Cincinnati Reds vs Athletics Prediction & Betting Tips - MLB Spring Training

Prediction published on 03/03/2024, 15:14  by Matthew Newman | Modified on 03/03/2024 at 15:17 in Baseball Predictions

The Cincinnati Reds will take on the Oakland Athletics in a spring training game on Monday. The Reds took a massive step forward last season to finish above .500, though they were on track for a far better season before they struggled a little down the stretch. They got off to a strong start in February, 4-1 in their first five but a couple of heavy defeats to the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies have brought them back down to earth a little bit. Elly De La Cruz was the breakout star for them in 2023 and he has got off to an excellent start this year as well. Nick Martinez has come over from the San Diego Padres and made a good start as a Red, he can make spot starts as well as work from the bullpen so he gives them plenty of depth. 

Things are a mess in Oakland right now. The move to Las Vegas is back on but the new ballpark will not be ready until 2028 and their lease expires on the Coliseum in Oakland after this season. Not that it will matter for most fans where they play as they have voted with their feet, the A's averaging just 10,275 per home game, comfortably the lowest attendance in the league. Nick Allen had almost identical stats in 2022 and 2023 for the A's and has looked like their best player so far in spring training, driving in five in just nine at-bats. They have looked a little better than the last few seasons but it remains to be seen how long they can keep it up for.