Catcher Luke Maile, Cincinnati Reds Agree to Contract Extension Before Free Agency
The Cincinnati Reds and catcher Luke Maile have agreed to a one-year contract extension, the team announced Thursday.
Maile was slated to hit free agency next month, but he will instead stay in Cincinnati for another season. The deal also includes a club option for 2025.
Per MLB.com's Mark Sheldon, Maile is owed $3.5 million in guaranteed money as part of his new contract.
Maile hit .235 with a .699 OPS across 74 games in 2023, his first season with the Reds. He spent the prior two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers and Cleveland Guardians, and he was with the Toronto Blue Jays from 2015 to 2019.
The 0.9 WAR Maile posted this year was the second-highest of his career, as were his 42 hits, 10 doubles, 25 RBI and 70 total bases. His six home runs were a career high.
Maile was the backup to Tyler Stephenson, who is entering his first year of arbitration eligibility. The pair started 135 out of 162 games behind the dish for Cincinnati this season.
Outfielder Harrison Bader and relief pitcher Buck Farmer are now the only Reds players who are in line to enter free agency this offseason.
The 29-year-old Bader, who won a Gold Glove with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021, appeared in 14 games after getting claimed off waivers in August. Farmer, 32, is coming off a career-high 71 appearances and 75.0 innings.
Cincinnati's payroll is expected to narrowly clear $100 million, according to Baseball Reference. The Reds ranked No. 23 with a $96 million payroll in 2023, and they very nearly reached the postseason at 82-80.
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