s one thing he excels at from a communication perspective, it’s dropping hints. If you’re an obsessed, over-analyzing fan like me and look (way too) closely, you’ll find that he has foreshadowed a fair share of Reds moves in the past. 

• Asked about failed free agent signing Mike Moustakes a couple of years ago, Krall would only say “he’s on the roster.” Moose was later designated for assignment. 
• Last offseason, Krall said the Reds could add a switch-hitting infielder to improve their offense. There weren’t many guys who fit that oddly specific description, and the Reds signed one of them – Jeimer Candelario – soon after Krall made those comments. 
• Before ultimately getting fired, former skipper David Bell didn’t get a ringing endorsement from the Reds’ POBO when Krall told reporters the manager simply had “a contract” for the 2025 season and that the team was evaluating “everything.”
• And just recently, Krall said on the Reds Hot Stove League radio show that the team could never have enough rotation depth even after Nick Martinez accepted the $21 million qualifying offer. What followed? The Jonathan India-Brady Singer trade.

Hopefully those were enough examples. (I spent far too much time searching for those links.) Now that the MLB Winter Meetings have come and gone without any Reds transactions, allow me to read some tea leaves from the front office boss’ recent comments to the media. Perhaps we’ll learn what could be in store in the coming days, as the team – according to FanSided’s Robert Murray – attempts to add a bat.

“I think you’re going to consider anything that’s going to make your club better,” Krall told the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Gordon Wittenmyer. “If you add Walter Johnson or Bob Gibson at the top of your rotation, that’s an improvement to your club.” (Krall also said he plans to make a pitch to Japanese star hurler Roki Sasaki.)

These quotes, coupled with reports from the New York Post’s Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman that the Reds recently “checked in” on free agent starter Nick Pivetta, were somewhat surprising. Not that the Reds plan to try for Sasaki – all 30 major league teams will, since offers must be limited to international bonus pool monetary room – but that they tried hard for Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet and kicked the tires on the pricey former Boston Red Sox starter Pivetta after already committing roughly $30 million combined for Martinez and Singer. 

In addition to Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott and Rhett Lowder, the team’s rotation seems to have plenty of depth. Why commit resources to yet another starter? Hold that thought.

“You want a guy that can work with the staff. You want a guy that can play defense, first and foremost in the role,” Krall said to MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon. “Then you want a guy that [whether] lefty or righty fits better with the person you have. What kind of at-bats do they take? But obviously, you have to play defense in the role, and you have to be able to work with the staff.”

These comments were about the team’s current backup catcher opening. Krall also said in an MLB Network radio interview that he was looking for someone who could play every day if starter Tyler Stephenson gets hurt. Sheldon has reported that the Reds are interested in former Baltimore Orioles catcher James McCann, and he could fit the mold Krall described in the above quote. The problem is he hasn’t graded out well defensively over the past few years, according to Statcast. Carson Kelly, who played for the Texas Rangers last season, would’ve been a great fit, but he reportedly agreed to a deal with the Chicago Cubs tonight. Christian Bethancourt has been a favorite of some fans online and should come cheap, but his blocking and framing numbers on Statcast were below average in 2024. (He was quite good at nabbing base stealers, though.)

It’s otherwise hard to find a catcher who would fit what Krall and the front office are looking for: someone who can play defense, work well with the pitching staff and hit enough to play every day if needed. The Reds could add a couple more guys on minor league deals – like old friend Tucker Barnhart, who played for the AAA affiliate Louisville Bats toward the end of the 2024 season – and let them battle for the backup rule in Spring Training, but they tried that in 2022 and it did not work out well. Krall has not ruled out a return for the team’s former backup catcher in 2023 and 2024, Luke Maile, and I predict that’s where they end up – on a deal cheaper than the option they declined last month.

“It’s been a lot of Major League for Major League players,” Krall said of talks at the Winter Meetings, in another Sheldon piece. “If you trade a guy on the big league roster, you’re also having to backfill for that player. It’s not as easy as 1-for-1. It’s 1-for-1, plus you’ve got to figure out how to fill that hole you’ve just created.”

Back to that thought I asked you to hold onto. Beyond the Crochet negotiations – which must have included Reds prospects – it seems like the front office has mostly been discussing deals involving big leaguers on both sides. That’s not wholly shocking: Krall has been loath to depart with prospects in the past, and frequently notes the Reds’ broader draft-and-develop strategy. 

So, whom might the Reds be offering in these trade discussions, which are likely centered on adding offense? It could be closer Alexis Diaz. (Sheldon has named him as a Reds big leaguer who could be moved.) But I don’t see it. Diaz is entering arbitration for the first time later this offseason, and is coming off an uneven year. I doubt he has much trade value.

It could be an infielder like Noelvi Marte or Christian Encarnacion-Strand. But the Reds lost some of their infield depth when they moved India, and if you paid attention to the second half of the above quote, Krall might not want to have to backfill another spot in the dirt even after he added some (at least temporary) depth in the Rule 5 Draft earlier this week by selecting Cooper Bowman from the Athletics.

Let’s, however, think back to the Crochet and Pivetta rumors. Could the Reds be planning to trade one of their young starters, and backfill that rotation depth by signing a free agent? 

That brings me to a bold prediction to close out this post. (Disclaimer! My brother mentioned this possibility before I thought much about it – you happy, Joe? – and I’ve seen some talk about it on social media and the RedsZone forum, so I can’t take credit.)

I think the Reds are going to trade Lodolo to the White Sox for center fielder Luis Robert Jr.

It makes sense in a variety of ways. Witenmyer reported that the Reds checked in (lots of “checking in” going on, eh?) with the White Sox about Robert, so there’s noted interest. Among the starters not named Martinez or Singer, Lodolo has the least amount of team control left, but his three years line up with Robert’s. (Robert is due $15 million in 2025, then has team options of $20 million each for 2026 and 2027 with $2 million buyouts.) Both players have high upside but a history of injury issues. The White Sox need to fill innings cheaply and might not mind adding yet another lanky lefty (a la Chris Sale and Crochet) to either eventually move for another haul of prospects or potentially extend. The Reds need a bat – ideally someone who can play good defense too, which Krall has said the team is looking for. Robert is coming off a terrible year, but at his best, he can both play Gold Glove defense in center and hit upwards of 30 homers. Getting him would also allow the Reds to move TJ Friedl to left field, where he’s probably better suited.

Who knows how realistic this is. The White Sox might be prioritizing prospects in return for Robert. (Regardless, more players would likely need to be involved in a Lodolo-Robert swap.) The Reds might not have enough payroll flexibility to add Robert’s sizable contract.

But, tell me I’m wearing rose-colored glasses all you want, I don’t think the Reds would bother even “checking in” on guys like Robert, Pivetta and even Teoscar Hernandez if they weren’t prepared to come close to their markets. I think they have more money to spend than beat writers like Wittenmyer let on.

Pardon the useless throwaway line, but time will tell. The Winter Meetings were a disappointment from a Reds’ perspective, but one thing’s for sure – there’s a lot of offseason left.