In a 2025 trade deadline that saw a few newcomers for the Cincinnati Reds, Miguel Andujar stood out as more than just a rental. His performance down the line of this past season has stirred the conversation: Should the Reds re-sign him? Let’s look into the numbers and answer that question.
Miguel Andujar’s Overall 2025 Stats
Andujar split the 2025 season between the Athletics and the Reds as he played 60 games with the A’s and 34 with Cincinnati. He struggled a bit with some nagging injuries, but still compiled 321 at-bats in 94 games.
Due to him being a net negative defender and, honestly, a positionless player at this point in his career (besides DH), he will never be a guy who racks up WAR.
His 0.8 bWAR in 2025, although not necessarily high, was the highest mark he reached since his rookie year in 2018 (2.8 bWAR). This was definitely Andujar’s best season since 2018, which saw him him 47 doubles in the Bronx en route to coming in second place for the American League Rookie of the Year award.
Andujar slashed .318/.352/.470 for an .822 OPS and 125 OPS+. He continued to excel at his bat-to-ball skills with a 17.8 Whiff% and 14.4 K% (86th and 87th percentile, respectively). On the flip side, he did still live up to his reputation as a free swinger as he walked in just 5.0% of his plate appearances (10th percentile).
Explaining Andujar’s “Breakout”
With every player who flips a switch and suddenly produces a season above their previous years, the question of “how” arises. Are there any underlying numbers that can back up this production jump, and is there proof that this is sustainable?
In Andujar’s case, the numbers aren’t so kind to his 125 OPS+ breakout. Let’s look into it.
His .318 BA, .822 OPS, and 125 OPS+ stand out right away, as this is coming off of multiple subpar seasons in a row.
2019: .128 BA — .271 OPS — -26 OPS+
2020: .242 BA — .632 OPS — 75 OPS+
2021: .253 BA — .667 OPS — 82 OPS+
2022: .257 BA — .568 OPS — 61 OPS+
2023: .250 BA — .664 OPS — 86 OPS+
2024: .285 BA — .776 OPS — 106 OPS+
This was just the third time in his career that he finished the season with an OPS+ above the league average mark of 100.
His expected numbers certainly don’t support the breakout, at least not at the level he was at. His .269 xBA and .394 xSLG are both well below his actual .318 average and .470 SLG in 2025.
Looking at his 2024 metrics, though, he had a .260 xBA and .337 xSLG, which are similar to his 2025 marks. This was a season where he finished with a 106 OPS+, obviously not as good as 125 in 2025, but still above league average.
Luck can definitely be attributed to his 2025 breakout, which isn’t to say that he wasn’t good, just that he made the jump from slightly above average to All-Star level production thanks to some luck factors.
Should the Reds Re-Sign Miguel Andujar?
To finally answer the question, should the Cincinnati Reds bring Andujar back? At 30 years old and with not the best track record of offensive success, the cost to retain his services should not be too much. Depending on how he feels, Andujar may be willing to settle for a one-year deal.
He made $3 million in 2025, which is a little less than he will likely make in his next contract, but not by too much. This is all to say that signing Andujar will not cripple the payroll, especially for a team like the Reds, who historically don’t splurge in free agency.
I’m happy that Miguel Andújar is doing well as a Red pic.twitter.com/TriWPmHTBb
— Dillard Barnhart (@BarnHasSpoken2) September 19, 2025
The Reds are a team desperately looking for offensive production, as Elly De La Cruz was their best hitter in 2025 with a 109 OPS+. This is simply not good enough for a team looking to make a deeper run into the postseason.
While we have established that it would be unlikely that Andujar repeats a 125 OPS+ season, we still expect him to be able to produce at a 100~105 OPS+ level. This would be plenty good enough value for a guy who will come at a cheap price.
Andujar’s Role If He Returns
In order for the Reds to bring him back and put him in the best position possible, he would have to be a platoon DH against left-handers. He will only take the field out of necessity, as he registered -7 OAA in just 67 games between mostly third base and left field, with some first base and right field action sprinkled in.
Andujar was one of the best hitters in MLB against left-handed pitching this past season, registering a .986 OPS against southpaws. This is something that he does have a solid track record in, as he posted a .995 OPS in 2024 against lefties, and an .871 OPS in 2023 against lefties.
On the flip side, against right-handed pitching in 2025, Andujar posted a .759 OPS, which isn’t bad by any means, but nowhere near the excellence he had against lefties.
The Last Word
If the Cincinnati Reds want to bring back some surefire offensive production at an affordable price, Andujar is their guy. He fits best as a platoon DH, meaning they will have to look elsewhere for a counter against right-handers if they re-sign him. Of course, they can look for the big fish and try to land guys like Kyle Schwarber as their full-time DH.
However amazing that sounds for Reds fans, that is a lot less of a guarantee than simply bringing back Andujar, who was a big part of their second-half success.
It would be a good idea for the Reds to re-sign him, but they have to make corresponding moves and put Andujar in specific situations that they know he can succeed in rather than plugging him in as an everyday guy.
Main Photo Credit: © Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
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