The Reds announced that they have claimed right-hander Franklin German off waivers from the White Sox and optioned him to Triple-A Louisville. The Sox had designated him for assignment last week. The Reds already had a vacancy on their 40-man roster after designating Matt Reynolds for assignment on the weekend and won’t need to make a corresponding move for German.
German, 25, has been through quite a few organizations in recent years. Originally drafted by the Yankees, he went to the Red Sox as part of the January 2021 trade that also sent Adam Ottavino to Boston. He was largely a starting pitcher in the lower levels of the minors but posted fairly inconsistent results.
The Red Sox moved him to the bullpen full-time in 2022, a move that seemed to agree with the righty. Splitting his time between Double-A and Triple-A last year, he posted a 2.72 ERA in 49 2/3 innings, striking out 32.5% of opponents against a 9.6% walk rate. Boston called him up in mid-September and put him into five games down the stretch, though he was lit up for an ERA of 18.00 in that brief audition.
He was designated for assignment in January and flipped to the Pale Hose. He was sent to Triple-A Charlotte to begin this year but has struggled, posting an ERA of 7.15 through 11 1/3 innings. His 26.7% strikeout rate is strong but his 15% walk rate is quite problematic. His .500 batting average on balls in play and 85.5% strand rate should lead to some positive regression, but the control will obviously need to be improved.
Despite some recent wobbles, there’s sense in the Reds using their open roster spot to take a flier on him. He had some strong results last year and averaged 98.1 mph on his fastball in the majors while also throwing a slider and a changeup. He has a full slate of options and can be kept in the minors as depth for years to come, as long as he holds onto his 40-man spot, as the Reds see if they can help him harness his powerful arsenal.
He won’t be in louisville long w that shotty bullpen in cincy !
The Bullpen hasn’t been bad actually. They need a fifth starter, but this guy is a waste of a roster spot.
Bullpen ERA is 3.74. Middle of the pack.
Well..there is ERA, which means little to nothing for relievers, and then there is reality.
You want to look up inherited runners and how many score. Look at how many walks those relievers give up too. Unconscionable.
Baseball Reference 2023 performance by position currently has the Reds relief pitching at #2 with 3.1 WAR (BAL has 3.2 WAR). That ain’t nothin’. Besides Louisville’s BP needs all the help they can get and German qualifies.
Well there was a song about WAR a while back and what it’s good for.
I’ll leave it at that.
Are they better than expected going in? Sure.
Are they getting burned out fast? You betcha.
Will they come back to the back of their baseball card eventually? You can almost count on it. Small sample size.
Nevermind those pesky stats. Doom And gloom will prevail? I’d agree about possible burnout by overuse, but then most ML teams are overusing their relievers. I’m enjoying the success of the Reds bullpen, however fleeting it might be. Now last year-not so much.
This is pretty much the same cast as last year so reality peevails as far as how they will end up.
I hope I am wrong but being realistic. That’s why I railed against the kid GM sitting on his hands all offseason while there were affordable MAJOR LEAGUE bullpen options available.
Bet ole’ Franklin loves reading he can be “kept in the minors as depth for years to come.” Damn!
Bet ole’ Franklin loves reading he can be “kept in the minors as depth for years to come.”
Pitched Great for Sox in AAA. They know his stuff. Great Resign. Still young.
But why?
Haha the Reds waited till the Sox left town so the Sox wouldn’t have a chance to take batting practice off the lad. Well played Reds, well played
Plus they saved on travel by having him stick around after the Sox were in town. Probably got him a rental car to drive to Louisville. Even more well played.