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Dick Williams On Reds’ Bullpen

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The Reds want to upgrade their bullpen this offseason, but GM Dick Williams admits that will be a challenge, as MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon writes. “There is not a ton of options available, and there are a lot of teams talking about needing bullpen help right now. We just have to be careful that we don’t get swept up in a market that is overheated,” says Williams, who adds that he might prefer internal options like Raisel Iglesias and Michael Lorenzen to pitch in multiple-inning bullpen roles next season, rather than hunting for that sort of pitcher on in free agency. Both pitchers were among the Reds’ best in 2016, and both also have experience starting.

“In the second half of the season, we were trying to promote the usage of Iglesias and Lorenzen in that type of multi-inning role,” says Williams. “People are always looking for the market inefficiency, and if all of a sudden everybody is out chasing multi-inning guys, then you might have to look elsewhere.”

Williams adds that the Reds do not plan to re-sign J.J. Hoover, who was outrighted in August and became a free agent last month. Hoover was a solid contributor in the Reds’ 2015 ’pen, but he was awful in 2016 after being called upon to replace Aroldis Chapman as the Reds’ closer, allowing 29 runs in 18 2/3 innings in the big leagues. He did, however, fare well in an extended stay at Triple-A Louisville.

Rays To Acquire John Lamb

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The Reds have agreed to a trade that’ll send lefty John Lamb to the Rays, tweets Zach Links of MLBTR and Pro Football Rumors. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports tweets that the Rays are sending cash back to the Reds in return.

The 26-year-old Lamb was one of three left-handers that the Reds acquired from the Royals in 2015’s Johnny Cueto blockbuster. Once touted as one of the top 20 prospects in all of baseball by both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus, Lamb’s stock has dropped precipitously over the years due to multiple injuries. In addition to the two back surgeries to repair herniated disks, Lamb also underwent Tommy John surgery as a minor leaguer and missed nearly two full seasons as a result. He’s pitched with the Reds in each of the past two seasons but has struggled in the Majors, posting a combined 6.17 ERA with 8.7 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9 in 119 2/3 innings.

Lamb’s struggles were present in Triple-A Louisville this year as well, but he’s excelled in the minors as recently as 2015, when he pitched to a stellar 2.67 ERA with 9.5 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 in 111 1/3 innings. The former fifth-round pick is out of minor league options, so while he could potentially open the 2017 season on the Major League disabled list, they’ll need to make a quick decision on him when he’s ready to be activated (assuming, of course, that the Rays don’t try to sneak Lamb through waivers this winter).

Walt Jocketty On Reds' Rebuild

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  • Outgoing Reds president of baseball operations Walt Jocketty told C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer that the team’s rebuild will succeed “as long as everybody doesn’t get too impatient.” The Reds have won fewer than 76 games in three straight seasons – including 68 this year – but Jocketty informed Rosecrans that the face of the franchise, superstar first baseman Joey Votto, is on board with the club’s direction. “I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with this club. I talk to guys like Joey (Votto) — Joey sees it, he’s excited about it. I’ve seen him more engaged with some of these young guys,” said Jocketty, who will transition to an advisory role as general manager Dick Williams takes control of the Reds’ baseball department.

Reds Sign Indy Ball Player Art Charles

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  • The Marlins added third baseman David Vidal on a minor league deal, per an announcement from the Somerset Patriots. Vidal, 27, never made it past Double-A with the Reds, but had a big year for Somerset in 2016. Over 370 plate appearances, he slashed .320/.413/.633 and added 26 long balls. Vidal also showed quality plate discipline, with 45 walks to go with 68 strikeouts.
  • First baseman Art Charles is heading to the Reds on a minors pact, Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweets. He earned BA’s indy ball player of the year honors after washing out of the Phillies system. Charles posted a ridiculous .352/.461/.699 batting line with 29 homers in 436 plate appearances. J.J. Cooper of Baseball America recently took an interesting look at his journey.

Reds Outright Caleb Cotham, Yorman Rodriguez, Hernan Iribarren

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The Reds announced today that right-hander Caleb Cotham, outfielder Yorman Rodriguez and infielder Hernan Iribarren have all been outrighted off the 40-man roster.

