Report: Wil Myers, Reds Agree to 1-Year, $7.5M Contract with Option for 2024 Season

The Cincinnati Reds reportedly signed Wil Myers to a one-year, $7.5 million contract on Thursday, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

The deal can reach up to $9.5 million "based on playing time or if he's traded," per that report, and includes a mutual option for 2024.

Mayers was excellent for the San Diego Padres in 2020, hitting .288 with 15 homers, 40 RBI, 34 runs and a .959 OPS in 55 games. Paired with players like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, he gave the Padres one of the most fearsome lineups in baseball.

It was an important bounce-back year for Myers, who played in just 83 games in 2018, hitting .253 with 11 homers, 39 RBI and 39 runs, as a left oblique strain and a left foot bone bruise cost him time on the disabled list. In 2019, he played in 155 games but disappointed, hitting just .239 with 18 homers and 53 RBI.

After hitting 28 homers in 2016 (which earned him a trip to the All-Star Game) and 30 home runs in 2017, Myers established himself as a solid power hitter, though his time on the shelf in 2018 limited that productivity and his power numbers were lacking in 2019 compared to previous heights.

The 31-year-old's 2021 season regressed to his form in 2018-19, however, as he hit .256 with just 17 homers and 63 RBI in 146 games. And he was far worse in 2022, hitting .261 with seven homers and 41 RBI in just 77 games.

Getting on base has remained an issue, as Myers has a career .254 batting average and .315 on-base percentage. Since hitting .293 in his 2013 rookie season, earning him AL Rookie of the Year honors, he hadn't hit .260 or higher until the 2020 campaign.

That made him the subject of trade rumors throughout last season, though the Padres couldn't find any takers. And it made it fairly unsurprising when the team declined his $20 club option in 2023.

But his defensive versatility—the former Tampa Bay Rays man has spent time at third base, left field, right field, first base and even center field during his career—and his past history of pop at the plate clearly made him an attractive target for the Reds.

Whether he can return to the level he played at in 2020 remains to be seen.