The Cincinnati Reds have a very crucial offseason ahead of them this winter. They're on the fence of competing and rebuilding right now. On one hand, they have players like Sal Stewart, Chase Burns, and Elly De La Cruz who make them a competitive ballclub with the potential to beat any team in a series. But the rest of their lineup struggles. Their bullpen isn't great, and their starting pitching needs more depth.

To make matters worse, the Reds are in a position to lose key players in free agency. They have already lost Emilio Pagán, who opted to go to the Detroit Tigers after opting out of his contract with the Reds. Now, Cincinnati has to worry about losing players like Eugenio Suárez, Brock Burke, and Tyler Stephenson. If they don't re-sign or replace these players, they're going to be worse than they were last season.

To kick off their offseason, the Reds agreed to minor league deals with a few players, including Ben Wereski, according to the minor league transaction log.

Reds Sign Ben Wereski to New Minor League Deal

Wereski is an intriguing pitcher to look into. He has multiple pitches that he can throw in the strike zone, including a cutter that runs a zone rate over 50 percent. But none of his pitches are outlier options. They're below-average in terms of Stuff+, which isn't a good indicator of success for pitchers.

The Reds are likely taking a bet on him developing an above-average pitch or two before the season begins next year. He's never graded out as an incredible arm, but his xwOBA and chase rate are good. His strikeout rate and walk rate are also above average, which is another good sign. The Reds need to help him develop better pitches to sustain success.

The biggest issue for Wereski is his below-average fastball velocity. The Reds need to see if they can help him add a few ticks on the radar gun in order to make his success more sustainable.

The Reds need to make much bigger moves this offseason if they want to sustain success over a long period of time. They need to open up the checkbook in free agency and be open to the idea of trading for talented players. The offseason is only just beginning.

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