Reds Sign Anthony Bass

The Reds have reached a minor-league deal with righty Anthony Bass, the hurler himself announced today. Brandon Warne of Zone Coverage had recently tweeted the connection.

Bass, 31, had a nice showing in brief action last season with the Cubs. Over 15 1/3 innings, he allowed just five earned runs while accumulating 14 strikeouts against three walks. He was similarly effective during his 32 Triple-A frames, over which he carried a 3.38 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9. Bass also drew grounders on more than half the balls put in play against him at both levels.

Of course, Bass’s broader history — including a 4.51 ERA in 299 1/3 total MLB frames — is rather less promising. Still, it seems reasonable to presume that the Reds will give him a reasonable shot in camp at earning a MLB bullpen job. If Bass doesn’t crack the roster, he’ll be a nice depth piece to have on hand. (The opt-out opportunities in his contract, if any, have not been reported.)