Of the three, Cotham, 29 next week, played the most notable role in 2016. The reliever was one of four players that Cincinnati acquired from the Yankees in exchange for Aroldis Chapman, but he was unable to provide much in the way of value prior to his removal from the roster. In 24 1/3 innings, Cotham yielded 20 earned runs on 32 hits and 12 walks with 21 strikeouts, resulting in a 7.40 earned run average. All of that work came in the first two months of the season, as some inflammation in his right shoulder landed Cotham on the 15-day disabled list, and he suffered a knee injury in the minors that ultimately ended his season.

Rodriguez, 24, has been one of the Reds’ top 20 prospects in each of the past eight offseasons, per Baseball America, but a hamstring injury cost him nearly all of the 2016 season. Rodriguez appeared in just 11 games, all coming at the Double-A level, and batted .346/.370/.385. He batted .269/.308/.429 in 85 Triple-A games last season and missed significant time with a calf injury. Baseball America’s report on him from last winter noted that he’s an above-average runner with a plus arm in right field but fringe-average power and a hit tool that’s average, at best. Rodriguez was a high-profile signing for Cincinnati back in 2008 when he received a $2.5MM bonus as a 16-year-old out of Venezuela, but he was never able to deliver on that investment.

Iribarren, 32, improbably returned to the Major Leagues after a six-year absence and hit well for the Reds in a limited role. The veteran utilityman slashed .311/.311/.444 with three triples in 45 plate appearances, while spending time in center field and right field as well as at second base. Iribarren has just 74 plate appearances in the Majors but has played parts of a dozen seasons in the minors and batted .300/.359/.393 while appearing at every position on the diamond except catcher. Iribarren has even thrown 11 2/3 innings with the Reds’ Triple-A team from 2014-16, somewhat remarkably yielding only one run on four hits and two walks. However, he’s also only struck out a pair of batters and hit three men as well.

Angels Claim Abel De Los Santos, Designate Brett Oberholtzer

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The Angels announced today that they’ve claimed right-hander Abel De Los Santos off outright waivers from the Reds and designated left-hander Brett Oberholtzer for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

Cincinnati originally claimed the 23-year-old De Los Santos from the Nationals this past July, and the right-hander tossed 5 2/3 innings for the Reds in the final month of the season. That marked the second season which De Los Santos received a brief cup of coffee in the Majors, as he also pitched 1 2/3 innings with the Nationals in 2015. While De Los Santos has solid numbers at the minor league level, he’s been roughed up for eight runs on nine hits and five walks in his 7 1/3 big league innings. De Los Santos tossed 20 1/3 innings in Triple-A this season and logged a 3.54 ERA with a 26-to-13 K/BB ratio, and he has a lifetime 3.03 ERA in Double-A as well. He’ll give the Halos a depth option in a bullpen that faces some uncertainty heading into 2017.

As for Oberholtzer, his removal from the 40-man roster subtracts a rotation option for the Angels. The 27-year-old struggled mightily in 2016, though, pitching to a career-worst 5.89 ERA with 6.9 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 and a 42.3 percent ground-ball rate in 70 innings between the Philies and Angels. The former Astros southpaw found himself traded to the Phillies last winter as part of the Ken Giles blockbuster, but wound up with the Angels following a waiver claim. Ultimately, his tenure in both Philadelphia and Anaheim proved to be brief.

In 324 innings as a Major Leaguer, Oberholtzer has a 4.36 ERA to go along with 6.1 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 39.3 percent ground-ball rate. If he clears waives, he can look for a new organization on the free agent market this winter.

Cooper On Reds' Ariel Hernandez

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  • Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper has posted a review of Reds righty Ariel Hernandez, who was just added to the club’s 40-man roster. He’d have been a sure Rule 5 pick otherwise, Cooper explains, because he delivers not only an upper-nineties heater but also a devastating curveball. Hernandez has taken a winding road to get to this point, nearly leaving the game and battling through persistent control problems until Cincinnati plucked him from the Diamondbacks last winter in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft.

Reds Designate John Lamb, Select Contract Of Ariel Hernandez

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The Reds announced today that they’ve designated left-hander John Lamb for assignment and selected the contract of right-hander Ariel Hernandez. Lamb recently underwent his second back surgery in the past 10 months, giving him a chance to clear waivers.

