The Reds’ offseason churn has already started, and one of the more recognizable names from recent years is out the door.
Will Benson has elected free agency, according to the minor league transaction log, ending a stint in Cincinnati that never settled into a steady groove. Benson spent most of this season bouncing between levels, appearing in 51 big-league games and 66 minor-league games. At one point, the Reds even designated him for assignment and came close to losing him before the year was over.
For a player with Benson’s tools, the fit never quite clicked. Cincinnati viewed him as a platoon bat, which is probably where he can do his best work, but the club never really committed to giving him regular looks against left-handed pitching. Even when he was deployed in a platoon role against righties, the playing time came in fits and starts, making it hard for him to find any rhythm.
The numbers against lefties tell the story. In his major league career, Benson has only 123 at-bats versus southpaws, and he’s hit just .138/.239/.252 in those chances. Against right-handers, he’s been much more productive, batting .232/.311/.432.
Benson was part of the 2023 Reds team that energized the fan base, and that season remains his best at the major league level. He hit .275/.365/.498 with 11 home runs, eight triples and 15 doubles. He hasn’t matched that production since.
Even with the uneven results, Benson still has the kind of skill set teams keep chasing. He brings real power and the speed to change a game, and there’s a case to be made that he deserves another shot somewhere else in the majors. For the Reds, though, the relationship ran its course without ever turning into the long-term answer they hoped for.
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Will Bensons situation added another layer to the shuffle, with the outfielder electing free agency after being designated for assignment and previously accepting a Triple-A assignment. For a club that already knows it needs better depth across both the position-player side and the pitching staff, these moves only sharpen the sense that the Reds are heading into a winter defined by more change than stability. [Read more 🡒]
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Reds Fans Just Got A New Reason To Watch Nick Krall
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For Reds fans, the interesting part now is whether that promise becomes a real shift or just another attempt to calm the noise around the front office. Krall suddenly looks like a key figure in that answer, because the way the next stretch unfolds could say a lot about how much say Cincinnatis baseball people truly have and how committed ownership is to letting them work without interference. [Read more 🡒]