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Reds rumors: Why Sal Stewart won’t be seeing green like Konnor Griffin, Kevin McGonigle
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- Reds rumors: Why Sal Stewart won’t be seeing green like Konnor Griffin, Kevin McGonigle
Reds rumors: Why Sal Stewart won't be seeing green like Konnor Griffin, Kevin McGonigle appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
After losing four straight games, the Cincinnati Reds have fallen out of first place in the NL Central division, down to third behind the St. Louis Cardinals . They were recently swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates and have lost the opening game against the Chicago Cubs in a best-of-four series. Cincinnati was hoping to start the month of May off on a better note, especially after containing the Rookie of the Month for April.
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First baseman Sal Stewart is the second-best hitter on the Reds right now, behind star Elly De La Cruz . Stewert is hitting .252 with a .504 SLG, giving him an .842 OPS. The rookie has hit nine home runs and driven in a team-leading 29 RBIs. The 22-year-old is on his way to becoming one of the best rookies of the 2026 season, and the Reds are familiar with having rookies perform at a high level. The Reds have eight NL ROY awards, tied for the third most in NL history behind the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers .
In a recent article by MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, he explained why the Reds are not in a position to give Stewart a massive extension that we have seen recently with younger players. Konnor Griffin just signed a nine-year, $140 million extension, and the Detroit Tigers signed Kevin McGonigle to an eight-year, $150 million contract.
"Stewart, 22, was the National League Rookie of the Month for March/April, batting .281 with nine homers and 29 RBIs. But the Reds, who offered Kyle Schwarber a five-year free-agent deal in the $125 million range last December, with heavy deferrals in the first year, are not in the same financial position they were then, according to people briefed on their situation. Nor are they in the same position they were when they offered shortstop Elly De La Cruz the richest deal in franchise history in the spring of 2025."
Rosenthal also says that the signing of third baseman Eugenio Suarez could be a cause for why the Reds are not capable of extending Stewart. His $15 million deal for this season put the team over the payroll budget. Suarez has been on the IL for the last week .
Game 2 between the Reds and Cubs begins at 7:40 ET.
Related: Pirates pitcher suspended for throwing at Sal Stewart
