We’re on the verge of concluding a decade that will go down as, at best, a mixed bag for the Reds. They broke a 14-season playoff drought in the first year of it, 2010, and then made the playoffs in two of the next three campaigns. But the Reds have revisited the dregs of the majors since then, having gone six years since their most recent playoff berth and their latest .500 season. The Reds are now just a couple months removed from wrapping up a 75-victory season, but they did make real progress then (it was their highest win total since 2014), and they’re currently amid an active winter.
Since free agency opened at the beginning of November, the Reds have signed two players they hope will be key contributors to their next playoff roster. They picked up Mike Moustakas on a four-year, $64MM contract a few weeks ago, and though Moose has played third base for almost all of his MLB career, the plan is for him to handle second in Cincinnati. While it’s a risky bet on the Reds’ part, Moustakas did perform well during a limited run as a second baseman with the division-rival Brewers last season.
The Reds reeled in their second regular position player of the offseason Monday, agreeing to a three-year pact worth $20MM-plus with Shogo Akiyama. The former Nippon Professional Baseball standout will be the Reds’ go-to guy in center field, though it’s anyone’s guess how they will assemble the rest of their outfield. Nick Senzel, Jesse Winker, Aristides Aquino, Phil Ervin and Josh VanMeter are among several choices who could vie for roles, but as MLBTR’s Jeff Todd explained Monday, the Akiyama signing may give the team room to flip someone (Senzel?) for help at another position.
The Reds entered the offseason seemingly in need of aid at shortstop and catcher, but they haven’t added new faces at either spot. For at least the time being, Freddy Galvis and Tucker Barnhart remain the Reds’ top possibilities there. The rest of their infield looks stacked, though, with Moustakas at second, Joey Votto at first and Eugenio Suarez manning the hot corner. Likewise, the Reds’ rotation appears to be in enviable shape – Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, Trevor Bauer, Anthony DeSclafani and free-agent addition Wade Miley comprise a starting five most teams would be glad to have. Cincinnati’s bullpen isn’t as well off, but it was a decent group in 2019 that hasn’t lost any integral contributors since then.
Along with bettering their roster this winter, the Reds have seen most of their division stand pat or maybe even get worse. The Cardinals won the NL Central last season, but they’ve been quiet in recent months and could lose outfielder Marcell Ozuna in free agency (perhaps even to the Reds). The Brewers – who, as mentioned, bid adieu to Moustakas – haven’t made any huge additions. The Cubs have been a general disappointment for several months, though a shakeup of some sort still seems possible, and the Pirates probably won’t contend in the near term. All that said, the door could be open for the Reds to make a playoff push in 2020. Based on what they’ve done to this point in the offseason, do you expect that to happen?
(Poll link for app users)
Better team
The Reds are a 4th place team in 2020. They aren’t as good as the Cubs. They aren’t as good as the Brewers. Lord knows they aren’t as good as the Cardinals. Nobody cares about a 4th place team.
SUG, the Reds will finish in first or second. They’re better than the Cubs, better than the Brewers, and could very well be better than the Cards. No one cares about the Cardinals …
I think they are better than the cubs and probably the brewers but not the cards
Definitely better than the cubbies.
I think they can br better than the cards, look at how bad that division was last year.
I agree
..don’t need key moves. The red are ready however willing to wait before over spending
I fail to see how they’re better than the Cubs or Cardinals. Brewers I can see with the losses of Moose and Grandal but not Cubs or Cards. They need more than just adding Moose, Miley and Akiyama.
They have a better starting pitching than the Cubs and Brewers, pretty even with the Cardinals. They’re offense should be much improved. They need one or two arms for the bullpen and could very easily take over the division. I don’t see any team winning more than 88 games though.
Sonny Gray- 4.4 fWar
Kyle Hendricks- 4.1 fWar
Luis Castillo- 4.1 fWar
Jose Quintana- 3.5 fWar
Trevor Bauer- 3.3 fWar
Jon Lester- 2.8 fWar
Yu Darvish- 2.6 fWar
Anthony Desclefani- 2.4 fWar
Wade Miley- 2.0 fWar
Cubs have better lineup than Reds and equal pitching.
The Cubs are going to go with a 4 man rotation? Why did you leave off Chatwood? Either way the Reds have the better starting pitching and significantly better relief pitching because as of now it’s Kimbrel and all question marks for the Cubs pen. The Cubs also have no depth. Hamels, Castellanos, Russell, Zobrist, Kintzler, Brach, Cishek and Strop are gone and the Cubs have done nothing except sign a few players to minor league deals. Well, that isn’t entirely fair, they signed Ryan Tepera, Dan Winkler and traded for Jharel Cotton. Hahaha
I agree
*Kimbrel and all the OTHER question marks for the Cubs pen
There I fixed it for u
Castellanos is not gone until he goes elsewhere. Russell should have been gone 2 years ago. strop lost his confidence. Losing Cishek is worse than losing Russell and Strop
You only included 4 Cubs…
And they didn’t have equal WAR to the 5 Reds…is this trolling?
Can I have that crack you’re smoking?
You’re a clown if you think Brewers win 75 games with that rotation.
What did you predict for them last year? Just curious.
4th place.
116
Cubs are regressing and getting expensive. They are about to turn into the Phillies after they won their World Series
Actually, the Phillies were pretty good for a few year after their 2008 WS victory. However, Ruben Amaro (GM at the time.) let sentiment overrule his baseball instincts and kept the aging vet core around too long. By the time we Phillies fans realized that Chooch, J-Roll-Utley, Howard, Victorino et al could no longer play at their previous level, it was too late.
