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Reds Rumors

Luis Castillo Drawing Early Trade Interest

By Anthony Franco | June 23, 2022 at 7:19pm CDT

The Reds have a pair of the top trade candidates on this summer’s market, with starting pitchers Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle each midway through their penultimate seasons of club control. Rotation-needy teams will be in discussion with Cincinnati general manager Nick Krall and his staff over the next six weeks, and a few have already expressed early interest in Castillo.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post lists the Twins, Mets and Padres among the clubs in the market. That surely won’t be an exhaustive list, as virtually every contender could find room in their starting five for a pitcher of that caliber. Castillo is playing this season on an affordable $7.35MM salary (a bit more than half of which is still owed), so most clubs shouldn’t have an issue fitting him in the picture financially.

Castillo has been one of the sport’s more consistently productive arms over the past few years. Despite spending his entire MLB career with a team that plays in one of the most hitter-friendly home ballparks, the righty has an ERA below 4.00 in five of his six seasons. That includes this year’s 3.71 mark through nine starts and 51 innings.

The 29-year-old’s underlying numbers haven’t been quite as strong in 2022 as they’d been in prior years. His 22.9% strikeout rate and 10.5% swinging strike percentage are right around this season’s respective league averages for starters. Castillo’s 49.6% ground-ball rate is strong but down from the 55-58% range in which he sat every year from 2019-21. He’s also lost a tick on the average velocity of his four-seam and sinking fastballs, perhaps related to a bout of shoulder soreness that cost him the first month of the year.

While Castillo’s first couple months might be a bit underwhelming relative to his lofty standards, there’ll still be no shortage of demand. Even his slightly diminished fastball checks in north of 96 MPH on average. His performance this season has remained solid — his 3.71 ERA and 3.88 SIERA are below the respective 4.10 and 4.09 league marks for starters — and the native of the Dominican Republic has shown impact potential in the past. Between 2019-21, Castillo ranked among the top 25 qualified pitchers in ERA and strikeout rate and posted the sport’s second-highest grounder percentage.

With that kind of resume, it’s no surprise rival teams are in contact with the Reds already. The Twins are among the most straightforward candidates for a rotation pickup, and they also figure to explore the market for other high-end arms like Mahle and the A’s Frankie Montas. Minnesota enters play Thursday percentage points back of the Guardians in the AL Central, with the White Sox looming as a divisional threat four games behind them. Minnesota’s rotation started strong but has been tagged for a 4.80 ERA over the past month, a stretch that’s coincided with injured list stints for Bailey Ober and Chris Paddack (the latter of whom is done for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery).

The Mets, on the other hand, have a star-studded rotation when healthy. Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Tylor Megill are all currently on the injured list, and they’ve been on the periphery of the market for most available stars over the past twelve months. Scherzer is expected back imminently (perhaps as soon as this weekend), while deGrom continues to progress from the scapula stress reaction he suffered during Spring Training. The club is hopeful he’ll back before the August 2 deadline, but Megill is likely to be on the shelf beyond that point.

One could argue that New York should prioritize areas beyond rotation help, but the Padres’ presence in the Castillo market illustrates that even teams without a clear need figure to at least perform due diligence. San Diego already has an excellent six-man staff of Joe Musgrove, Sean Manaea, Yu Darvish, MacKenzie Gore, Mike Clevinger and Blake Snell. That’s forced offseason signee Nick Martinez into a swing role, and prevailing opinion is they’re likelier to deal from that surplus than add another impact starter. Between their rotation depth and the fact they’re right up against the $230MM base competitive balance tax threshold, the Friars feel like a longshot to land an arm of Castillo’s caliber. That was perhaps true of Manaea as well, however, and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has shown time and again he’s willing to act boldly to land players the organization desires.

