The Official 2022 Cincinnati Reds Thread

I have plenty of balance and always consider the small market constraints. All I ask is that my favorite team have a plan, and stick to it. The Reds have not done so.

If we are rebuilding, great, let's rebuild. Trade Winker, Suarez, Barnhart, Sonny and let Castellanos go. Then why spend $20M on Pham, Minor and Solano? Which you repeatedly supported as a good idea and a move towards winning this year.
Wolves I think it isn't quite as black white as you say. You can't bring up guys who are not major league players. Winker, Suarez, Sonny all had significant contracts that extended beyond 2022. Solano, Drury, Pham, Almora all on 1 year deals and are not signed for 2023.
You should be extremely happy as the Reds are sticking the the plan. They have wiped out all but the Votto, Moustakas deals going into next season. Yes, depending on who is ready to move up next year, may need to sign a few vets under the same circumstances.
 
The prospects of trading Tyler Mahle may be shrinking. He's good enough to help a playoff team, but not good enough for them to part ways with top prospects, which is all the Reds are interested in now.
Mahle would likely be a #4/#5 starter on a playoff team and obviously when the playoffs start you shrink to a 3 man rotation. Could he pitch out of the bullpen for a playoff team? Possibly, but he never has so just wonder if you want to try it in that situation. Mahle is arbitration eligible in 2023, which means he'd likely get a bump from his current $5.2 mill.
 
We think the Reds/ Moustakas deal is a bad one. Look at the Padres and Eric Hosmer, who was attempted to be traded to the Nationals for Juan Soto. Hosmer has a no trade and the Nats are a team he would not go to. So anyway, the Padres have Hosmer on the books for another THREE years at 13 mill per season. Another reason to not sign guys long term...Hosmer signed a 8 year, $144 million dollar deal with the Padres back in 2018. For his current 5 years of service there - Hosmer's hit .265, 69 homers and 309 RBI. Hosmer is a nice player, but has largely underperformed in San Diego.
 
We think the Reds/ Moustakas deal is a bad one. Look at the Padres and Eric Hosmer, who was attempted to be traded to the Nationals for Juan Soto. Hosmer has a no trade and the Nats are a team he would not go to. So anyway, the Padres have Hosmer on the books for another THREE years at 13 mill per season. Another reason to not sign guys long term...Hosmer signed a 8 year, $144 million dollar deal with the Padres back in 2018. For his current 5 years of service there - Hosmer's hit .265, 69 homers and 309 RBI. Hosmer is a nice player, but has largely underperformed in San Diego.
The Padres were widely ridiculed for making that deal right when it happened. Everyone knew that was a horrific overpay.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …
 
The Padres were widely ridiculed for making that deal right when it happened. Everyone knew that was a horrific overpay.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …
Possibly, but we rarely hear of the "bad" contracts. All we hear is that players need to be paid, ownership isn't committed to winning if they do sign guys to long term deals, etc.
 
Reds sent Tyler Mahle to the Twins for 3 minor leaguers, 2 position players and 1 pitcher.

Deeper dive, the two position players are infielders both with some pop. One has 25 homers in double A and the other 20 homers in triple A. My guess is these guys are in the mix next season.
 
Reds got the Twins #7, #18 and #23 prospects in IF Spencer Steer, LHP Steven Hajjar and IF Christian Encarnacion-Stand.

Reds got the Padres #6 prospect in IF Victor Akosta.

Baseball Twitter seems to be high on the Reds moves at the deadline.
 
Reds are all set to win some A and AA league titles next summer. Hopefully some of these prospects pan out in 2024 or 2025 and the Reds can compete.

Remember that pitching staff in 2020? Cy Young for Bauer, plus Gray, Castillo, Mahle, DeSclafani and Miley. Plus Iglesias, Lorenzen, Antone, Garrett and Sims in the pen. What a great pitching staff, that was just 2 seasons ago. Sad times ahead at GABP.
 
It seems there are x number of professional baseball teams that do not have the financial where with all to compete. Cincinnati and Cleveland seem to be that club. So every year they sell off their best or if the player has a new contract in the future for a number of possibles. Maybe they need to make another division in baseball for these teams since all they are becoming are nothing but player development programs for the teams that can afford to really compete.
 