However, the Cubs are much younger than those Phillies: Rizzo, Bryant, Baez. The starting pitching is getting long in the tooth, and the bullpen is still an open question, but the Cubbies ain’t toast just yet.
Still, I concur that the Reds will be much improved in 2020. And BTW, don’t be too quick to discount Barnhart and Galvis. Both bring Gold Glove caliber defense and neither one is a wet noodle with the bat.
Everything you just blamed Ruben Amaro for was the work of John Middleton.
Amaro did his own thing his last year and Middleton canned him. Amaro did good work his last year too.
Why do people always assume the Cards will win the division every year, when lately they have only done it once in last 4 years? The Cards are old and getting older. The division was horse pucks last year. If Flaherty doesn’t have a never again 2nd half like he did, they don’t win. Then they got completely exposed in the playoffs. The Cards have no outfield, a washed up catcher, an over rated SS, Carpenter, Fowler, an aging Goldschmidt, and a starting staff built on Flaherty and hope.
The Cards have defined “sustained success”. They put a winner on the field year in and year out, and have yet to hit the reset button (rebuild) since I can remember. They are as much of a sure bet for the playoffs as anyone in my opinion, given the nature of the NL Central.
So their crap smells less offensive than Chicago, Milwaukee, Pitt and Cincy on most years? I agree with that.
They’ve literally only made the playoffs 1 time in the past 4 seasons. But ya, that’s sustained success.
A starting staff build on Flaherty and hope? The Cardinals actually have too many quality starters that don’t include Flaherty. That includes Mikolas, Hudson, Martinez and Wainwright and the new Korean dude. I also wouldn’t call DeJong overrated, the dude is one of the best defensively at his position and he also hit 30 homers. I’m not saying he’s a top 5 guy or even top 10 but most teams would beg for a player like DeJong. Then to the age thing, Cardinals have the 3rd oldest club in the division behind the Cubs and Brewers. Although I agree Flaherty carried the team the second half it’s hard to believe guys like Goldschmidt and Carpenter won’t rebound. I believe the division is only between the Reds and the Cardinals.
Like I said, Mikolas, Martinez, Wainwright and Korean…hope.
Hudson? He may still be in shock from his last outing against Washington. Wainwright over 6.00 ROAD ERA last year. Martinez? Biggest head case in baseball. Mikolas? Poster child of average. Dejong? He was below avg. Offensively last year with 97 OPS+. So yes, I will stick by my comments. This team rode Flaherty last year and have done NOTHING to improve the offense so far this off season.
DeJong is a very good second baseman but I was still pretty irritated when he beat out Ozzie Albies to the All-Star Game. DeJong is better defensively but Albies is still very good defensively. Albies is also much healthier and much better offensively. I can’t think of anyone in the league that would actually prefer to have DeJong as their starting second baseman over Albies but Ozzie was still the one stuck at home over the All-Star break. If DeJong was a better hitter and didn’t get injured so much I could see it. That being the case though, his defense isn’t good enough to make him a better, or even the same caliber player as Ozzie.
StandUp, are you not aware that DeJong plays SS and Albies plays 2B?
C, I agree with you that the division will come down to the Cardinals and the Reds. However, I wouldn’t say that “The Cardinals actually have too many quality starters … that includes Mikolas, Hudson, Martinez and Wainwright and the new Korean dude. Hudson can’t throw strikes, Mikolas is Joe Average, and Wainwright will be 39 years old in August. Yeah, there’s a fair amount of hope there. An age 34 Carpenter “may” rebound, but I wouldn’t count on it. Oofah, that’s one bad contract. However, you’re probably right to believe in a rebound from Goldschmidt. The Cards would be wise to re-sign Ozuna though. They weren’t much of an offensive team with Ozuna, so they can’t afford to lose him. Molina will be 38 in July: his age and the demands of the position are taking a toll on his performance and ability to stay healthy. I also wouldn’t expect much from a 34 year old Dexter Fowler. Yeah, there is some age in the core of the team, but probably enough meat on the bone to contend for another season.
Crack is whack dude! Seek assistance.
What world do u live in, Cubs did nothing to improve actually lost a starter, prob Bryant b4 years start, Milwaukee lost moustakas/grandal and more, St Louis has yet to improve With any additions, Cincy baring any major injuries show win division or b a wild card
This is hilarious
The Cubs, huh? Lol
sign Craig Stammen for bullpen, maybe trade Jesse Winker and/or Josh Vanmeter & if you really want to make things interesting flip Trevor Bauer in a trade for a shortstop
With Bauer’s 2019, you’re not getting that much of an interesting SS.
They have a defensive wizard that is a short stop on that team. He also has hit very well in his sample with the reds
I agree. Bauer was atrocious in 2019, especially after the Tribe sent him to the Redlegs.
Will Harris
hard to tell id say. thought that trade with the Dodgers would make a difference last year, but lo and behold…
What would a Senzel trade require ?
Signed the NL East teams
The Indians apparently are very high on Senzel, and the Reds need to upgrade SS badly. I believe to get Lindor, the reds would need to trade a package of Senzel, Winker, Lodolo and probably India to even have a chance.
for 2 years of lindor. sure he is a star but the reds wont do that
Look what the Cards gave up for 1 year of Goldy. or the astros for Grienke
Neither deal included a player even remotely close to senzel. Or even Lodolo in my humble opinion but I would understand if people disagreed with the Lodolo part.
