There's a report out there that the Cincinnati Reds havechecked in' on free agent starting pitcher Nick Pivetta already this offseason Connor Overton Jersey,something that may dovetail with their reported interest in former Chicago White Sox starter Garrett Crochet after he was dealt to the Boston Red Sox,not the Reds.Joel Sherman of the New York Post relayed the news.The Reds,who tried for Garrett Crochet,have checked in on Nick Pivetta.Joel Sherman,that's still a tough price to pay to sign a guy who,at best,would ideally slot in as their fourth or fifth best starter...if all their current starting pitching options are still around and in-play.It's that latter part that makes me think the Reds are checking in on Pivetta on the off-chance they end up dealing one of their established big league starters for a bat to address offensive holes in the outfield.Nick Krall has intimated this offseason that teams aren't necessarily as interested in acquiringprospects' in deals as they are landing players who are already big leaguers,something that was echoed in his deal of Jonathan India to Kansas City for pitcher Brady Singer back in November.So,in his quest to find an impact bat,it's wouldn't be surprising to hear that a) the team said impact oufielder plays for has asked for an established big leaguer in return or b) said established big leaguer in return is one of Cincinnati's prized young starting pitchers.So,in lieu of holding tight to his current pitching staff and allocating money in excess of $21.05 million to bring in a bat,Krall Co.may well be kicking the tires on bringing in Pivetta and dealing one of their current young pitchers for an impact bat who's slated to make a lot,lot less than that.This,in essence,would be their backfill plan,something similar to what they did last year when instead of spending big on an outfield bat they spent big on infielder Jeimer Candelario and backfilled the outfield void by moving Spencer Steer out there full-time.I'm spitballing here,but maybe that's a guy like Tampa's Josh Lowe Cincinnati Reds Salute to Service Hoodies,who struggled in 2024 but mashed to a 130 OPS+ in 2023.Maybe it's one of the coveted young Arizona Diamondback outfield options.You get the gist - a guy who's controllable for four,five,six years and would make dealing one of Andrew Abbott,Nick Lodolo,or Rhett Lowder seem much more palatable.Maybe,just maybe,it's in a huge deal for breakout Oaklamento A's outfielder Lawrence Butler.Wouldn't that be fun?