Reds got the Twins #7, #18 and #23 prospects in IF Spencer Steer, LHP Steven Hajjar and IF Christian Encarnacion-Stand.

Reds got the Padres #6 prospect in IF Victor Akosta.

Baseball Twitter seems to be high on the Reds moves at the deadline.
I think the Reds knocked it out of the park. Now, we certainly cannot evaluate any of this for years to come, but considering what they got in return for guys who were not going to be signed after next season - again...NOT going to be signed next season, it was some good pickups. Now we all know that prospects are prospects.
Krall was on during the game last night and said that the Reds are attempting to get "athletic - impact - bats". This is baseball analytics in 2022. Defense isn't important, many of these guys are shortstops and as we've seen in history, shortstops are guys who can move ANYWHERE. They have the arm strength to play any position on the diamond (other than catcher). Eric Davis was as shortstop in high school. Billy Hamilton a shortstop as late as AA ball.
So as we know, this is all about guys who can hit or project to hitting.
Now this team is ahead of the game pitching wise, and behind position player wise. For 2023, you can put in ink - barring injury - Greene, Lodolo and Ashcraft. Finding 4th and 5th starters are going to be needed, and position player wise, it appears open competition for 3rd base, LF, RF and possibly shortstop. India, Stephenson, Votto and Senzel look to have positions going into 23. I'd be ok considering moving Senzel to the outfield if possible.
 
It seems there are x number of professional baseball teams that do not have the financial where with all to compete. Cincinnati and Cleveland seem to be that club. So every year they sell off their best or if the player has a new contract in the future for a number of possibles. Maybe they need to make another division in baseball for these teams since all they are becoming are nothing but player development programs for the teams that can afford to really compete.
If only the teams with the highest payrolls made the playoffs and won championships, I'd agree. But while we talk about teams who seem to be selling all the time and losing, we also have teams who spend and also lose. This includes the Angels, Mets and Phillies.
Baseball is a game where the "average" player and the "star" player's difference isn't that much. A guy like Brandon Drury, who was offered a minor league contract just a few months ago by the Reds, became their best player in 2022. Meanwhile guys like Eric Hosmer and Christian Yelich, who were given HUGE contracts years ago, have underperformed. So it goes both ways. We tend to only hear about the poor small market teams who have to sell off their better players. Minnesota, Cleveland, and Milwaukee are all #16 or below in team payrolls and are leading or near the top in their divisions.
Baseball wants to get younger, what better way than to push the younger guys to the bigs faster, like many of the smaller market teams have to do.
 
Never said a development team could not get lucky but tell me will how long will they be a contender? One, two at best and then back to the lower end of the standing they will go and spend how many years hoping for that luck again. Tell me how do the teams with money do? How many of those are contenders year after year. If the big spenders have a off year where do you see they are the very next year?
 
It seems there are x number of professional baseball teams that do not have the financial where with all to compete. Cincinnati and Cleveland seem to be that club. So every year they sell off their best or if the player has a new contract in the future for a number of possibles. Maybe they need to make another division in baseball for these teams since all they are becoming are nothing but player development programs for the teams that can afford to really compete.
I agree, although in many cases it is not that the teams lack the finances to compete, they lack the WILLINGNESS TO SPEND. The Dolans in Cleveland are the 4th wealthiest owners in the MLB, but prefer to maximize profits rather than competing. Similar situation in Baltimore.

I feel bad for the Orioles fans - they have the lowest team payroll in the MLB and are still competing for a wild card, to everyone's great surprise. So what do they do? Trade their closer and Trey Mancini for prospects. Not even trying to win. That is why I was yelling for a Salary Floor as well as a Salary Cap. Force these cheap a__ owners to compete or get the he// out of the league.

And ignore 14Red's usual comment about spending does not lead to winning. He always points out the failures by teams that spend unwisely (Mets, Angels, etc.). But he never has acknowledged that 24 of the last 25 World Series winners were in the top 8 in the MLB in payroll. Spending is the critical in being consistently in the playoffs and winning a title.
 
