5 bold predictions that could define the Reds’ 2025 season ft. Elly De La Cruz winning MVP

The Cincinnati Reds once again failed to make the playoffs, but they have long felt like a team on the cusp. With some of their top prospects finally up and making an impact, 2025 could be a very strong season for them.

---

Bold predictions for the 2025 Reds

5) Tyler Stephenson will have a career season

Tyler Stephenson will have a career year (Imagn)

Tyler Stephenson had a pretty good year in 2024. He recorded 3.0 fWAR and a 112 wRC+. His defensive rating was a solid 8.0. It was a huge improvement from the year before when he was virtually negative across the board.

His defense is good and his offense is more than capable, so if he can put together a full season, he could be one of the best catchers in baseball. He could easily record a 125 wRC+ and 5.5 fWAR.

---

4) Hunter Greene will win the Cy Young

Hunter Greene will win the Cy Young (Imagn)

Hunter Greene had a really good season last year. In just 150 innings, he recorded 3.8 fWAR. If he can put together a full season at the same level of play, he will easily be considered for the Cy Young award.

The NL is stacked with pitching talent. Spencer Strider, Chris Sale, Zack Wheeler, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Logan Webb, and so many others will compete for this award, but Greene has the stuff and is poised to break out this season.

---

3) Terry Francona will win Manager of the Year

Terry Francona will win Manager of the Year (Imagn)

The NL has a lot of good managers in it. That is more true this year with the addition of Terry Francona. He's a Manager of the Year from his time with the Cleveland Guardians and he's won two World Series titles.

The newcomer that turns around a bad team and gets them into the playoffs, as Steven Vogt in the AL last year, is always a strong candidate for Manager of the Year. When Francona does that, he will win the award for the second time.

---

2) The Reds will make the playoffs

The Reds will make the playoffs (Imagn)

The Reds last made the postseason in the shortened 2020 season, and before that, in 2013. They've been one of the more unsuccessful franchises in that time span, but that ends this year.

The Reds have a brilliant pitching staff and a few young talents poised for big seasons. The NL is deep, and there will probably be at least six teams fighting for those three wild card spots, but the Reds will be one of them.

---

1) Elly De La Cruz will win NL MVP

Elly De La Cruz will win MVP (Imagn)

There's a world where Elly De La Cruz hits 30 home runs and steals 70 bases. In fact, that's not all that bold of a prediction. He hit 25 homers and stole 67 bases in his first full MLB season, so that's not a big jump.

If he does that, he'd have to be in the MVP conversation. He would have to outplay Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Kyle Tucker, and others, but there is a strong chance he does.