Regardless of all of that…the astros and cards didn’t include any of their top prospects in either of those deals.
Lol. 4 first rounders for 2 years of lindor. I believe you are an Cleveland fan.
@flight815
4 top prospects to even have a chance? Haha too funny. Your flight must have lost oxygen.
Yep, Word
I guess I’m overvaluing Lindor a bit. I’m a Reds fan and thought that’s what it would take to get him. I still think they’d need to include someone along with Senzel to get Lindor.
Baseballtradevalues.com says Lindor straight up for Senzel is pretty fair.
I love Senzel, but if the Reds can get Lindor for him in a one-for-one trade, I’d do it if I were the Reds. The only knock on Senzel is a question of health. If he can stay on the field and play 150 games a year, I believe he’s a perennial all-start no matter what position he plays. His bat is that good.
Dunno. The way the Reds keep adding outfielders, I wonder if they know something about Senzel that they are keeping under wraps?
@Ketch
That sight also says that Wright and Wilson are almost too much for Arenado
I think the site is a little off in both scenarios.
Possibility of trading Senzel to the Rays for Willy Adames in some sort of deal? Breakout year for Adames (2.8 WAR) with improved defense controllable (5 years) and cheap . Rays have plenty of guys knocking on the door at SS and could get by this year with a fill in until they are ready..
It’s not off because it’s accounting for the contracts, which some fans overlook in trade proposals. Arenado makes a ton of (well-earned) money, but Wright and Wilson could be affordable regulars for most of the new decade. Same thing with Senzel here. I don’t think he nets Lindor straight up, but it’s probably close. I don’t know the Reds system, but if they throw in another guy with a puncher’s chance of seeing the Majors and producing, it seems fair.
The Rockies have the leverage in any deal for Arenado. The return would be based on how much of his contract the Rockies include. The more money the greater the return.
The Rockies don’t need to trade Arenado, that makes a trade much less likely.
That he is always broken?
In the last 2 yrs:
Vertigo
Surgery for bone spurs in elbow
Broken finger
Now coming off surgery for torn labrum in shoulder.
That site, Baseball Trade Values, is just one player rating system. Each team has their own rating and evaluation system, so you can take that sites numbers for what they are worth. I can guarantee you that it will take more than Senzel alone to get Lindor.
Notfairvalues.com says it is not close to being fair
The Reds can get both Lindor and Mookie Betts.
Do it.
Then have zero farm for the next four years.
senzel has a higher trade value than lendor.Years of control is everything when assigning a trade value. This isn’t fantasy baseball. Senzel and galvis would be too much.
The Reds will not get Lindor for just Senzel and Galvis.
Quite a bit. Hes a top 10 prospect.
He’s a prospect. Lindor is super star. You make the trade.
Just ask the Marlins how happy they are getting a top 10 prospect in Brinson along with another top 100 player (Diaz). The only two players who might provide some decent production are Harrison (still hasn’t reached the majors) and Yamamoto (likely a back of the rotation starter). So until they have proven themselves in the bigs for a couple seasons, these top prospects are stil a crap shoot.
Just ask the Marlins how happy they are getting a top 10 prospect in Brinson along with another top 100 player (Diaz). The only two players who might provide some decent production are Harrison (still hasn’t reached the majors) and Yamamoto (likely a back of the rotation starter). So until they have proven themselves in the bigs for a couple seasons, these top prospects are still a much bigger gamble than going with a sure thing like Yelich or Lindor.
Milwaukee replaces Grandal and Moose’s production with Narvaez and Garcia. Also their projected overall WAR is already higher than last seasons team.
I think people are forgetting how the Brewers were still able to make the playoffs while getting terrible production from Arcia, Shaw, Aguilar, Thames (first half), Chacin and Burnes.
Milwaukee’s greatest asset is their manager. He’s the best in the division and one of the top 3 in baseball.
Craig? Is that you posting under the name Robust Scouting?
No, I’m actually Mike Schildt.
Do you think the White Sox are unhappy with the prospects they received from Sale, Quintana or Eaton? How about the Rays from trading Archer? Or maybe the Mariners after trading Cano and Diaz? Maybe the Yankees with the Chapman trade? Yeah it’s a crap shoot but so is signing veteran free agents, particularly pitchers. Everything has some level of risk.
I’m sure the Marlins are plenty unhappy with that trade. That’s on them though. They evaluated that package, and they thought it was a good deal at the time. One point in their defense was they did lack some leverage, but still…
Look at what Tampa did with the Archer trade. Someone pointed out the Sale trade. It goes the other way plenty, too. At the end of the day there’s an element of unknown with any player.
Maybe he can win a pennant first then tell me how great he is
Know what else is a sure thing? Losing Lindor after two years if you trade for him.
Oh and except for the Yelich trade, the Marlins FO are doing cartwheels over the returns they got on the trades they made the past 2 offseasons.
Archer trade was highway robbery. Most Pittsburgh fans know that the 3 all had potential
I think 85-89 is fair. They had a lot of bad luck with 1-run games last year. The addition of Moustakas, Akiyama and Miley should help a lot. Shortstop is still a question mark. I’d like to see them go after Lindor, Correa or Seager. Any one of those players would make this team a serious threat with their rotation.
They’re better than the Just sign old Guys Twins to not get called Do nothing Twins.
They have some real talent on paper, but never seem to click on both sides of the game. When the pitching staff is on, the batters go cold. When the bats are hot, the pitching is lousy.
