Has been my Reds CF of the future for some time. Thought the Reds should've used Sept as an early ST and given these young prospects a look-see. CE-S/McGarry should've had 1B/DH time with Votto out for instance. If you're going to build for the future, then build for the future, not give every half-assed journeyman OF/INF in your organization a MLB cup of coffee.
Reds
- Thread starter mrschwump
- Start date
Yes, I've been saying this for a few months in here now.
Always a bittersweet day with no more Reds baseball but a relief the misery stops for now. Will miss the Reds but next year is going to be another rough year with young guys developing at the MLB level.
Some brief thoughts after this season.
Positives
-Greene & Lodolo met my expectations and should they stay healthy, a solid 1-2 for a few years at least.
-Diaz appears to be a the closer of the future on this team. As I said not to long ago, the bullpen will be better without much effort with the return of Antone, Sims, Hoffman, Santilan and whatever role Cessa assumes as well as Overton before the injury.
-It was great to see India push through while dealing with nagging injuries and basically no lineup protection around him. A dip in offensive production was to be expected. He still has room to grow defensively and I believe he'll bounce back offensively.
-Farmer & Fraley have earned a place on this team. In a reserve role would be nice going forward but Farmer is the most productive hitter this season and Cincinnati is lacking quality outfielders.
Negatives
-Been done with Alan Zinter
-Senzel lol
-Concerned long term about Stephenson's durability behind the plate.
-Get a competent backup catcher. If for no other reason the expertise in handling young pitchers during a crucial stage of development in their careers.
-Want to see more of our 22-24 year old prospects on the verge of their MLB Debut get called up instead of watching guys like Aquino, Friedl, Lopez & Reynolds not apart of the long term solution. Call up Williamson, Roa etc to fill out the 4-5 spots of the rotation behind Lodolo, Greene & Ashcraft. 100% correct in saying commit to the rebuild and stop wasting time.
-Outfield is one of my biggest concerns. To be honest I have no clue which direction the Reds plan to go here but sign at least one veteran to start the season and flip at the the deadline if need be since there isn't an immediate plan of transitioning the surplus of infield prospects. Calling up McGarry would certainly help.
-Many of us want to see more position flexibility in the lineup with the prospects in the pipeline. MILB is the place to do it rather than at the MLB level when they're already getting adjusted to the MLB level.
-Moustaksas/Votto can't be bought out until after the 2023 season concludes. A combined $11 million according to spotrac.com
-Need to see significant improvement from Barrero by June or else the keys need to be turned over to ELDC for good and don't look back.
I'm sure there are some more positives and negatives to be addressed. Many of these are things we've said all year long and holding out hope for some of this to happen in 2023.
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What Barry Larkin said before signing off...100 losses should never happen again. Every team deals with injuries but the Reds were definitely unlucky with the excessive amount of players on the IL to start the season. As trueblujr2 brought up early in the season, a re-evalution of the S&C training staff needs to take place.
Have called for an eval of S/C for months. Sometimes injuries are just bad luck but Reds with soooo many Ps with shoulder/back issues. And count me as one who's not convinced Ashcraft's healthy, since his rehab return he's had trouble throwing strikes, has been hammered.
By the end of the day(Oct 6) the GM, Director of Player Development(what development?), Director of Pro Scouting, Director of Amateur Scouting, Zinter(what hitting?) and Pickler(responsible for OF defense which has been atrocious all year) need to be gone. And that's for starters. Cannot lose 100 games and stand pat.
NL Central with two 100 loss teams....we're so proud.
It's early afternoon, Oct 6....why does the Reds GM still have a job?
Absolutely agree. Some decisions & ultimatums have to be made that the Reds won't want to make but it will be a mistake to keep the entire approach going into 2023 after a 100 loss season. Even Kentucky Basketball had to let go of their strength and conditioning coach with Rob Harris.
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The Royals didn't wait long to fire Matheny. I expect Bell still manages in 2023 as he can only do so much with the product on the field. However, if the Reds don't have an idea by now who it going to be let go, I would hate to see viable candidates for any openings get scooped up while the Reds are waiting to make decisions that should have been obvious months ago.
I'm going to preference these comments by saying I know nothing of contracts/arbitration and all that drama. I do understand that may affect rosters. When I speak of cutting players I mean moving them however, trade, release, DFA, sending them down...just getting them off the roster. Earth to Reds FO: You're playing in a bandbox park, get away from a team of singles hitters and build with guys with power.
