Former No. 2 overall pick Nick Senzel wasn’t tendered a 2024 contract by the Cincinnati Reds prior to Friday’s deadline for arbitration-eligible players and is now a free agent.
Before the Reds officially announced the move, Senzel had already posted a picture of his family on Instagram with a heart emoji and said, “It was an honor, excited for the future.”
Senzel, 28, batted .239 with 33 homers and 125 RBIs in 377 games over five seasons for Cincinnati. He was primarily an outfielder but also played 62 games at third base.
He reached the majors in 2019 amid high expectations and batted .256 with 12 homers and 42 RBIs in 104 games.
But he batted just .186 in 70 at-bats during the pandemic-shortended 2020 campaign and never reached his potential in ensuing seasons.
Last season, Senzel batted .236 with a career-best 13 homers in 104 games. He matched his career-high of 42 RBIs but slugged just .399.
Senzel was briefly demoted to Triple-A Louisville in August before returning to the Reds.
Senzel was drafted by the Reds in 2016 just behind the Philadelphia Phillies, who used the top selection on outfielder Mickey Moniak.
Among the notable players picked after Senzel were right-handers Ian Anderson (No. 3 overall, Atlanta Braves) and Cal Quantrill (No. 8, San Diego Padres), outfielder Kyle Lewis (No. 11, Seattle Mariners) and catcher Will Smith (No. 32, Los Angeles Dodgers).
The Reds also non-tendered right-hander Derek Law and left-hander Reiver Sanmartin.
