By CJ Carlson
Cincinnati Reds Rising Star Suspended For PEDs
The Cincinnati Reds were looking forward to the bright future of Noelvi Marte after he found his way to the organization. Well, that excitement is going to have to be put on hold, because the league just handed him an 80-game suspension for violating the performance-enhancing drug policy.
Marte was previously on the Seattle Mariners but was flipped to the Reds in a deal that included Luis Castillo. The blockbuster deal gave Reds fans tons of optimism. After all, Marte was practically universally regarded as a premier prospect entering this 2024 campaign. Some even believe that he would have been in contention for the Rookie of the Year award this year.
He showed up in 35 games in the Majors throughout the 2023 campaign and impressed. He had a batting average of .316 with a 120 OPS+. To put that into perspective, 100 is the stat to hit if you’re looking for a league average batter. Marte was joining a young core that included Elly De La Cruz and offseason pickups such as Nick Martinez and Brent Suter. Simply put, there were some growing expectations for the Reds coming into the new year, but those have been snuffed out for the time being.
Cincinnati Reds Could Still Make Noise This Season
Luckily, the team can still improve without Marte for the majority of the season. Cincinnati won 82 games last season after winning only 62 the year before that. Put that together with the fact that they’re in a weaker division and there’s a chance that they can compete if everything goes their way. If Marte misses the time due to his suspension, and the Reds can stay afloat without him, then there’s some chance that they can make some noise. Of course, Marte will have to get caught back up to game speed and work his way back into the lineup, which won’t be easy.
