Cincinnati was one of the lone teams to make a move on December 27. The Reds made two outfield-related moves, as Cincinnati brought in former Athletics outfielder JJ Bleday. Additionally, speedy Marlins outfielder Dane Myers was acquired via a trade with Miami.
Reds add Bleday
The Reds signed former Marlins and Athletics outfielder JJ Bleday on December 27. Bleday was DFA’d and non-tendered by the A’s in November.
Bleday, a former college standout at Vanderbilt, was traded from the Marlins to the Athletics nearly three years ago for reliever A.J. Puk. The 28-year-old was productive to a point in 2024, as Bleday hit 20 home runs. However, in 2025, Bleday slashed .212/.294/.404 (.698 OPS) and fell out of favor in a deep Athletics outfield group.
The 28-year-old’s productivity can largely be tied to how well he’s been able to handle the offspeed and breaking stuff. Early on in MLB career, Bleday didn’t do significant damage against fastballs. That changed in 2024 when Bleday hit .290 with 14 home runs and cut down the Whiff% considerably against fastballs.
But this past year, Bleday saw fewer fastballs and more offspeed stuff. Bleday batted .091 with a 49.1% Whiff% on changeups/splitters.
Miami traded Myers to Cincy
As noted above, the Reds also acquired outfielder Dane Myers for a Minor League prospect.
Myers, a former pitcher in the Tigers’ system before converting to become an outfielder, received a lot of time against both left-handed and right-handed pitching. However, Myers performed better against lefties than same-sided pitchers.
The 29-year-old slashed .208/.255/.277 (.532 OPS) against right-handed pitchers, compared to .286/.359/.419 (.778 OPS) against left-handed pitchers.
Myers was an above-average runner by Statcast standards and had one of the hardest-throwing arms in the game. His 93.8 MPH average arm strength throw ranked in the top 3% of the league. Keep in mind, though, that he was a pitcher years ago.
The Marlins received former Virginia outfielder Ethan O’Donnell. O’Donnell, a former sixth-round pick by the Reds in the 2023 MLB Draft, played two years at Northwestern before transferring to UVA. He hit .345/.448/.587 with the Cavaliers in 2023, his draft year.
O’Donnell posted a .774 OPS during the 2024 season with Dayton (A+) but struggled in the Double-A Southern League this season. The 23-year-old, who stole 51 combined bases over the last two seasons, slashed .236/.327/.325 (.652 OPS) with seven home runs and 22 extra-base hits over 125 games.
The new Marlins prospect struck out a fair amount in college, and that’s carried over into pro ball. While O’Donnell walked over 10% of his plate appearances (54 over 503 PA), he struck out 129. Out of the 95 batters who had at least 300 recorded swings in the Southern League in 2025, O’Donnell had the 28th-highest Whiff% (30%).
Other moves
The Reds designated right-handed pitchers Lyon Richardson and Keegan Thompson for assignment as corresponding moves.
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