Of course, TS is the C but suitable backups are needed until the farm system can develop somebody. Romine, a future manager if he decides coaching is for him, apparently hit it off with the Reds young staff. But he'll never hit. Garcia is a possibility, not sure how he handles pitchers. Modest power.
I know it's not good for the bottom line but Reds should send Moustakis on his way. He should have no place in a Reds rebuild. Votto should figure on being mainly a DH with an occasional 1B start. 2023 should start the transition of CE-S/McGarry to 1B plus McGarry can play OF(big mystery to me is why McGarry isn't mentioned as a top prospect? Guy hit around .270 with nearly 30 HRs/around 70 RBIs and he's a lefty stick). Trade India. I know he's a popular player but the guy has limited range and is slow turning DPs. With changes next year in the shift rules in makes him even more of a liability plus he's about the only position player that will garner trade interest. He's probably better suited for 3B. Speer is my 2B of the future. The tiny bit he played he showed good range and could develop serious pop. I'm hanging onto Barrero...the guy is a great athlete, ML fielder at SS. Of course, hitting has been a problem but his Minor League numbers aren't bad. On a short leash, ST plus Mar/Apr. If hitting hasn't improved Reds should move on. 3B should be Marte's to lose. Serious power. Otherwise, keep Farmer. Good bye to Reynolds, Lopez, Solano.
Reds OF in '22 was a mess. OF has to be rebuilt from the ground up. LF goes to McClain. Good enough athlete, speed and power. Hoping he gets some OF time in the AFL. CF is DLC. Got to get this guy in the lineup. Some talk he may start in AAA. Why? If he has a good spring put him on the field. RF will go to a FA, don't have a clue who but there are some good players available....if the Reds FO will move on them. Keep Fraley. If he can stay healthy he could deliver something like .270, 20 HRs, 70 RBIs plus he's a lefty. Siani has potential although he'll likely never hit for power. Pretty good contact hitter, good speed and a nice enough arm. Good bye to Senzel, Fairchild, Aquino, Freidl. Intrigued by Aquino's power/arm but earlier this year on a telecast Eric Davis, who serves some type of advisory role with the Reds, ripped Aquino by saying he "won't listen." Well, let him not listen somewhere else.
Reds will try to ride their three rookie starting pitchers. Have to admit I'm concerned with Ashcraft, limped to the finish line, got ripped pretty good in last three starts. But Overton on a short leash after those three then Cessa as a fifth starter. Reds better hope Santilian, Vlad, Sims at al are healed. I like Cruz as a set up, guy's crusty/knows how to pitch. San Martin shows lefty promise, Diaz could be a future star. Good bye to Warren, Anderson, Strickland, Law, Gibaut, Kuhnel, Dunn, Duarte.
So that's the core of the '23 Reds as I see it. Hope they could win maybe 75 games but next year won't be much better. How do you all see the 2023 Reds roster?
Of course, TS is the C but suitable backups are needed until the farm system can develop somebody. Romine, a future manager if he decides coaching is for him, apparently hit it off with the Reds young staff. But he'll never hit. Garcia is a possibility, not sure how he handles pitchers. Modest power.
I know it's not good for the bottom line but Reds should send Moustakis on his way. He should have no place in a Reds rebuild. Votto should figure on being mainly a DH with an occasional 1B start. 2023 should start the transition of CE-S/McGarry to 1B plus McGarry can play OF(big mystery to me is why McGarry isn't mentioned as a top prospect? Guy hit around .270 with nearly 30 HRs/around 70 RBIs and he's a lefty stick). Trade India. I know he's a popular player but the guy has limited range and is slow turning DPs. With changes next year in the shift rules in makes him even more of a liability plus he's about the only position player that will garner trade interest. He's probably better suited for 3B. Speer is my 2B of the future. The tiny bit he played he showed good range and could develop serious pop. I'm hanging onto Barrero...the guy is a great athlete, ML fielder at SS. Of course, hitting has been a problem but his Minor League numbers aren't bad. On a short leash, ST plus Mar/Apr. If hitting hasn't improved Reds should move on. 3B should be Marte's to lose. Serious power. Otherwise, keep Farmer. Good bye to Reynolds, Lopez, Solano.