I definitely do not see them as a division favorite, but baseball is a funny sport. I could see them honestly being barely a .500 team, or surprising us all and getting north of 90 wins.
Someone give this man a pancake for riding the fence…
Honestly though lol
2020 AL Central champs, all they need is a few trades from the outfield to get some relief pitching
That’s not all they need. They also need to be moved to the AL Central.
I lol’d
make the trade for Lindor and they’re in the conversation. everything else is just what looks good on paper. the only way they finish above stl mil and chi is if they have a miraculously lucky year with health and the other teams get hit with the injury bug.
Milwaukee hasn’t done anything! They lost Moustakas and Grandal. Their pitching is gross besides Hader.
And the Cubs have lost a third of their 25 man roster.
But that’s good news.
make the trade for Lindor (or Story, correa or seager) and then they are the favorite
Those 90-95 voters must be some real fans.
31. That’s the number of 1 run losses. That will be changed in 2020. Reds could of easily won roughly 20 of those.
They need to replace the third base coach he lost maybe 15 of them by sending guys he never should of sent.
Seems like a stretch… Even if he didn’t send those 15 guys, you’re still assuming the next guy would’ve driven them in.
Even so, that is the hardest jump to make in MLB. There are several reasons why they lost those 1-run games, and all the rest of the games they lost last season.
It isn’t just as easy as improving a position or two, and then saying they’ll jump 10 wins, or much less just blaming it on a poor 3B coach..
They haven’t improved the depth of their pen, which was a big reason they lost several close games. It is great to have a couple of really good weapons out of the pen, but it is a LONG SEASON. A playoff contending team needs depth in their open, and the Reds do not have that yet.
Also, typically every single playoff team is at least league average, if not very solid up the middle. As of now, the Reds have Barnhardt, Galvis, Moose, and Akiyama. At THREE of the most pivotal positions in baseball, that is where the Reds are the weakest. That has to change if they’re going to make the playoffs, whether it is before the season starts, or some time before the trade deadline. Otherwise, I can assure you the Reds will not be in the playoffs with the trio of Barnhardt, Galvis, and Akiyama..
Barnhardt and Akiyama might perform at a league average level, but they have to upgrade at the SS position. If they can upgrade at SS, add another legit arm for their bullpen like Harris, and if they can get at least close to league average production at C and CF, then the Reds can and likely will take the NL Central.
If not, then I think they’ll give it a good run, but otherwise, they’ll likely just end up fading out as the season comes to its end..
Throw raisel into any trade and the one run wins improve drastically
Nice post. Reds lost so many 1 run games bc Bell is an idiot. How do u set the mlb record for getting thrown out of games in your first season of managing by July ?? The game is 150 years old. As weak as Galvis is – Bell is inferior.
As far as the pen- they added mahle w the addition of Miley. Mahle is a nice addition. I agree Harris would be a nice upgrade but at the same time- Iglesias is still legit. He had a bad year mentally that’s all. He was still throwing a 100 in September so not he lost velo.
Their D up the middle isn’t too bad but the end of the lineup is REAL weak as is. Galvis Barnhart pitcher trio isn’t going to get done come playoffs for sure.
Matfactor that can be said of many teams. Every team has one run losses which of course the losing team could have won many of.
The Cardinals are division champs. They had one run losses too
The Reds are solid for 2020. They should sign Stammen or Harris for the bullpen but other than that they have made some solid improvements. Their lineup and rotation are among the best in the game.
Jose Rijo ain’t walking through that door.
Trade for Lindor and the Reds are a playoff caliber team. Should strike while they can because that starting rotation, save for Castillo, ain’t a bunch of baby faces.
What are you talking about? The entire 2019 rotation was under the age of 30. The age of their pitching is a non factor.
The Reds shouldn’t mortgage the future for 2 years of Lindor.
I have them at 84-87 wins right now. Good rotation, average lineup, average bullpen.
A Lindor for Senzel trade would shove them into the 90 win range
84-87 wins just might be enough to win the division.
They have 3 good pitchers (1 all star caliber) a good 3rd baseman and a good closer…. That’s about it, please stop the hype, they are not gonna make no chase for a ring
Sonny Grey was top 5 cy young, Castillo is throwing like an ace, Bauer has put up those numbers recently. I’d call those three All Star Caliber.
I wouldn’t.. Sony was a turd just the year before, his career follows that up 1 yr down the next pattern, and Bauer looked like Tyler Chatwood once he got to the Reds last year… So yea Castillo is really the only all star caliber
Also Disco ERA under 4. Above average for a number 4 starter.
Also when was Sony top 5 CY young??
Cause 2019 NL it was 1 thru 5
deGrom
Ryu
Schezer
Flaherty
Strausburg…
Yup, sorry I was going by memory. He was 7th. Still….top 10 Cy Young to me means All Star caliber. His 2018 with the Yankees and 2019 back with his college pitching coach who sort of molded him into the promising young star that he once was is not a fair comparison to just saying that he has one bad year following a good in his career. I’ll maintain my feelings that Gray is “All Star caliber.” I’ll relent on Bauer. He did not look so good once he hit Cincinnati last year.
He was 7th. He also was an all star. Seems a bit disingenuous to say he’s not an all star caliber pitcher when he literally was an all star this season.
