It’s a very, very 2022 Cincinnati Reds thing to acknowledge, but there’s no denying that having the player you think most deserves the next contract extension from the Reds is the one who’s on the shelf right now with a busted thumb. That, of course, would be one Tyler Stephenson, who admittedly looked the part of franchise cornerstone prior to his injury, and most certainly is the kind of player any decent baseball franchise would choose to build around for years.
This is all based on the results of our question from yesterday, where we asked you to pick between Stephenson, Luis Castillo, Jonathan India, and Tyler Mahle as the player most deserving of the next big contract from the Reds.