The Official 2024 Reds season thread

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RazorRamon

Well-known member
Never too early for me to start thinking of 2024!

Going in to 2024 I have six guys who should never sit unless it’s a rest day

Friedl CF
McClain 2B
Marte SS
Elly 3B
Steer LF
CES 1B
Bat Elly in between Marte and Steer and he will see more fastballs. These guys have earned everyday status and should not be out of the lineup for matchups
Benson RF should start most games versus RHP and Stephenson should start most games at catcher. Fraley and India share DH and fill in for rest games for the starters.
Starting pitchers who will competing for five spots listed by who I think are most likely to start the season in the rotation
Greene
Ashcraft
Abbott
Williamson
Then you have the potentials
Phillips
Lodolo
Petty
Richardson
Lively
Lowder

Bullpenners
Diaz
Sims
Antone
Gibault
Cruz
Duarte
Moll ( I would try to resign)
Law
Smith

So it looks like the Reds priorities would be reserve catcher, RH utility if not India, bullpen help.
 
 
Agree with most of ^^ that post. A couple 0f other comments:
- I would hope Maile can be re-signed inexpensively, but he may have impressed somebody this year.
- We need a more turnover in the bullpen - has to be some investment there.
- I'd welcome an experienced rotation guy if they would sign someone.

The Reds will have to spend something.
- $38 million will be saved on retained salaries going away (Moustakas, Myers, Cessa, Weaver, Newman, Renfroe) is a huge savings
- $27.5 Million in options (Votto, Casali) likely go away entirely or reduce if Votto stays.

Even if they spend only half of this saved money on shoring up the pitching, that would be awesome.
 
wolves82 said:
Agree with most of ^^ that post. A couple 0f other comments:
- I would hope Maile can be re-signed inexpensively, but he may have impressed somebody this year.
- We need a more turnover in the bullpen - has to be some investment there.
- I'd welcome an experienced rotation guy if they would sign someone.

The Reds will have to spend something.
- $38 million will be saved on retained salaries going away (Moustakas, Myers, Cessa, Weaver, Newman, Renfroe) is a huge savings
- $27.5 Million in options (Votto, Casali) likely go away entirely or reduce if Votto stays.

Even if they spend only half of this saved money on shoring up the pitching, that would be awesome.
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There are some interesting FA pitchers out there. Sonny Gray, Tyler Mahle, Johnny Cueto and Michael Lorenzen among others. I wouldn’t mind going after Gray and/or Lorenzen
 
RazorRamon said:
There are some interesting FA pitchers out there. Sonny Gray, Tyler Mahle, Johnny Cueto and Michael Lorenzen among others. I wouldn’t mind going after Gray and/or Lorenzen
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Sonny Gray had an outstanding year. My beef with him with the Reds was he usually got hurt, and only went 5 innings. He did have 32 starts this season, and for 180+ innings, he was just under 6 innings per start. My guess is he probably is going to choose to go elsewhere. GABP isn't exactly a pitcher friendly ballpark. Mahle injured, Cueto's old and even though Lorenzen had a pretty good season, I don't see him being the answer. The Reds can probably get A servicable staring pitcher in the $8-$15 mill per year neighborhood. I don't see this franchise going out and getting a bona fide #1 starter for the money, but I feel we do need a solid starter or two who we can rely on for innings. I'm not sure I want to bank on Greene, Lodolo and Ashcraft going 25+ starts in '24. Thus far none has proven they can handle the workload.
 
So with the video from yesterday it seems as if Trevor Bauer was totally setup by a crazy girl. Cases settled - lots of discovery completed. It was a setup from the jump. MLB needs to "unblackball" him, if that is a word, and the Reds need to get him signed. He still has lights out stuff.
 
wolves82 said:
So with the video from yesterday it seems as if Trevor Bauer was totally setup by a crazy girl. Cases settled - lots of discovery completed. It was a setup from the jump. MLB needs to "unblackball" him, if that is a word, and the Reds need to get him signed. He still has lights out stuff.
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Definitely worth kicking the tires on
 
With Greene, Ashcraft, Abbott, Williamson and Phillips I think the Reds FO won’t be trying to acquire any starting pitchers in the off season. Lodolo may or may not work out. Petty was outstanding at the end of the season in AA and is probably a year away as he is only 20. Same with Lowder, but he may surprise. I think they bring in a right handed bat if India is dealt, a catcher and hopefully a couple of bullpen guys. This team, as constructed has so much versatility and is poised for a big year IF they can stay healthy
 
Idk how you do it but the Reds need to go all in on Trevor Bauer. His legal framing appears to over with. That man has been screwed over so bad by the legal landscape in this country and he did some amazing things in Cincinnati. I hope he sues the hell out of the MLB.
 
