The Cincinnati Reds have been an absolute tire fire since finishing third in the NL Central and losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Wild Card game in 2013. Since that season, the Reds have gone on to finish fourth, fifth, fifth and fifth, fifth and fourth, respectively, which includes four seasons of 90+ losses. The Reds have gone 22 seasons without winning a playoff series. However, with the roster they’ve assembled heading into the 2021 season, they have an outside chance of ending that drought.

Last season, the Reds finished with a record of 31-29, which was good enough for third place in the NL Central and good enough for a wild-card spot in the expanded playoffs. Despite losing the wild-card series 2-0 to the Brewers, it was the first playoff appearance for the Reds since 2013. One would hope that they can take strides and carry that momentum into this season.

At DraftKings, the Phillies’ 30/1 World Series odds remained hours after the signing news broke, as did their 20/1 NL pennant odds and 7/1 odds to win the NL East. At FanDuel, the Phillies were 35/1 to win the World Series prior to news of the signing and moved all the way to 33/1. January 20 Update. THE WORLD SERIES; Reds Confident Despite Odds. The symbol and probably the hope of the Cincinnati Reds, stood alongside the batting cage near home plate two days before the World Series.

The Reds open the regular season with a three-game home series against the St. Louis Cardinals before welcoming the Pittsburgh Pirates to Ohio for a three-game set. From there, travel across the country to face Arizona for three and then San Francisco for three. The Reds are expected to be competitive this year, which is why they are +3500 to win the World Series, +2000 to win the NL Pennant and +350 to win the NL Central. Their season wins total sits at 82.5.

Reds 2021 Projected Lineup

The Reds projected batting order features one of the best sluggers in baseball, Joey Votto. Unfortunately, the bottom of the lineup leaves a lot to be desired. As of writing this, the Reds batting lineup looks something like this:

1. Jesse Winker
2. Nick Castellanos
3. Joey Votto
4. Eugenio Suarez
5. Mike Moustakas
6. Nick Senzel
7. Kyle Farmer
8. Tucker Barnhart
9. Pitchers Spot

The top half of the Reds order has the potential to be one of the most potent quintets in baseball. They are led by the No. 3 hitter, Votto, who despite getting up there in age is still producing for the Reds and helping them win ball games. The quintet managed to hit 60 homeruns last season, and the projects for this year are expecting them to hit 140 long balls, with Suarez leading the way with 37, followed by “The Moose” with 35.

Beyond them, the lineup takes a drastic nosedive as Senzel, Farmer and Barnhart are all guys who’ve been around the league long enough to be relied upon to produce good numbers, but each of them has failed to live up to expectations. The trio combined for just seven home runs, three stolen bases, and the best OBP was Farmer’s .329. If this trio of players can’t produce at the bottom of the lineup, or at the very least get on base and turn the lineup over for the big bats at the top of the order, the Reds may be in for an extremely long season. I’m not sure where the optimism comes from for this team this year. With a roster that’s aging, it’s going to take some sort of incredible run to get them above .500.

Reds 2021 Projected Rotation & Closer

Reds World Series Odds 2019

The Reds’ rotation this year is once against questionable at best. There is no bonafide ace anywhere in this organization, so it will take a collective effort to keep the Reds from being the laughingstock of the league. Sonny Gray pitched well at times last season, and he managed a 5-3 record in 11 started games and kept his ERA to a respectable 3.70 ERA.

Behind Gray, the Reds will rely on a quartet that includes Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle, Wade Miley and Michael Lorenzen. Castillo is the most known pitcher and perhaps the best pitcher out of this quartet. He started 12 games last year. And despite a 4-6 record, he had a respectable 3.21 ERA.

The projections for the remaining trio of pitchers is bleak as they all figure to have an ERA north of 4.40. And in a hitter-friendly park like Great American Ball Park, that figures to be no Bueno.

Another issue the Reds have is their bullpen. The closer for this season figures to be Amir Garrett. Last season, Garrett converted on a grand total of one save with an ERA of 2.45. He’s projected for 16 saves this season, so that’s a positive, but Lucas Sims and Sean Doolittle might cut into his save opportunities.

Reds 2021 Predictions

FanGraphs projects Cincinnati finish this year with a record of 77-85, which would be good enough for third spot in the NL Central. This would put them “under” their season win total of 82.5. And to be completely honest, this is one of the team totals I already have money on. The only legitimate way I see the Reds winning any game is in a high-scoring game, where they can outscore the opponents. If they need to rely on a pitcher to hold the opponents to fewer than three runs, I like my chances that it’s not going to happen.

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The Cincinnati Reds opened their pocketbook this offseason, and sportsbooks have taken notice.

The Reds were being offered at +5000 to win the 2020 World Series by PointsBetimmediately after the Washington Nationals won the title in October — tied for 17th among the 30 Major League Baseball teams. With pitchers and catchers due to report in two weeks, those odds have dipped to +3000, although still tied for just 14th overall.

The story is similar at BetAmerica, the Churchill Downs-owned sportsbook that has slashed the Reds’ odds from +4000 to +2800 following “a number of significant bets in recent weeks.”

Cincinnati also has been bet down from +2000 to +1300 to win the National League pennant at BetAmerica and +1400 at PointsBet.

Reds World Series Odds

The driving force behind the significant change in the Reds’ 2020 outlook has been a slew of notable moves, including:

• 3B Mike Moustakas: Four years, $64 million
• OF Nick Castellanos: Four years, $64 million
• OF Shogo Akiyama: Three years, $21 million
• SP Wade Miley: Two years, $15 million
• RP Pedro Strop: One year, $1.825 million

The offseason spending spree could end up amounting to $164 million, more than the Reds had spent in free agency over the past decade. They also will have starting pitcher Trevor Bauer for a full season.

It has also opened the eyes of pundits and bettors, who now see the Reds as a legitimate contender.

“The Reds have opened their wallets this offseason, and their big signings in Mike Moustakas and Nick Castellanos have our players confident they’ll be a huge playoff chance this year,” said BetAmerica president Ian Williams.

The Houston Astros opened as 2020 World Series favorites at most books before manager A.J. Hinch was fired following MLB’s investigation into a sign-stealing scam.

The New York Yankees now are listed as the favorites at both BetAmerica (+320) and PointsBet (+350). The Los Angeles Dodgers are being offered at +550 by both books, with PointsBet also offering the Astros at +550 while BetAmerica lists Houston at +400.

The Atlanta Braves are the fourth betting favorite by both: +1100 at PointsBet and +1200 by BetAmerica.

The New York Yankees are +320 favorites at BetAmerica to win the 2020 World Series, ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers (+550), Houston Astros (+600) and Atlanta Braves (+1200).

Reds World Series Odds Genesis Open

The Kansas City Royals, Detroit Lions, Baltimore Orioles and Miami Marlins — +20000 longshots by PointsBet immediately after the 2019 World Series — have retained the longest odds at PointsBet. All four teams are now being offered at +100000.

Reds World Series Odds Ncaa Basketball

–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)