So Shane Greene is all star caliber ??? Got it lol , I mean he was last year soooo only makes sense in your world.. And ok let go off your logic, 2 all star pitchers , and 1 pitcher that you over paid for that really sucks (6+ era 2-8 record,,, Bauer) there you go, fixed the confusion, send the WS rings to Cincy ASAP, they got a juggernaut dynasty brewin over there lol
Well considering the literal definition of an all star caliber player is someone with the ability to go to an all star game then yes, he too would be one. Bauer also was an all star in 2018 lol.
24-33 in one run games last year before improving this offseason pretty significantly. Easily could see them drastically improve
50 hr 3ed base. 20 hr short and first. 30- 40 at second. star prospects. 3 studs in the rotation. 2 good arms in 4 and 5. star prospects. Japans best hitter and 3 beast the pen. gues you are a cards fan.
Oh my ,, SS has played for 36 teams the past 3 years,,, he must be a stud if no one keeps him around, Votto has regressed to just being the face of your franchise, he’s no longer a top 15 maybe even 20 1st baseman, Moustakus is avg, your entire outfield is avg (even your Japanese CF you just over paid for), I said a stud 3rd baseman , 3 good SPs (1 stud) and a good closer…. So go ahead and get your hopes up I guess its that time of year to think you got something going but in real life you’ll be the same team as last year , maybe have a chance to top the Brewers if their pitching staff is as crappy as it is on paper (only having Hader) but their lineup is better than reds with Yelich alone
Monkey, you don’t know a thing about the Reds, as your uninformed comments show. The Reds were a break even team before the offseason, and they’ve only made improvements. The Cubs are losing players left and right, and have a below average rotation and the thinnest of BPs. The Cardinals are getting long in the tooth and also have sat on their hands this offseason. I’m liking the Reds chances.
Gray finished 3rd in 2013 for the Cy Young. Unless I’m bad at math, that’s a top 5 finish
You bet.. Let’s break it down shall we!
1st base
Rizzo-Goldie both 10000× better than votto these days
2nd base
Pretty Avg across the board but Offensively lets throw you a bone and say Moose 1, Wong 2 (best Defensive), Nico-Bote 3 … Milwaukee’s Hiura tops them all
SS
Javy far away takes this
DeJong 2nd…….Gavis might be on his 58th team before spring training gets started
3rd
Saurve-Bryant easily over Carpenter
LF
Schwarber offensively
Reds??? Winkler- Stenzel ,,ouch
Cards Dylan Carlson or Tyler Oneil
CF
All 3 teams are weak
Bader, Happ/Almora, Aikyama …no one wins that
RF
Aqiino
Heyward defensively
Fowler-Martinez
C
Contreras, Molina both 10000000× better than barnhart
So reds position players are superior at what positions??
1st Cubs>cards>reds
2nd Reds>cards>cubs
SS cubs>cards>reds
3rd reds/cubs> cards
LF cubs>reds, cards
CF all 3 suck
RF Aquino Offensively>cubs>cards
And pitching you got
Flaherty, Mikolas , Hudson, wainwright with Hicks, C Mart, Miller, gant
Darvish, Hendricks, Lester, Quintana
Kimbrel, wick, Chatwood
Sony, Castillo, Bauer, descal
Iglesias, Garrett, Lorenzo
Your math fails to mention 2013 would be 7 seasons ago.
Finishing top 5 in Cy Young way back in 2013 means absolutely nothing as to how good a pitcher he is now.
Lester And Wainwright then are studs now too by your “math”
Surprised reds arent trying to sign Randy Johnson or nolan Ryan.., those guys won cy youngs and made all star games!
I’m surprised the Cards aren’t trying to sign Ichiro or Sadahara Oh.
Your comment fails to mention I was commenting on a earlier post of “when was Sony a top 5 in Cy Young”.
Helps to follow along
“Finishing top 5 in Cy Young way back in 2013 means absolutely nothing as to how good a pitcher he is now”
I’m glad you established that
His 5.6 WAR, 2.87 ERA, 3.42 FIP and 1.08 Whip this last season tells how “good a pitcher he is now”
He was 7th just last season….
Cool… So he’s good every 7 years,,, that’s great… So which is it, Bauer sucks and Sony is an Ace or we going off ones past and ones recent… Or we just saying well they are all world beaters cause they’ve done good at some point in their career and now are on the power house reds lol, confused on you reds fans logic here… Cause like I originally said 3 good pitchers (1 stud, which is Castillo considering Bauer n Sony are as inconsistent as they come)… How is that the wrong assessment, unless u are a bias reds fan who thinks moustakus n Aikyama just gave you WS hopes lol
They could be, i dont follow the cards
“Sonny is as inconsistent as they come”. Thats pretty much a wrong assessment. “So he’s good every 7 years, that’s great”. He’s only pitched 7 seasons total.
And I’m not a Reds fan.
So why are you getting bent out of shape at people who think the Reds have a chance to be sneaky good. Will they? Maybe. Will they not? Also maybe.
They’re the offseason’s sexy pick. Who cares
You seem to care enough to keep posting lol, they didnt drastically improve their team, I think it’s hilarious to think adding moustakus n Aikyama all of a sudden = division champs world series here we come lol , get on the sexy off season pick i guess… Reds vs White Sox 2020 world series match up lmao
Yes Sony is very inconsistent, he if wasnt he wouldnt have been on 3 teams in 3 years… Consistent players , especially ACE pitchers, do not get passed around in trades like that, maybe moved once from a rebuilding team at the end of his contract, not 3 times in 3 years
There has been a lot of talk about a short stop. Is there a catcher out there that they could possibly trade for? Then bring back Iggy from last year for 3-4 mill a year. Outstanding glove and a decent hitter for a 7-9 hitter.