Really good article from Charlie Goldsmith summarizing the Reds moves the last few years and how they stack up moving forward.

Easy to sell the "rebuilding the pipeline" story now. But the pansy reporter did not have the stones to ask "So why did you spend $20M on journeymen veterans this spring if the Castellinis mandated salary cuts and you had already decided that you were rebuilding?". Would love to hear that answer...
 
Never said a development team could not get lucky but tell me will how long will they be a contender? One, two at best and then back to the lower end of the standing they will go and spend how many years hoping for that luck again. Tell me how do the teams with money do? How many of those are contenders year after year. If the big spenders have a off year where do you see they are the very next year?
I don't completely disagree, and I'd love to see a salary cap in baseball like in football and basketball. Just the way salaries are structured in baseball leans towards the spenders. But as I said the Mets, Angels and Phillies have spent a ton of money and have little to show for it. The Angels have arguably the two best baseball players in the game in Trout and Ohtani and they can't get out of their own way.
 
Easy to sell the "rebuilding the pipeline" story now. But the pansy reporter did not have the stones to ask "So why did you spend $20M on journeymen veterans this spring if the Castellinis mandated salary cuts and you had already decided that you were rebuilding?". Would love to hear that answer...
To you and I, $20 mill is alot but for one season in baseball, it was easy to go get Pham, Minor, Almora. Remember the main reason they wanted to get away from Winker/ Suarez/ Gray was because of the extra years on their contracts.
 
Oh boy, here we go... Mariners beat up on the Yankees today in NY. Castillo stars, 6 2/3 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs, 8 K's. Suarez hits a 3 run homer in the first, Winker hits a solo shot later.
Bill Hader Popcorn GIF by Saturday Night Live
 
To you and I, $20 mill is alot but for one season in baseball, it was easy to go get Pham, Minor, Almora. Remember the main reason they wanted to get away from Winker/ Suarez/ Gray was because of the extra years on their contracts.
It deviated from the plan, it increased the team's payroll 20%, it was setting Castellini's money on fire, and it was just plain stupid.

Anyone saying otherwise is just covering up for the terrible decisions.
 
Oh boy, here we go... Mariners beat up on the Yankees today in NY. Castillo stars, 6 2/3 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs, 8 K's. Suarez hits a 3 run homer in the first, Winker hits a solo shot later.
Bill Hader Popcorn GIF by Saturday Night Live
Let's go. Rooting for those guys to have success. All 3 are quality players and seem like great guys.
 
I think that's a little short sighted. The Reds needed major league players to field a team this year. They took a shot on Pham, Minor and Drury. Oddly enough, the guy they paid the least brought them the better return.
Gotta at least give them credit for bringing Drury in? Right? Do you know the Reds ended up paying Pham only $3.9 mill of the $6 mill he was owed this season?
It deviated from the plan, it increased the team's payroll 20%, it was setting Castellini's money on fire, and it was just plain stupid.

Anyone saying otherwise is just covering up for the terrible decisions.
 
And don't be shocked if they do the same next season. Not all the kids are going to be ready to step into the majors.
 
I think that's a little short sighted. The Reds needed major league players to field a team this year. They took a shot on Pham, Minor and Drury. Oddly enough, the guy they paid the least brought them the better return.
Gotta at least give them credit for bringing Drury in? Right? Do you know the Reds ended up paying Pham only $3.9 mill of the $6 mill he was owed this season?
To attempt to sell tickets. Period, the end.
 
To you and I, $20 mill is alot but for one season in baseball, it was easy to go get Pham, Minor, Almora. Remember the main reason they wanted to get away from Winker/ Suarez/ Gray was because of the extra years on their contracts.
They wanted to get away from those players because they wanted to be cheap instead of trying to compete. Especially Gray since 2022 is his last year under contract.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …
 
Go back to the Sh_tsburgh thread. Pirates have the same lousy record by the way. No one ever said this Reds team would win 100 games, how dense are you?
What does he mean “just” 100 wins? Exclude 2020 due to limited number of games played, over the last 3 full seasons there’s an average of only 3 teams a year that hit 100 wins.
 
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