ESPN's Jeff Passan explains why the Reds were the biggest losers of MLB's Winter Meetings

Billy Heyen

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ESPN's Jeff Passan explains why the Reds were the biggest losers of MLB's Winter Meetings image

The Cincinnati Reds had a chance.

The free agent splash was right there in front of them for the taking. But instead, they left MLB's Winter Meetings empty-handed.

For that reason, ESPN's Jeff Passan has called them his "biggest loser" of the week.

This is specifically, of course, about Kyle Schwarber, the lefty slugger from nearby Middletown, Ohio.

"Free agents of Schwarber's ilk rarely entertain the idea of going to small-market teams, but the Reds had a built-in advantage: He was from there," Passan writes. "Considering the scarcity of such possibilities, the Reds-- one big bat away from being a real threat to win the NL Central -- needed to treat Schwarber's potential arrival with urgency and embrace their inner spendthrift. They had the money to place the largest bid. They chose not to. And they missed, a true shame considering the strength of their rotation and the likelihood that similar opportunities won't find them again anytime soon."

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Schwarber was reportedly offered about $25 million less by the Reds than by the Philadelphia Phillies, where he re-signed. The final contract with the Phillies looks to be for five years and $150 million.

He's coming off a season in which he hit 56 home runs. In his four seasons with the Phillies, Schwarber totaled 187 homers.

The one thing the Reds lack is a true power threat in the heart of their lineup. Schwarber would've filled that role perfectly and probably driven up attendance numbers, too.

Instead, the Reds whiffed, and they won't get another chance at a player like that.

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