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MILWAUKEE – When word got out this spring that Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain had switch agents from Scott Boras, the first question was so obvious McLain knew what it was before it was asked.
“Yes,” he said.
In fact, he then answered before the question could be finished.
“No, I’m not.”
No, he said, he’s not in contract extension talks or seeking one with the new agent Greg Genske and Vayner Sports now handling such business affairs for him instead of the high-powered Boras, who more often winds up with his better clients seeking bigger paydays through free agency.
“I didn’t play last year,” McLain said.
More: What we learned from the Cincinnati Reds' first homestand of 2025
But a funny thing happened on the way to no extension talks and that three-game spree of home runs during the first week of the season for McLain.
The Reds reached out with preliminary framework of an offer before the season started.
“It was a short conversation,” McLain said Thursday. “It just didn’t line up.”
McLain has said more than once he’s open to extension talks. Neither side has ruled out revisiting the the discussion.
Among the handful of players the Reds approached since last season, they got one two-year extension done with catcher Jose Trevino near the end of spring training.
“We’ve had discussions (with multiple players),” general manager Brad Meador said. “I would say they’re still very preliminary and early. Obviously, we have some guys that we’d like to keep here.”
The subject of extensions is in the spotlight around the game right now, with a flurry of extensions coming since the season opened, including San Diego oufielder Jackson Merrill (nine years, $135 million), Red Sox rookie second baseman Kristian Campbell (eight/$60 million), and Arizona veteran second baseman Ketel Marte (seven/$116.5 million) just since Monday – on the heels of Boston getting young starter Garrett Crochet locked up over the weekend to a six-year, $70 million deal.
Arizona right-hander Brandon Pfaadt also got an extension done since the season started.
Unless something dramatic changes, there’s no indication the Reds will be joining the other teams in that post-opener flurry of deals anytime soon.
Meanwhile, some wonder if any of the reason behind the timing of so many extensions – especially with the younger players — is the potential incentive of instant millions this year and next for pre-arbitration players with a possible labor shutdown looming after next season.
McLain said that thought didn’t enter his mind in his process, even though he won’t be eligible for arbitration until at least next winter, depending on whether his 2023 service time is enough to push him to Super 2 eligibility that soon.
Spencer Steer, the Reds’ top run producer over the past two seasons and an extension candidate on the front office radar, said he thinks the looming expiration of the collective bargaining agreement and concerns over labor strife is fueling player incentive to sign extensions.
“I’m sure that has something to do with it. For sure,” said Steer, who added he isn’t aware of any overtures by the Reds to extend him. “At the end of the day everyone’s looking for some job security, and that definitely helps with that.”
Merrill, Campbell and Pfaadt all would have been pre-arbitration players both this year and next without the extensions, all with salaries under $1 million each of those seasons.
Veteran reliever Emilio Pagán, one of the Reds’ assistant union reps, said he hasn’t heard rumblings of that kind of influence of potential concerns over a shutdown but calls Steer’s take “a fair point.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that, and I don’t necessarily think, having not dug into it, that the extensions have anything to do with it,” Pagán said. “But we are where we are.
“Hopefully, we can get all this nonsense figured out (and avoid a shutdown),” he added. “Because we’re in such a good spot. We have so many young players. The viewership’s up, the revenue’s up. Why would we want to shut it down?”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Matt McLain turned down offer from Reds amid MLB extension flurry
Continue reading...
“Yes,” he said.
In fact, he then answered before the question could be finished.
“No, I’m not.”
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No, he said, he’s not in contract extension talks or seeking one with the new agent Greg Genske and Vayner Sports now handling such business affairs for him instead of the high-powered Boras, who more often winds up with his better clients seeking bigger paydays through free agency.
“I didn’t play last year,” McLain said.
More: What we learned from the Cincinnati Reds' first homestand of 2025
But a funny thing happened on the way to no extension talks and that three-game spree of home runs during the first week of the season for McLain.
The Reds reached out with preliminary framework of an offer before the season started.
“It was a short conversation,” McLain said Thursday. “It just didn’t line up.”
McLain has said more than once he’s open to extension talks. Neither side has ruled out revisiting the the discussion.
Among the handful of players the Reds approached since last season, they got one two-year extension done with catcher Jose Trevino near the end of spring training.
“We’ve had discussions (with multiple players),” general manager Brad Meador said. “I would say they’re still very preliminary and early. Obviously, we have some guys that we’d like to keep here.”
The subject of extensions is in the spotlight around the game right now, with a flurry of extensions coming since the season opened, including San Diego oufielder Jackson Merrill (nine years, $135 million), Red Sox rookie second baseman Kristian Campbell (eight/$60 million), and Arizona veteran second baseman Ketel Marte (seven/$116.5 million) just since Monday – on the heels of Boston getting young starter Garrett Crochet locked up over the weekend to a six-year, $70 million deal.
You must be registered for see images attach
Arizona right-hander Brandon Pfaadt also got an extension done since the season started.
Unless something dramatic changes, there’s no indication the Reds will be joining the other teams in that post-opener flurry of deals anytime soon.
Meanwhile, some wonder if any of the reason behind the timing of so many extensions – especially with the younger players — is the potential incentive of instant millions this year and next for pre-arbitration players with a possible labor shutdown looming after next season.
McLain said that thought didn’t enter his mind in his process, even though he won’t be eligible for arbitration until at least next winter, depending on whether his 2023 service time is enough to push him to Super 2 eligibility that soon.
Spencer Steer, the Reds’ top run producer over the past two seasons and an extension candidate on the front office radar, said he thinks the looming expiration of the collective bargaining agreement and concerns over labor strife is fueling player incentive to sign extensions.
“I’m sure that has something to do with it. For sure,” said Steer, who added he isn’t aware of any overtures by the Reds to extend him. “At the end of the day everyone’s looking for some job security, and that definitely helps with that.”
Merrill, Campbell and Pfaadt all would have been pre-arbitration players both this year and next without the extensions, all with salaries under $1 million each of those seasons.
Veteran reliever Emilio Pagán, one of the Reds’ assistant union reps, said he hasn’t heard rumblings of that kind of influence of potential concerns over a shutdown but calls Steer’s take “a fair point.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that, and I don’t necessarily think, having not dug into it, that the extensions have anything to do with it,” Pagán said. “But we are where we are.
“Hopefully, we can get all this nonsense figured out (and avoid a shutdown),” he added. “Because we’re in such a good spot. We have so many young players. The viewership’s up, the revenue’s up. Why would we want to shut it down?”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Matt McLain turned down offer from Reds amid MLB extension flurry
Continue reading...