Originally acquired from the Royals alongside Brandon Finnegan and Cody Reed (in exchange for Johnny Cueto), the 26-year-old Lamb has struggled in both of his two seasons with the Reds. Injuries have long plagued the once vaunted pitching prospect, as he also underwent Tommy John surgery as a minor leaguer. There was a time when both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus regarded Lamb as one of baseball’s top 20 prospects, but it’s now been five years since he received that distinction. In 119 2/3 innings as a Major Leaguer, all with the Reds, Lamb has a 6.17 ERA, although his 110-to-50 K/BB ratio is somewhat encouraging. Home runs have been Lamb’s primary downfall, as he’s yielded 1.65 HR/9 to this point in his big league career.

As for Hernandez, the 24-year-old Dominican righty was originally signed by the Giants but ultimately wound up pitching in independent ball in 2015 before the D-backs gave him another chance. While Hernandez posted just a 6.04 ERA in 22 1/3 innings in the Arizona system in 2015, the Reds saw something they liked and picked him up in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft and were rewarded for that show of faith. While Hernandez was old to be pitching in the Class-A Midwest League and Class-A Advanced Florida State League, the combined 2.18 ERA, 10.7 K/9 rate and 54.6 percent ground-ball rate he compiled are nonetheless impressive. Control appears to be an issue, as he did average 5.7 walks per nine innings. Scouting reports on the right-hander are scarce, though Baseball America did list him as a “rising” prospect in the Cincinnati system in July, noting that he’s still “way too wild” but possesses one of baseball’s best fastball/curveball combos and has drawn some 80 grades from scouts on both pitches (BA subscription required and recommended).

Schebler Likely To Man Right Field In 2017

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  • Scott Schebler appears to have the inside track on the Reds’ right field job next year, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com writes. The 26-year-old bounced back after some early struggles and showed enough promise to think he’s deserving of a larger opportunity. Acquired in last winter’s Todd Frazier trade, Schebler hit .265/.330/.432 in 282 plate appearances with the Reds, tallying nine homers and a dozen doubles in that limited exposure. MLBTR’s Jason Martinez looked at the subject in his recent piece previewing the Cincinnati offseason, suggesting that the organization give him a shot while also looking to bring in some competition. Top prospect Jesse Winker could eventually push for a corner outfield spot in the Majors as well, although the 23-year-old’s power numbers dipped in Triple-A this season.

Reds’ John Lamb Undergoes Back Surgery

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The Reds announced to reporters today that left-hander John Lamb has surgery to repair a herniated lumbar disk in his back (via MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon, on Twitter). A specific timeline for Lamb’s recovery isn’t clear, but the 26-year-old is not expected to be ready for the start of the 2017 season, per the announcement.

This will mark the second straight offseason in which Lamb, who was acquired in the July 2015 Johnny Cueto blockbuster with the Royals, has undergone back surgery. He opened the 2015 campaign on the DL following a back operation as well, though that procedure was apparently more minor, as it came in December 2015 and Lamb was sent on a rehab assignment in mid-April before making his 2016 debut on May 3.

Lamb was hardly a lock to break camp in the Cincinnati rotation after struggling to a 6.43 ERA through 70 innings with the Reds in 2016 and a 5.80 ERA in 49 2/3 inning following the trade in 2015. Those numbers represent the entirety of Lamb’s big league efforts to this point, so he’d have had to earn his spot on the roster with a big showing in Spring Training. However, there’s reason to believe that he could have done just that. The former fifth-round pick was once heralded as one of the best overall pitching prospects not only in the Royals’ minor league ranks but in all of Major League Baseball. Prior to the 2011 season (two and a half years after he was drafted), Baseball America rated Lamb as the No. 18 prospect in the game, while Baseball Prospectus ranked him an even more aggressive 11th overall. Tommy John surgery slowed his career along the way, however, costing Lamb nearly all of the 2011-12 seasons.

Lamb struggled in 29 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level in 2016 but tossed just 29 1/3 innings in his time there, so it’s tough to glean much of a meaningful impression from that stretch. He has a career ERA of 3.75 in 295 innings in Triple-A, though, including a brilliant stretch of 111 1/3 innings last season, during which he posted a 2.67 ERA with 9.5 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9.

If and when Lamb is ready to return from the disabled list in 2017, the Reds will quickly face a decision on him. The southpaw is out of minor league options, so if they’re going to activate him from the disabled list, he’ll need to be added directly to the active roster, as he can’t be sent to the minors without first being exposed to outright waivers.

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