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14Red said:
Sonny Gray had an outstanding year. My beef with him with the Reds was he usually got hurt, and only went 5 innings. He did have 32 starts this season, and for 180+ innings, he was just under 6 innings per start. My guess is he probably is going to choose to go elsewhere. GABP isn't exactly a pitcher friendly ballpark. Mahle injured, Cueto's old and even though Lorenzen had a pretty good season, I don't see him being the answer. The Reds can probably get A servicable staring pitcher in the $8-$15 mill per year neighborhood. I don't see this franchise going out and getting a bona fide #1 starter for the money, but I feel we do need a solid starter or two who we can rely on for innings. I'm not sure I want to bank on Greene, Lodolo and Ashcraft going 25+ starts in '24. Thus far none has proven they can handle the workload.
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Sonny Gray fits the description perfectly for what you say the Reds should be looking for.
 
wolves82 said:
So with the video from yesterday it seems as if Trevor Bauer was totally setup by a crazy girl. Cases settled - lots of discovery completed. It was a setup from the jump. MLB needs to "unblackball" him, if that is a word, and the Reds need to get him signed. He still has lights out stuff.
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What do you suspect he would cost?

Would he be a problem in the clubhouse?
 
Indiandad said:
Sonny Gray fits the description perfectly for what you say the Reds should be looking for.
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That he does, but I would say in this season only. One of my knocks on Gray as a Red was that he was 5 innings, 80 pitches Sonny Gray. We have lots of guys that do that now.

To me, it's very risky to assume the Reds will be able to assume they are going to match the bullpen output in 2023. The Reds went early, often and way too much to the bullpen. Some of that was expected with the greeness of the starting staff. But I think that there really needs to be a push these starts for MORE innings, and I just don't know that Sonny is the guy. He's going to be a year older and again, GABP isn't a pitcher friendly park. He may not want anything to do with coming back.
 
Indiandad said:
What do you suspect he would cost?

Would he be a problem in the clubhouse?
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I think the major decision for Bauer to Cincy would be Derek Johnson. Johnson was here with Bauer in 2020. What was their relationship like? Sometimes things don't add up. While it appears that Bauer's issues may be behind him, there was very little at least what we know, that got him out of baseball to begin with. So what's not known to the public? We all know today that short of murdering someone in broad daylight with the world watching, it's really hard to get blackballed in pro sports. As bad as team are hurting for pitching, why wasn't he signed by another team?
My opinion is if the Reds have a comfort level with him, I'd be all for bringing him back. There a guy that's going to give you 6-7 innings most night at a fairly high level. He's uber competitive and you know he's going to do everything he can to win.
 
14Red said:
While it appears that Bauer's issues may be behind him, there was very little at least what we know, that got him out of baseball to begin with. So what's not known to the public? We all know today that short of murdering someone in broad daylight with the world watching, it's really hard to get blackballed in pro sports. As bad as team are hurting for pitching, why wasn't he signed by another team?
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He was suspended for essentially two years, so when he finally got through that early this year, teams were naturally tepid on signing him due to:

1. Not pitching for two years.

2. When he last pitched, he was a Spider Tack guy, which obviously ended up getting banned.

3. There are/were other off-field allegations floating around.

4. The legal proceedings that were resolved this week were still ongoing back at the beginning of the season.

5. There were still character questions with how things ended with Cleveland/Tito back in 2019.

6. He had a long-standing history of criticizing Rob Manfred publicly on a variety of topics.

I would explore signing him if I were the Reds.
 
