It just might be one of those winters where the baseball world pulls the covers up to its collective chin, casts on thorough shiver, and hunkers down against the cold. With news earlier this week from commissioner Fred Manrob that baseball’s 30 franchises had run up nearly $3.0 billion in debt during a 2020 season that featured a reduced schedule and no fans in stands, it’s hard to envision any team really swinging big in the free agent market this winter, let alone the small market clubs who typically operate with tight purse strings in normal years.
Despite their nearly $170 million outlay last winter, the Cincinnati Reds have historically been one of those penny-pinching clubs, at least in recent memory.