Makes sense to me…
iggy had like a 650 ops. he was good for a month
I get that, but if he’s your 8-9 batter you put up with that for the defense he gives you. His OPS was 724 and an average of .280 and seemed like he was always coming up with clutch hits or plays in the field last year. If you can get the production out of him and find a better catcher.
Jason, I agree that they should bring Iggy back on a 2 yr deal. He turns a lot of batted balls into outs. They just need to bridge the gap to Jose Garcia. He should be ready to come up in 2021. Likewise at catcher at catcher, the Reds should see Tyler Stephenson by 2021. No need to mortgage the future when a couple of their top prospects are knocking on the door.
I wouldn’t mind having him back but, you do realize that Iglesias is a lot flashier but only slightly better than Galvis defensively, and pretty close on offense too… Galvis has more power and is a switch hitter. Having them both wouldn’t be a bad thing though.. Galvis could be a pinch hitter who stays ion and plays 2B late in games for defensive purposes … but I’m on the if you side of if you can get Lindor.. that would make the reds VERY good for the next two years.
also.. there are very few catching upgrades… Grandall was the only free agent that would have been an upgrade … and Contreras is the only one I’ve heard in trade rumors… plus Barnhart was actually VERY good ( .815 ops post all star break) after coming back last year
we bought a season ticket pack. it’s gonna be great.
Glad to see you survived your fall off the boat.
Their biggest challenges are balanced division and their defense is at best average. Their pitching and offense should be very good, but bad defense means extra pitches, outs, and runs that you must overcome. They’ve got as good a chance as any at this point.
I’d rather lose games 15-13 than 3-1 anyway.
Sounds like you’d simply just rather lose
love the starting staff ! and they can swing it. I dont see why they cant win 85.. definatly won’t be surprised if they win 90
The problem I see for us Reds fans is do we have the money to both trade for Lindor/Seager and get one of Ozuna/Castellanos?
Because if we’re trading Senzel an OF of Winker, Akiyama and Aquino is not gonna be close to enough offense. I’m still a big Winker fan, but Shogo isn’t going to be any great shakes at the plate and I’m very worried that Aquino is more the 2nd coming of Wily Mo than Eric Davis. based on his poor minor league averages.
But I’m afraid that’s how the Reds are going to roll, trading Senzel for a premium SS but not signing a big-ticket OF.
You don’t trade Senzel
You trade anybody if the return makes sense. Senzel can be really good, Lindor is great.
Winker/Ervin was as good or better last year than ozuna … just sayin’
I honestly believe the Reds to be a 90+ win team. As someone who has absolutely no bone to pick in the NL Central, I firmly predict that Cincinnati will win that division crown barring any serious injuries.
They’ve got the best 1-5 pitching staff there, they’ve added good hitting and expect to build on the breakouts from guys they already have, plus have the prospects to trade for more talent.
Their leadership has picked the right time to go all in and I see no one except the Cardinals stopping them in that weakened division. Sorry Brewers, I like your team but your front office is too stingy to get solid starters. Lightning can’t strike every season.
That’s a big leap. Expectations for teams not used to it, rarely go well. You can stay in the same state and look at the Cleveland Browns in football. Much different playing with no pressure. Sonny Gray and expectations equals failure.
Was Gray a failure last year?
I still think the Cardinals take the division. Reds have improved and should be 2nd, but until they actually trade that talent you mention for MLB stars, they’re just a few games behind.
Reds are looking good
Slow night eh Conner?
I feel for you
Thanks for the interesting
topics coming…..
You guys really think they’ll finish above .500?
There’s no reason they shouldn’t. They’ve got the best starting pitching in the division, have improved the offense, and every other team has only lost players or just aren’t signing players. It’s pretty basic stuff.
Are we entirely sure they won’t have Senzel at 2nd and Moustakas at 1st? Where does Votto’s .768 OPS rank among first baseman?
Votto has a no-trade clause and you’re not benching a guy making 25 mil a year.
Votto has turned into Pujols and is one reason the Reds will be a 500 team.
Cubs are a 500 team as well. The Brewers minus the outfield cameras, and an even worst rotation than last year, are below 500.
The Cardinals walk away with the division.
Don’t count Votto out yet. He hit very well the last month and a half of the season once he stopped the stupid choking up on the bat. He simply went back to the basics, and even showed a little power. Addition by subtraction that Turner Ward is gone. He also was messing with Senzels stance and the results were dreadful. Just find that kid a spot on the field, leave him there and leave him alone, and the results will be fantastic!
When did Votto turn into a crappy runner and defender like Pujols? And Votto still had a .357 OBP in 2019. Bad comp.
17th so middle of the road.
2020 NL Central Final Standings
1. Chicago
2. Milwaukee
3. Cincinnati
4. St. Louis
5. Pittsburgh
Numbers 2, 3 and 4, don’t get your shorts rumpled. Come season’s end, there won’t be 5 games separating 1 through 4, so any one of the four could win the division.
Don’t see the Cubs winning the division this year. In fact, I expect they’ll be selling at the All Star break.
So the Cards win the division. Now they are 4th with pretty much the same roster? Cubs have gotten worse and everyone has aged an extra year in their starting staff. How do they win the division? How much you wanna bet they don’t win the division?
I’m laughing at these homers that keep saying the Cubs win the Central! This division will come down to three teams…The Cards and Reds will battle it out with the Brewers a close third. It’s a toss up imo between the Cards and Reds…
Damn seeing “2020” looks so Asimov
What r u smoking,
Cards
Reds
Milwaukee
Cubs
Pirates
Can I get some?