Reds OF in '22 was a mess. OF has to be rebuilt from the ground up. LF goes to McClain. Good enough athlete, speed and power. Hoping he gets some OF time in the AFL. CF is DLC. Got to get this guy in the lineup. Some talk he may start in AAA. Why? If he has a good spring put him on the field. RF will go to a FA, don't have a clue who but there are some good players available....if the Reds FO will move on them. Keep Fraley. If he can stay healthy he could deliver something like .270, 20 HRs, 70 RBIs plus he's a lefty. Siani has potential although he'll likely never hit for power. Pretty good contact hitter, good speed and a nice enough arm. Good bye to Senzel, Fairchild, Aquino, Freidl. Intrigued by Aquino's power/arm but earlier this year on a telecast Eric Davis, who serves some type of advisory role with the Reds, ripped Aquino by saying he "won't listen." Well, let him not listen somewhere else.
Reds will try to ride their three rookie starting pitchers. Have to admit I'm concerned with Ashcraft, limped to the finish line, got ripped pretty good in last three starts. But Overton on a short leash after those three then Cessa as a fifth starter. Reds better hope Santilian, Vlad, Sims at al are healed. I like Cruz as a set up, guy's crusty/knows how to pitch. San Martin shows lefty promise, Diaz could be a future star. Good bye to Warren, Anderson, Strickland, Law, Gibaut, Kuhnel, Dunn, Duarte.
So that's the core of the '23 Reds as I see it. Hope they could win maybe 75 games but next year won't be much better. How do you all see the 2023 Reds roster?
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Bell is Reds Royalty, he'll likely be kept until trade deadline '23.
I do think that India going back to his natural 3B with Steer at 2B is something to consider to get the best lineup on the field. Steer had a higher fielding percentage at 2B than any other position where he saw consistent reps in. In a year of rebuilding all things need to be considered. Position versatility would offer up so many more AB's and playing time to prospects like McLain, ELDC & CES who can help Cincinnati next year.
If I had a say in the roster, 3B India, SS ELDC, 2B Steer, 1B CES since the likelihood is Stephenson still at catcher, Votto DH. LF McLain, CF Siani, RF McGarry. Alex hasn't logged one game that I know of in RF in MILB but has at Oregon State. Siani has a few games in RF but his speed is better suited for CF. Could go with either McLain or ELDC in the outfield if this is the direction they go. LF is where teams usually stick their worst defenders like Dunn. Not saying they would be bad but the idea wouldn't be far-fetched.
In all likelihood and some of these will be a mistake, I see an OF of Friedl, Fraley, Senzel still on this team. I do think Siani, a vet and maybe McGarry will get the bulk of playing time and I'm ok with that over seeing Senzel, Aquino & Friedl which is stunting the rebuilding process.
I expect 3B Steer, SS Barrero, 2B India, 1B Votto and Stephenson behind the plate still. Farmer will likely play a super utility role in the IF. Moose/Votto/Stephenson probably will get a lot of time at DH as I don't see a plausible scenario in which they can dump Moustakas.
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I think it mostly has to do with he is a puppet on a string and a case of too many chiefs and not enough indians in the Reds FO with Dick Williams & Jockstrap. Feel like as long as they're hampered by the Castellini's shrewdness/incompetence, large contracts in Moustakas and Votto it's going to be ugly until at least 2024. With Krall I like the job he did overall at the trade deadline restocking the farm system but the organization's approach not being more aggressive with some of the younger prospects after seeing multiple 20-years olds in Atlanta win 101 games after losing Freeman/Soler is beyond disappointing.
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Better question may be who would take the hitting job? Likely be dead man walking.
If Senzel, Freidl, Aquino are still on the team '23 will be a repeat of '22.
Not saying hire Barry Bonds but Cincinnati might want to think outside the box here and hire someone like that. Miami was really good offensively that year they had Bonds. Stanton hit nearly 60 home runs and his batting average was the highest of his career then, Yelich finally blossomed and Derek Dietrich was a .280 hitter. Stupid decision to fire him when he didn't click with Don Mattingly.
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Yeah, those bullpen coaches can cost you(roll eyes). Pickler needs to be on that list.
Not a bad idea having creative thinking but the day doesn't exist that the Reds FC/ownership thinks outside the box.
That's very true. I guess living in Miami 6 months is a whole lot more appealing than Cincinnati. I really wish it would be Eric Davis in a coaching role on this team throughout the entire season.
