Former Chicago Cubs coach joins a suddenly daunting Cincinnati Reds organization

Former Chicago Cubs first base coach Mike Napoli has joined the rival Cincinnati Reds, as their newly hired manager Terry Francona begins assembling what could be a formidable contender for the NL Central.

The news came from WEEI's Rob Bradford, who reported that Napoli will be joining the Reds "in some capacity."

Napoli served on the Cubs coaching staff for five seasons after he was hired by his former teammate David Ross before the 2020 season. The former catcher was a fan-favorite among virtually everyone in the Cubs' orbit for his easy-going demeanor, impressive playing career, and clear love of baseball. Ross and Napoli won a World Series together as members of the Boston Red Sox in 2013 when they were teammates with other former Cubs like John Lester, John Lackey, and Ryan Dempster.

Although Napoli and the Cubs cut ties after the 2024 season, this was likely because the organization wanted to allow Craig Counsell to fill out his own coaching staff. After Ross was fired in 2023, nearly every member of his staff remained when new manager Craig Counsell came aboard aside from his bench coach Andy Greene. But now Counsell is getting the opportunity to install who he wants in those positions, which makes sense to me.

Napoli will likely be a key member of Francona's new coaching staff as the revered manager begins to make his mark on the Reds organization. The two already have a rapport with each other, as Francona was Napoli's manager in 2016 when they helped take the Cleveland Indians to the World Series against the Cubs. 2016 was Napoli's best year at the plate, where he set career highs in home runs (34), RBI (101), hits (133), and walks (78) despite retiring just a year later.

Will the Reds actually compete this year?

The news of Napoli's departure comes a day after the Reds completed a trade for Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brady Singer. This is a move that will stabilize Cincinnati's pitching staff as Singer tossed 179.2 innings for the Royals with a 3.71 ERA and 170 strikeouts. Paired with ace Hunter Greene and others like Andrew Abbot and Nick Martinez, the Reds suddenly have a decent rotation with an entire free-agent class they can still tap into.

Not to mention the Reds have one of the best young players in the league in Elly De La Cruz, who stole an unreal 67 bases in 2024. For comparison, the entire Minnesota Twins team stole 65 bases last year. With a few more additions, the Reds could be a problem in the NL Central and they only finished with six fewer wins than Chicago. The Cubs were 5-8 against the Reds in 2024 and now they are led by one of the most renowned managers of the 21st century. A manager who now has one of the Cubs' best coaches of the last five years at his side.