After several banner years down on the farm, calendar year 2024 was a doozy for the Cincinnati Reds. The 80-game PED suspension handed down to Noelvi Marte really pulled the rug out from under the guy most - including this community - considered the team’s #1 overall prospect, while a season-ending injury to Edwin Arroyo soon followed.
Pair that with Brandon Williamson’s mostly lost year and the epic yips experienced by Connor Phillips, and the farm-stocking return from the deals with the Seattle Mariners suddenly looked sour. Then, Spencer Steer saw his BABIP plummet, Christian Encarnacion-Strand got hurt, and Chase Petty stumbled a bit out of the gate, and the farm-stocking returns from the deals with the Minnesota Twins no longer looked like it had rescued the Reds farm.