Cards/Reds
Reds/Cards
Pirates
Milwaukee
Chgo
Throw raisel into any trade and the one run wins improve drastically
Another possibilty is move Suarez back to short. I know wasn’t the best, but he was decent. Then you put Moose at 3rd, Senzel, and Akiyama in center.
*Senzel at 2nd
Or you could keep Iglesias and have Senzel at center for the most part or use him as a trade chip
suarez can no longer play SS
They are a lot gooder. Haven’t improved enough to walk away with the division, but the Reds have as good of a chance as any in the NLC.
Glider
*gooder
Reds this year is a Pandoras box. When we open the season the Reds will need several breaks and players having above average years to make a playoff run. Votto has to return to his old self, Bauer pitch like its his free agent year (which it is) outfielders have to stay healthy, Miley has a steady year, Moose has to be steady at second base and help must he found in and for the bullpen. Iggy needs to be a team player and not worry so much about not being the “closer”. Of course a big trade can happen, but I hope we dont trade entire future for today.
With that said a repeat performance with a little bit of up tic for new players and a few breaks don’t make Reds 15 games better.
As the old saying goes “thats why they play the game.”
No clue why Indians would want senzel. He’s injury prone, underachieved, and has vertigo. He has to be more valuable to reds than Indians. If reds can keep him and find a way to add lindor- that’s a great lineup !
Exactly. Everyone is saying how he is a future star. I would rather have 2 years of Lindor then a lot of control over a guy that MIGHT become a star
Marlins might have quietly built themselves a better team than the reds…. not sure though if that’s a knock on the reds or a compliment for the marlins. However y’all want to view it is fine with me
Lol
I view it as low quality troll bait
The Reds have put themselves into contention in the central. They could finish anywhere from 1st through 4th., and Fangraphs has them about 6 games behind the Cubs. Right now I would say the Cubs are first, Cards, second, and the Reds third, and Brewers 4th, but they are in the mix.
2020 Reds are reminiscent of the 2019 Cleveland Browns.
Randomly adding talent to plug holes with no master plan and questionable coaching.
They have the best pitching coach in MLB..
I still think that the Cardinals take the division, but I won’t be surprised if the Reds take one of the two wildcard spots and I have them 85-89 wins, which should definitely be good enough to get it done, although the Indians couldn’t get in despite winning 93 games and the Mets couldn’t get in despite winning 86 games in 2019.
That’s cause the AL is way better overall
I mean way more teams winning 90+ games
The reds are the reds. Every year they sell us on more payroll, but always spend the same. All smoke and mirrors with this team. Jocketty ruined this franchise even more when showed us that Larussa and lunow really were the geniuses in St. Louis. Look no further than the Aroldis Chapman trade.Worst trade in history behind the frank robinson trade. Also For awhile, we had to look at a former washed up cardinals come here and fail miserably. Yet this lazy and clueless owner kept him around and fired the best manager you’ve had here in years in dusty baker. Since he’s left, they’ve been outright awful.
So I’m pessimistic on this team. Don’t understand why Phil Ervin is getting passed over. I honestly don’t think they have a clue. We’re just garbage pickers and 3rd chance employers for the league. When they paid homer Bailey 106 mil and didn’t even talk to cueto because they assumed he was gonna break the bank, it opened my eyes. Or giving Votto a 10 year contract at 30. Hell if the cards passed on pujols then won a WS, reds should have traded Votto and packed the lineup with future talent. I think they’re frauds to be honest. Nepotism rund deep here. Assistant to the Vice President is Buddy Bell. The manager for the team is his son David Bell. Dude had no manager experience and no, minor leagues don’t count. Also Dick Williams who runs the office is the nephew of two minority owners in the Williams brothers. Williams had no experience at all. Smh.
My spelling might be terrible but please understand my frustration.
I hope they win 90 games just to make you look like the fool you are…
I agree w a lot of what your saying but the window is open now so Might as well jump on board or bail on baseball all together.
Wow that’s a lot of words. They make absolutely zero sense but it is in English so, GREAT JOB!
Agree with a couple of your points, but all a fanbase can ask for during the offseason is hope stemming from organizational effort, and the Reds have at least given us that right now. I’m more stoked than I’ve been in years, I don’t understand some “fans” crapping on the positivity
The Jays need a CF. Senzel for Ken Giles?
Giles is a FA after this season but probably would be amenable to a new contract.
Lol.
The NL Central will be composed of a bunch of .500ish teams grinding it out for the right to play an extra 3-4 games. And the Pirates.
They’re good enough to compete in the NL Central. For what that’s worth.
They might jump the Brewers, but the Cubs and Cards are the 2 best teams in the division. Best case scenario is they finish in 3rd and get the 2nd wildcard.
84-78. I stand by that prediction.
Do some of your realize the deal for Lindor included sending Senzel, Galvis, Santillian and India? Naw thanks. Straight up exchange – of course. May even consider with Galvis added. But not with two top prospects on the farm thrown in.
India and Santillan are top prospects ?
India sure is. Don’t let his modest looking stats in the Florida State League fool you. It’s a notorious pitcher’s league and his stats were well above average.
My current W/L prediction for the Reds: 89-73 with a wild card.
I think this poll is a little premature, they’re not done shopping yet…
I like how these Reds fans think they will win their division…….too much drinking from last night it seems…..too much of the Red Juice !
