Cincinnati Reds: 4 Reds Earning a Spot on the 2015 25-Man

The to-do list for the 2014-2015 Cincinnati Reds offseason seems to grow by the day as more and more rumors surrounding the dealing of Aroldis Chapman, Brandon Phillips and others circulate. And while a 72-84 record is bad enough to make the short to-do a whole laundry list of items, the truth is, there is still real talent on this 2014 product beyond the obvious talent. 

Some of the September call-ups are making the most out of their limited time in the big leagues. Some are demonstrating why they have had successful MLB stints elsewhere. While the 2014 campaign is a failure, the month of September has been a grand audition for what might be future cogs of this organization.

The following are four Reds who currently are either not signed through 2015 or who aren't on the 25-man roster. The order will range from no-doubter to deserving-but-unlikely. 

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

1. 3B Ramon Santiago

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Ramon Santiago isn't at the top of anyone's list for a must re-sign. But as strictly a role-playing bench insert, Santiago has earned his way onto next year's 25-man roster.

He's only batting .247, which for a bench player with limited opportunity isn't that bad. But look at the OBP: At .347, Santiago is a seasoned veteran you can trust to get in the box, see pitches and make an opposing pitcher labor. 

For a team whose leader in walks has played in just 62 games, this is an extremely necessary asset. His oWAR of 0.8 is decent all things considered. This was a guy who was making over $2 million a year with the Detroit Tigers the last two years, he clearly has MLB value.

Plate discipline is arguably one of the biggest issues facing the Reds. Per Fangraphs.com, the Reds are No. 8 in o-swing percentage, which means swings at balls outside of the strike zone.

2. RP Pedro Villarreal

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If there is one thing for certain, it's that the 2015 Reds bullpen will look significantly different from the one that started 2014. With Jonathan Broxton being traded to the Brewers, that opens up a right-handed set-up spot for Jumbo Diaz, who has literally pitched his way in the 2015 equation. 

But the numbers are what they are. The 2014 Reds bullpen owns the most losses in the entire sport. 30 bullpen losses, tied with the Colorado Rockies. Their 4.13 ERA is the No. 25 ERA in baseball. So the bullpen is pretty terrible.

That should open the door for someone like Pedro Villarreal, who has been serviceable in a limited stint at the major league level. In 12.2 innings of work, Villarreal has allowed five earned runs off seven hits, one home run. 

But his WHIP is an impressive 0.86, and batters are hitting just .118. 

He had a pretty remarkable year in Triple-A. Villarreal finished the year at 6-2 with an ERA of 3.20. Since changing from a starter to a bullpen arm, Villarreal's numbers have improved exponentially. in 56.1 innings of work this year at Triple-A, he struck out 50 batters while walking just 13.

Considering how suspect names like Logan Ondrusek, Manny Parra and Sam LeCure have been this year, there is plenty of opportunity for Villarreal to make the 25-man next year and possibly start the season in Cincinnati. 

3. 2B Kristopher Negron

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Not only should Kristopher Negron be given a chance to start the year on the 25-man roster, but he should be considered to start at shortstop over Zack Cozart.

There is no denying the fact that from a defensive standpoint, the Reds are exponentially better with Cozart between third and second (2.63 dWAR, No. 4 in MLB, per ESPN.com), but Cozart's inability to do anything at the plate may be putting more of a strain on an offense that has plenty of it.

The bulk of Negron's experience at shortstop is in the minors. In nine minor league seasons, Negron has .963 fielding percentage at shortstop. 

In comparison, in four seasons with the Reds, Cozart has a fielding percentage of .980. There's definitely a separation. But consider the offensive upgrade Negron provides this lineup.

In nine minor league seasons, Negron is hitting .246, but has an OBP of .323, meaning he is another player who can help build on a terrible team OBP. in 142 plate appearances at the major league level this season, Negron is hitting just .240/.305. 

While not all that impressive, Negron has five home runs in this short span of time. Cozart, on the other hand, has just four home runs in nearly five times as many plate appearances as Negron. While home runs are by no means the defining factor, when you look at doubles, triples and walks, Negron's numbers in just 142 plate appearances suggest that he has more to offer the Reds from deep in the lineup than Cozart does.

Cozart could still be a focal point in the Reds approach. He would make for an exceptional defensive upgrade, every single game if necessary. 

4. OF Jason Bourgeois

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Jason Bourgeois is making the most out of his short appearance at the major league level. Not that he is a stranger to playing at this level; in his last major stint with the Houston Astros, Bourgeois hit .294/.323/.357. That was back in 2011.

Since then, he's floated around, having forgettable cameos with the Kansas City Royals and the Tampa Bay Rays. But he never played in any more than 30 games with either at the major league level, playing just nine with Tampa Bay.

Currently with the Reds, Bourgeois is batting .263 and has an OBP of .300. Since that's just too small, consider what he did in Triple-A this year. A the end of the Triple-A season, Bourgeois was slashing .278/.329/.363. He had 29 doubles and 24 stolen bases.

At age 32, there is still no question surrounding his speed.

This won't be the guy to suddenly reverse the fortunes of this Reds offense, but this is a guy the Reds could really benefit from having at their disposal off the bench. His defense percentage in the OF this year at Triple-A was .991, so there's no question he can hold his own in the field.