The Red Stockings were looking to return to their 1882 form, when they won the American Association pennant before falling to third place in 1883.
The club named pitcher Will White the player-manager for the 1884 season, taking over for catcher Pop Snyder.
Cincinnati was relatively quiet during the off-season, although they did sign Tom Mansell, who had split the previous season between the Detroit Wolverines of the National League, and the St. Louis Browns of the AA, hitting .305 with 34 RBI and 45 runs between those two teams.
John Reilly was the offensive force on the team, hitting .339 with eleven home runs and 91 RBI, all club highs.
Cincinnati started to fade as the season continued on, and with their record at 44–27 changed managers, bringing Pop Snyder back as player-manager.