The Reds worked out free-agent righty Justin Masterson today, reports MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon (on Twitter). The 31-year-old Masterson (32 later this month) is eyeing a return to the Majors after spending the 2016 campaign with the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate following 2015 shoulder surgery. While it’s now been several years since Masterson pitched up to his ceiling — he logged a 3.45 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and a 58 percent ground-ball rate in 2013 — there certainly wouldn’t be any risk in adding him to the team’s mix of arms in camp. Right-hander Anthony DeSclafani just dodged a bullet after a minor elbow scare, and right-hander Homer Bailey is out for the first couple months of the season following elbow surgery. Unsurprisingly, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that the Reds would only have interest in a minor league deal for Masterson.
Here’s more from the NL Central…
- The Reds are giving serious consideration to carrying utility infielder Hernan Iribarren on their Opening Day roster, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon reports. Iribarren, 32, appeared in 24 games last year for Cincinnati, doubling his prior tally in the majors. He posted good results at Triple-A, too, after struggling in prior years at the highest level of the minors. But while he offers some versatility, he doesn’t play shortstop, and the overall profile doesn’t suggest he ought to have a real shot at serving as more than an injury replacement. Still, manager Bryan Price explains that the organization values Iribarren’s makeup and also thinks it may be possible “to get the best of him a little bit late in his career than most.”
- Brewers first base prospect Nick Ramirez is attempting a conversion back to the mound, as Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. For the time being, at least, he’ll work as a two-way player — as he did in college — though it sounds as if the early returns speak in favor of full dedication to pitching. The southpaw has already regained the feel for his change, the key pitch in his arsenal. “Somehow, my pitches got better with the five-year hiatus,” he says. Ramirez struggled to a .206/.316/.404 batting line in 329 Double-A plate appearances last year, his third-straight year at that level, but it seems he may have found another path to the majors.
Iribarren seems like an improvement over guys like Kris Negrón, Ivan De Jesus, and some of the other utility infielders the Reds have had the past few years. Still, I’m not sure if the Reds would want to carry both Iribarren and the higher-ceiling Arismendy Alcantara on the roster, and I’d much rather have Alcantara if they only keep one.
Alcantara has no ceiling. He sucks.
True he’s hitting under .100 in the spring so far…
A week into the spring I’m not going to look at someone’s spring stats. And check out one of the articles on Alcantara from the offseason.
If he is hitting .100 in spring he seems to be in midseason form for our bench utility position lol. I have nightmares of Dejesus and Negron in the lineup
Reds should look to the Brewers for how to make trades heading into a rebuild!
They honestly only made one bad trade (Chapman). The Reds got some very good players/prospects for Frazier (Peraza and Schebler), Leake (Mella, Duvall), Cueto (Finnegan, Reed) and Bruce (Herrera). Going back another year, they got Suárez for Simon and DeSclafani for Latos. There’s always room for improvement but they have done a decent job making trades.
Ya they’ve done a good job trading for young talent. I think they got lucky with Duvall and Suarez, but that’s fine
I agree on Duvall. But I think they knew what they were getting with Suárez. He was just expendable for DET because they had Jose Iglesias
Nick Ramirez is almost 28. Not only is he certainly not a prospect, I’m not sure he ever really was a prospect.
Wow, Justin Masterson, haven’t heard that name is as long as I haven heard Daniel Bard…
And both attempted comebacks in the Pirates system.
I Saw masterson outduel Yu Darvish 1-0 in Cleveland about 4 years ago. Good game , although a Boring one to sit through in the stands…
Think Masterson is toast. he always had problems vs lefties, even when was sitting mid 90’s and touching 96-7, but when was wwith Boston for his last go around? The guy was 88-90 tops and with that sidewinder, sub marineriner sort of windup, he shows the ball all the way to lefites and they clobber him, plus don’t think he’s got near the sink on his 2 seamer he once did, which was his best pitch anyway.
He blamed all the ills on a long lasting knee injury but jeez.. Knee causing arm problems still.. he lost 5 ticks man and i don’t see them coming back at his age.
I watched him pitch in the minors last year and while it ain’t saying too much, he did throw 6 innings of 3 hit baseball, his fastball isn’t overpowering but he can still get hitters out
Could he reinvent himself as a multi-inning reliever? The Reds could use 3-4 guys like that in the bullpen, given that the starters are all six inning pitchers at best.