AEW Champion said:
He was suspended for essentially two years, so when he finally got through that early this year, teams were naturally tepid on signing him due to:

1. Not pitching for two years.

2. When he last pitched, he was a Spider Tack guy, which obviously ended up getting banned.

3. There are/were other off-field allegations floating around.

4. The legal proceedings that were resolved this week were still ongoing back at the beginning of the season.

5. There were still character questions with how things ended with Cleveland/Tito back in 2019.

6. He had a long-standing history of criticizing Rob Manfred publicly on a variety of topics.

I would explore signing him if I were the Reds.
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1. this dude is a workout nut. Heck he's probably in better pitching shape today that most of the Reds pitchers who've come off the season. In fact, maybe we bring him in as a pitcher, but also training coordinator so our pitchers don't get hurt all the time.
2. Have we noticed any major difference with the spider tac and post spider tac? I mean it seems like most baseball metrics are kind of the same. Steals are up because you cant' throw over and the bases are bigger. I don't think the lack of the shift changed much at all. Runs seem to be about the same.
3. allegations? Like what?
4. Lot's of guys play while in leagal issues
5. Was Tito involved in blackballing the guy?
6. Players criticizing the commissioner? Don't say?? That never happens.

Look, I'll be the first to say Bauer is a nut job, but sanity isn't a requirement to play pro sports, did you see Jimmy Butler at media day yesterday?
 
With the Twins’ win today, the Reds crept up to second in the longest current drought since last winning a playoff game. The new leader is the Angels, who haven’t won a playoff game since the 2009 ALCS.
 
AEW Champion said:
With the Twins’ win today, the Reds crept up to second in the longest current drought since last winning a playoff game. The new leader is the Angels, who haven’t won a playoff game since the 2009 ALCS.
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And this means what??? No one from the Reds (other than Votto if he stays around) was on that team. This is a media talking point that frankly is senseless.

Pretty rough loss tonight for the Brewers, you got your ace on the mound with a 3-0 lead and the Dback go home run derby to take a lead and you never get another run. Dback top of the order with Carroll and Marte is a problem and that's what I hope to have with the Reds with Fredl, Elly, and company.
I really dislike the Phillies and how that team is constructed, just buying players. Marlins just could not get a big hit on Wheeler.
 
14Red said:
2. Have we noticed any major difference with the spider tac and post spider tac? I mean it seems like most baseball metrics are kind of the same. Steals are up because you cant' throw over and the bases are bigger. I don't think the lack of the shift changed much at all. Runs seem to be about the same.
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I think you’d have to look on a pitcher by pitcher basis. The only White Sox that was widely accused of using it, Lucas Giolito, hasn’t quite been the same pitcher the past couple of years.
14Red said:
3. allegations? Like what?
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Read here: https://sports.yahoo.com/trevor-bau...Z5c4E4m7UClfgU-Q9L5H7F0rP-2aFLPiAK6PFQvn3160J
14Red said:
4. Lot's of guys play while in leagal issues
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No they don’t, at least not for serious legal issues. Julio Urias is on the restricted list because of a domestic violence allegation. Wander Franco is on the restricted list because of allegations of a possible relationship with an underage girl. MLB is fortunate to not have many players getting into hot water.
14Red said:
5. Was Tito involved in blackballing the guy?
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No. But can’t you see some teams having concerns if he wasn’t able to be a decent teammate in Cleveland?
14Red said:
6. Players criticizing the commissioner? Don't say?? That never happens.
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Not with the frequency and publicness that Bauer often went to. It’s long been thought by some folks that his public gripes against Manfred could have played a role in the outsized suspension he ended up receiving from MLB.
14Red said:
Look, I'll be the first to say Bauer is a nut job, but sanity isn't a requirement to play pro sports, did you see Jimmy Butler at media day yesterday?
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Like I said, I’d be all for the Reds signing him. I don’t care whether he’s an oddball; if he can pitch, he can pitch. I was just giving reasons why traditionally risk-averse baseball executives might have shied away from signing Bauer this past year. I think he’ll find it much easier to get signed now that he has been exonerated from the incident that got him into trouble.
 
14Red said:
And this means what??? No one from the Reds (other than Votto if he stays around) was on that team. This is a media talking point that frankly is senseless.
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It means Reds fans have suffered for far too long.
14Red said:
I really dislike the Phillies and how that team is constructed, just buying players. Marlins just could not get a big hit on Wheeler.
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I find the Phillies to be easy to root for. Their top star, Bryce Harper, has come back early from injuries in recent years and has been willing to learn and play a different spot, first base, to help the team overcome Rhys Hoskins’ injury absence. He also has clearly embraced that city and its fans.

