According to MLB.com, the deal is for $1.4 million.
To continue to build their depth, the Reds also traded prospect Ethan O’Donnell for Miami Marlins center fielder Dane Myers on Saturday. While Myles struggled at the plate in 2025, he has historically done well against left-handed pitching and plays great defense.
Bleday and Myers are two standout athletes, and they could make up a platoon in 2026.
A year ago, Bleday looked like one of the best young center fielders in MLB. In 2024 with the Athletics, he hit .243 with a strong .762 OPS. Bleday finished the year with 20 homers while playing his home games in a massive ballpark, and he would have been projected to hit 31 homers in Great American Ball Park during that season.
Bleday, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, was showing his upside and firmly established himself as a part of the Athletics’ young core. In 2024, Bleday generally made good swing decisions, worked a good amount of walks, had success pulling the ball down the line and was great at hitting the fastball.
The 2025 season was a major step back. He was optioned twice to Triple-A, hit .212 and was designated for assignment at the end of the season. During 2025, Athletics manager Mark Kotsay told reporters that Bleday felt like he had too many voices in his ear telling him different things about his approach at the plate, which overcomplicated his slump. Bleday, 28-years-old, finished the 2025 season with a .698 OPS and -.3 WAR in 98 big league games.
Bleday will need to make more consistent hard contact and make more overall contact in Cincinnati. Last year, while he didn’t chase much, Bleday whiffed a lot on pitches in the strike zone. He hit sharp line drives much less often than he did in 2024, and he also pulled more fly balls in 2025 than he did during the previous season. Bleday especially struggled against breaking balls in 2025.
The Reds plan to enter 2026 with a payroll that’s around the same as what the team had last year. That gave the Reds about $1-to-5 million left to spend before the team added Bleday.
Myers was drafted as a pitcher coming out of college, but after moving back to the outfield he made his big league debut in 2023. He has been a regular in the Marlins’ lineup for most of the last two seasons and has been known for his impact defense.
In a strong 2024 season, Myers posted an above-average .775 OPS. He took a step back in 2025 with a .617 OPS. Similar to Bleday, the Reds are betting on their ability to tap into some of Myers’ upside and are hoping a change of scenery helps with his development.
About the Author