The Cincinnati Reds have added some outfield depth to their roster by signing former top draft pick JJ Bleday, according to a report from FanSided's Robert Murray on Saturday.

"Sources: Free-agent outfielder JJ Bleday and the Cincinnati Reds are in agreement on a contract," Murray wrote on X. "Bleday, 28, was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 draft and has spent time in the majors with the Marlins and A's."

The deal is a one-year major league contract, with the signing set to become official once Cincinnati clears a spot on its full 40-man roster.

The left-handed hitter is coming off a tough 2025 season with the Athletics, where he hit .212/.294/.404 with 14 home runs and 39 RBI across 98 games.

He was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas in late June before getting called back up in August, and the A's eventually designated him for assignment in November before cutting him loose at the non-tender deadline.

However, Bleday showed a lot more promise just one year earlier, and that 2024 campaign is likely what caught the Reds' attention.

During Oakland's final season in the Bay Area, Bleday posted a .243/.324/.437 slash line with 20 home runs and 60 RBI over 159 games while serving as the team's everyday center fielder.

That production gave him a 120 wRC+ and 3.2 fWAR, which made him a solid contributor despite some rough defensive reviews in center field.

For his career, Bleday owns a .215 batting average with 49 home runs across 404 games, and he has consistently maintained a walk rate above 10.5 percent throughout his time in the majors.

The Reds finished the 2025 season with an 83-79 record, good enough for third place in the NL Central and a Wild Card spot where they eventually fell to the Dodgers.

With that taste of October baseball still fresh, Cincinnati is looking to build on that success heading into 2026 while working within a limited budget.

Bleday checks a lot of boxes for this front office. He can play all three outfield spots, which gives manager Terry Francona some flexibility with his lineup.

He is a left-handed bat, something the Reds could use more of since most of their current hitters swing from the right side.

And perhaps most importantly for a budget-conscious team, he comes cheap at an estimated $2.2 million through arbitration while remaining under team control through 2028.

The 28-year-old also still has a minor league option remaining, so if things do not work out, Cincinnati can send him back down to Triple-A without any major risk.

Given his strong 2024 season and the chance that last year's struggles were just a rough patch, this is exactly the kind of low-cost, high-upside move that could pay off for a team trying to take the next step.