Former No. 2 overall pick Nick Senzel wasn’t tendered a 2024 contract by the Cincinnati Reds prior to Friday’s deadline for arbitration-eligible players and is now a free agent.
Before the Reds officially announced the move, Senzel had already posted a picture of his family on Instagram with a heart emoji and said, “It was an honor, excited for the future.”
Senzel, 28, batted .239 with 33 homers and 125 RBIs in 377 games over five seasons for Cincinnati. He was primarily an outfielder but also played 62 games at third base.
He reached the majors in 2019 amid high expectations and batted .256 with 12 homers and 42 RBIs in 104 games.
But he batted just .186 in 70 at-bats during the pandemic-shortended 2020 campaign and never reached his potential in ensuing seasons.
Last season, Senzel batted .236 with a career-best 13 homers in 104 games. He matched his career-high of 42 RBIs but slugged just .399.
Senzel was briefly demoted to Triple-A Louisville in August before returning to the Reds.
Senzel was drafted by the Reds in 2016 just behind the Philadelphia Phillies, who used the top selection on outfielder Mickey Moniak.
Among the notable players picked after Senzel were right-handers Ian Anderson (No. 3 overall, Atlanta Braves) and Cal Quantrill (No. 8, San Diego Padres), outfielder Kyle Lewis (No. 11, Seattle Mariners) and catcher Will Smith (No. 32, Los Angeles Dodgers).
The Reds also non-tendered right-hander Derek Law and left-hander Reiver Sanmartin.
In other National League Central moves, the Chicago Cubs non-tendered a trio of relievers recovering from injuries: Codi Heuer, Brandon Hughes and Ethan Roberts. The St. Louis Cardinals non-tendered catcher Andrew Knizner, starters Jake Woodford and Dakota Hudson and first baseman Juan Yepez. The Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to a one-year, $1.6 million deal with left-hander Ryan Borucki, who had a 2.45 ERA in 38 appearances (two starts) this past season, but non-tendered right-handers Osvaldo Bido and Hunter Stratton.
In the National League East, the Atlanta Braves non-tendered seven players: pitchers Yonny Chirinos, Kolby Allard, Penn Murfee, Angel Perdomo and Michael Tonkin, infielder Luke Williams and catcher Chadwick Tromp. The Philadelphia Phillies non-tendered left-hander Josh Fleming after he was just claimed from the Tampa Bay Rays. The New York Mets will not tender a deal to slugger Daniel Vogelbach and are also set to part ways with relievers Sam Coonrod, Jeff Brigham and Trevor Gott as well as infielder Luis Guillorme. The Marlins are set to move on from catcher Jacob Stallings and infielder Garrett Hampson.
The National League West champion Diamondbacks non-tendered outfielder Kyle Lewis, the former American League Rookie of the Year with the Seattle Mariners who played just 16 games with Arizona. The San Diego Padres non-tendered catcher Austin Nola as well as pitchers Tim Hill and Jose Espada and outfielder Taylor Kohlwey. The Rockies non-tendered right-hander Tommy Doyle. The San Francisco Giants parted ways with pitchers Thomas Szapucki, Cole Waites and Jose Cruz.
The Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to a one-year, $1.9 million deal with right-handed reliever Yency Almonte, according to multiple media reports.
–Field Level Media