Their other top guys are all likable personalities: Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber. They have a bonafide ace in Zack Wheeler who has gotten better with age. They have a rabid fanbase that packs the park on a nightly basis.

Spending money doesn’t make any reasonable baseball fan hate a team.
 
14Red said:
And this means what??? No one from the Reds (other than Votto if he stays around) was on that team. This is a media talking point that frankly is senseless.
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It means the same thing as "The Browns and Lions haven't been to a Super Bowl in 50+ years", and "The Blue Jackets have not made it to the NHL conference finals". Poor ownership and management leads to consistently subpar rosters and poor results. As fans of the Reds, Browns and Jackets, I feel like I deserve better. You should feel that way too.

Hopefully we see the Reds turning the corner on the management side. Future seems bright but it has not happened yet. As AEW and Indiandad has said, the proof will come this off-season and in July 2024.
- Will ownership spend a little to bolster the pitching in the off-season, and maybe find 1 more OF bat?
- In July 2024, if the team is contending, will management step up and help bolster the team by adding a needed piece or two at the trade deadline?

I hope so, or the negative streak will likely continue...
 
AEW Champion said:
I find the Phillies to be easy to root for. Their top star, Bryce Harper, has come back early from injuries in recent years and has been willing to learn and play a different spot, first base, to help the team overcome Rhys Hoskins’ injury absence. He also has clearly embraced that city and its fans.

Their other top guys are all likable personalities: Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber. They have a bonafide ace in Zack Wheeler who has gotten better with age. They have a rabid fanbase that packs the park on a nightly basis.

Spending money doesn’t make any reasonable baseball fan hate a team.
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I guess it's just today's way of pro sports. If you can't draft and develop, you go buy and build a contender. Harper, Turner, Castellenos, Schwarber. Realumto, do they have any home grown players?? All these guys are on their 2nd team, Castellenos is on his 4th? It's so NBAish. Lebronish.
 
Going to take a few days and digest the Votto/ Dan Patrick interview Friday and offer my thoughts in a few days.
 
14Red said:
I guess it's just today's way of pro sports. If you can't draft and develop, you go buy and build a contender. Harper, Turner, Castellenos, Schwarber. Realumto, do they have any home grown players?? All these guys are on their 2nd team, Castellenos is on his 4th? It's so NBAish. Lebronish.
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Who cares?

Don't act like you wouldn't be going nuts if the Reds went to the WS with a bunch of FA.
 
Funny, not funny thought of the day....being a Reds/ non Bengals fan. So many Reds fans ran to the hills in mid August when the slump came and jumped on the "can't wait until football seasons, Who Dey" thought. less than a month into the season, the Bengals were done. Now what? UC hoops? NKU hoops? Opening day right around the corner...sort of...
 
14Red said:
Funny, not funny thought of the day....being a Reds/ non Bengals fan. So many Reds fans ran to the hills in mid August when the slump came and jumped on the "can't wait until football seasons, Who Dey" thought. less than a month into the season, the Bengals were done. Now what? UC hoops? NKU hoops? Opening day right around the corner...sort of...
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Lol

The Bengals are 1 ga.e out of the AFC North race.

The season is hardly "done".
 
14Red said:
Funny, not funny thought of the day....being a Reds/ non Bengals fan. So many Reds fans ran to the hills in mid August when the slump came and jumped on the "can't wait until football seasons, Who Dey" thought. less than a month into the season, the Bengals were done. Now what? UC hoops? NKU hoops? Opening day right around the corner...sort of...
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There’s still:

1. 13 regular-season NFL weeks.
2. The NFL playoffs.
3. Two months of regular-season college football.
4. The bowl season and CFP.
5. MLB playoffs.
6. The entire college basketball season, including March Madness.
7. The beginning of the NBA season and their in-season tournament.
8. The NHL season.
9. The Hawaii, West Coast and Florida swings of the PGA Tour in January through March.
10. The Australian Open in January and Masters-series tennis tournaments in America in March.
11. European soccer.

Sports fans won’t be twiddling our thumbs waiting for Opening Day.
 
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