Agreed, this would be Reds logic though and hope to be shocked & proven wrong with Cincinnati moving on from them.
Davis is my first choice. How about someone like Ryan Ludwick if you can't reel in a Reds superstar as a hitting coach? Here is a guy that re-invented himself mid-way through his career and became an All-Star/silver slugger power hitter. With the Reds playing in a hitter-friendly park, it's a match rather than someone with a small ball singles approach.
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Davis was amazing. I never figured how a guy could keep his hands so low but then be quick enough to get his hands on top of or inside the ball. God-given talent I guess.
His baseball IQ and talent as a hitter as well as his comments bluntly stating the obvious in some of the Reds hitters was refreshing to hear. It seems like he would have their best interests and no wonder teams valued his presence on the roster well beyond his glory years and after the colon cancer diagnosis. Paul O'Neill once said about Davis, "the best hitter, best runner, best outfielder, best everything"
Help me out here. A quick run thru of ML transactions today9Fri, Oct 7) showed just about every MLB team sending guys to their minor league teams.....except the Reds who called UP 9 of the usual suspects, 9 guys that added nothing, zero, zilch to anything that resembles a rebuild. WTH is the FO doing, and why do the GM and Pickler still have a job??
I am unsure of what the protocol/rule is or have a straight answer as to why now. Looking at the patterns between eliminated teams and the ones in the playoffs. The ones eliminated appeared to be able to call up their entire 40-man roster now that the season is over, playoff teams had to send down for their postseason roster. Seems like just a formality and not sure why now as opposed to the official day the offseason begins after the World Series when transactions can be made.
There must be some kind of procedure to go thru before deadwood is eliminated. I can't imagine any other reason to add so many players who finished 30 games under .500 at the AAA level to be added to a ML roster of a team that lost 100 games. God, please let it be some kind of bizarre, quirky rule.
They could get the best hitting coach of all time and that lineup is not going to hit. It's the worst lineup in the history of baseball.
Agreed, traded away roughly 60 HRs/300 RBIs before the season started then wondered why they couldn't score runs,😂
GM Nick Krall Discusses Reds' Roster
The Reds' .383 winning percentage in 2022 ranks as the sixth-worst mark in the franchise's 122-year history. Over the past …
www.mlbtraderumors.com
GM Nick Krall Discusses Reds' Roster
The Reds' .383 winning percentage in 2022 ranks as the sixth-worst mark in the franchise's 122-year history. Over the past …
Let me sum that article up.
"The Cincinnati Reds are going to suck for the foreseeable future."
What a depressing read.GM Nick Krall Discusses Reds' Roster
The Reds' .383 winning percentage in 2022 ranks as the sixth-worst mark in the franchise's 122-year history. Over the past …
Pretty much. The only thing that caught my attention was the statement by Krall, “I don’t know if we have a ‘this is going to absolutely be this person’s position on Opening Day,” Hoping that at least means they are entertaining some position versatility in reference to MILB prospects but I have a feeling he may be talking about the current roster. Kind of a vague statement without hearing the context of an entire interview. I don't subscribe to the Enquirer to get Nightengale's full article.
Maybe I misinterpreted Krall but the quotes I could read sounded like he was saying: "If you thought '22 was bad, you ain't seen nothing yet." I found nothing, nothing, to be encouraged about.
You're right, his statement “We’re going to come into (2023) in a similar place that we are right now,” says it all. I may be misinterpreting the reference in my previous post because the following sentence doesn't even allude to position changes which is consistent with the Reds approach of not doing so to this point but talks about Votto & Moustakas. Maybe less playing time for the 2? Just fine with me for Moose.
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The nonstop fire sale/rebuild process. Sniff the playoffs, teardown mode. Rinse and repeat. I've said it before and say it again, by the time Arroyo ever makes his MLB Debut along with others, India & Greene are likely not even in Cincinnati. Which makes it absolute horse shit to be feeding us the same message about the future of the organization and the prospects to come when you know you won't pay them when the time comes.
It may not be ethical but if I'm the Reds I'd use up Greene/Lodolo because they won't resign them anyway. No pitch count, no IP count...get as many wins out of them as I can. Talking heads on MLBN said this spring Greene would be one of the like 5 top players/pitchers in ML in coming years but were adamant: "It won't be in Cincinnati."
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