Good insight! Lots of insight, well sourced! Smdh
Reds might be a third place team at best !
That would make the Cubs a fourth place team. For the Cubs that sounds about right.
All you have to do is read thru the comments.The trolling says it all
Not to be confused with this riveting yarn you’ve provided
They cannot have their rotation take a step back. If they do they will be hard pressed to win 85 games. Reds can contend in a very competitive division. They are by no means a lock. They will need a bunch of players to take a step forward to win the NL Central.
The Reds can contend
The only thing that is not making the Reds a last place team is the Pirates !
Reds fans talking about PLAYOFFS in 2020 ?……PLAYOFFS?…….are you kidding me?……PLAYOFFS?………..no one outside of Cincy is talking Playoffs for the Reds !…PLAYOFFS?…….you Reds fans are joking………….not even Pete Rose is making a bet on that !
Reds have a chance for the playoffs … no question about that … it is not just Cincy fans acknowledging that. What is so hard about that?
Just looked at the Reds first month schedule for 2020 season……brutal…….if they get out of April without 20 losses, they are lucky.
Other than the Yankees and Braves, what makes their schedule tough?
What is your reasoning? My crazy but the Reds are one of the most improved teams in the league and according to MLB Tonight possibly the best starting staff in the national league!
Johnny, I know this must be hard for you. The Reds have made multiple improvements to their team and the Cubs are doing nothing while losing multiple players.
I get that despair has set in. After all the 2020 Cubs will have:
No Hamels, no Castellanos, no Russell, no Zobrist, no Cishek, no Kintzler, no Strop, etc. Heck, they might not even have Bryant!
However, there’s no need to trash other people’s teams. I wouldn’t be, if I were in your shoes, but hey different strokes for different folks.
As for your worries about the Reds success in April, it’s much appreciated. Your projection of a Reds 5-20 April (if they’re lucky, ha ha) seems a little prejudiced, but everyone’s got an opinion, right? It would’ve been easier if they got to play the Cubs (who the Reds were 11-8 against in ’19), but they will have to wait until late May and June for the soft part of their schedule.
Good luck with that team of yours.
Hamels did not do anything…..was injured
Zobrist was tied up in a divorce……missed all but two months of the season….
Russell did not contribute……..was sitting on the bench…..
Strop had a bad year…..too many blown Saves
Castellanos was hot, until the last two weeks…….
Rizzo, Bryant & Bez missed almost the entire last month with injuries…..and we were nine games better than the Reds.!
2020 is a new year…….and the Cubs Core are still intact.
Hamels – Was the Cubs #2 starter, 27 starts with an ERA+ of 117
Castellanos – Was Reds hot for the Cubs, and his stats actually IMPROVED the last two weeks. Good luck replacing that production.
Russell – The Cubs have a big question mark at 2B.
Zobrist – You lost his position flex.
Cishek – was the Cubs 2nd best reliever last year.
Kintzler – was the Cubs best reliever last year.
Strop – was better than Kimbrel last year.
Yeah, like I said earlier, the Cubs are KILLING IT this offseason. Enjoy 2020, it could be a long year for you.
Braves could deal johan camargo christian pache and adam duvall for nick senzel and nick lodolo.
What is in the water that ATL fans are drinking that makes them think the Reds ever want Duvall back here? I mean every other inane trade scenario proposed involves him. They’re like Yankees fans with Andujar, except Andujar’s actually good. Duvall is not any kind of trade chip, I like the guy and good luck to him always, but he’s a AAAA player if there ever was one
Haha! Now THAT’S funny…go away.
Poll: who is in favor of a different Moustakas stock photo?
If they could have the Joey Votto of 5-10 years ago I’d say they have a very good chance of winning the Central.
It’s the reds, they’ll be lucky to be 3rd in their division and they will completely miss the post season.
The Reds should win the division.
Third place behind the Cardinals and Cubs. They have made some serious strides to get close and I credit them for that. I was their biggest doubter when this all began with the trade with the Dodgers. But additions like the Gray trade and ultimate signing look really good now especially seeing what Gray likely would have made on the open market seeing it explode the way it did. I say third because Bauer did not look himself since he came to the Reds. They are trying to win through starting pitching but I think they need Bauer to do that. I just don’t see everyone they acquired living up to expectations. If they do they are playoff contenders
Ozuna and Lindor would push them over the top.
2 things here….
1st- why not try Senzel at SS….he has been versatile enough to play 2B/3B/CF so why not try him at SS? Then trade Galvis if the experiment works out and having Moose at 2B to me is actually stranger than having a young athletic stud play SS….just a thought
2nd- every one is comparing their teams and I get that is fun and all….but it’s just paper that everyone is comparing because the teams have yet to even report to spring training and we all know anything can happen during the season as it is a long season….nobody and I mean nobody pegged the Giants for any of their 3 WS titles….if u look up the 10 weakest lineups to ever win a WS u will find that all 3 of the Giants WS teams make that list….they were underdogs in each series each year they made their WS runs…..but Bochy and miles and miles of heart along with well timed hitting from unlikely heroes put them over the top….that said they relied on pitching mostly….the Brewers are opposite….good lineup but weak pitching….their best starter would be #3 or #4 on the cards, reds, and cubs….I guess they can slug their way to a WC spot but I don’t see them winning the division with that pitching staff….among the reds, cards, cubs none of us know who will be better….the only certainty is that none of them will finish last in the NL Central as that spot is reserved for the Pirates….other than that the remaining 4 teams are interchangeable at this point….
Just saying
Excellent post sir…