No Castillo deal is imminent, of course, and there’ll be plenty more teams in the bidding over the coming weeks. The Reds don’t have to move either he or Mahle with an additional season of control, but their trade value will probably never again be as high as it’ll be this summer. At 23-46, Cincinnati has no chance of contending this year. Moving Castillo and/or Mahle would deal a key blow to the 2023 roster, but this year’s struggles may hint at a broader overhaul being necessary. The Reds didn’t go into this season intending to rebuild, but their efforts to remain competitive while subtracting some key players to pare back payroll were dashed out of the gate by a 3-18 showing in April.

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Cincinnati Reds Minnesota Twins New York Mets San Diego Padres Luis Castillo

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Injured List Transactions: DeSclafani, Solano, Buehler

By Anthony Franco | June 21, 2022 at 5:35pm CDT

The Giants reinstated starter Anthony DeSclafani from the 60-day injured list this evening. He’ll get the nod tonight against the Braves, his first appearance since April 21. The righty made three starts in April, allowing nine runs through 13 1/3 innings before hitting the IL due to right ankle inflammation. DeSclafani tossed 167 2/3 frames of 3.17 ERA ball last season and was re-signed on a three-year free agent deal over the winter.

In a corresponding move, San Francisco placed reliever José Álvarez on the 15-day IL due to lower back tightness. The Giants also recalled righty Sam Delaplane and placed him on the MLB 60-day IL to free a spot on the 40-man roster. Delaplane, whom the club added to the 40-man earlier this month, is still working his way back from an April 2021 Tommy John procedure. He won’t be able to pitch in a major league game until at least mid-August and has yet to make his MLB debut. Delaplane will collect MLB service time and be paid the prorated $700K league minimum salary while on the major league injured list.

The latest on a pair of other IL moves with 40-man roster implications:

  • The Reds activated Donovan Solano from the 60-day injured list. He’ll make his team debut whenever he gets into a game. Signed to a $4.5MM free agent deal, the righty-hitting infielder suffered a left hamstring injury that cost him the first couple months of the season. Solano is coming off a three-year stretch with San Francisco in which he hit .308/.354/.435, and he figures to see some time at second and third base in Cincinnati. With the Reds having fallen into last place in the NL Central, it’s possible they’ll look to flip the 34-year-old for salary relief and/or a minimal prospect return before the trade deadline. Starter Nick Lodolo was transferred to the 60-day IL to clear a 40-man roster spot. That’s a procedural move backdated to the time of Lodolo’s initial IL placement on April 25, so he’ll be eligible to return by the end of the week. The southpaw has been out with a back strain but started a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville over the weekend.
  • The Dodgers transferred star Walker Buehler from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list. That opens 40-man roster space for newly-acquired outfielder Trayce Thompson, whose contract was selected as expected. Buehler is dealing with a flexor strain in his forearm and is targeting a late August or early September return, making the transfer an inevitability. To clear active roster space for Thompson, reliever Caleb Ferguson went on the 15-day IL with forearm tendinitis. The left-hander downplayed any long-term concern about the issue when speaking with reporters this afternoon (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). Ferguson, who missed all of 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery, has tossed five scoreless innings over six appearances.
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Cincinnati Reds Los Angeles Dodgers San Francisco Giants Transactions Anthony DeSclafani Caleb Ferguson Donovan Solano Jose Alvarez Nick Lodolo Sam Delaplane Trayce Thompson Walker Buehler

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Roster Moves: Reds, Red Sox

By TC Zencka | June 19, 2022 at 12:36pm CDT

The Reds have placed reliever Alexis Diaz on the 15-day injured list, per Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). Diaz has arguably been the Reds most reliable reliever so far this season, logging 30 innings over 27 appearances with a 2.40 ERA/3.94 FIP. No corresponding roster move has yet been made, but the Reds did make another roster move today…

  • The Reds recalled right-hander Dauri Moreta and optioned TJ Friedl to Triple-A, per the team. Moreta, 25, made 15 appearances but was hit hard to the tune of a 9.88 ERA/9.21 FIP over 13 2/3 innings. He posted better results in Triple-A with a 4.05 ERA in 15 appearances spanning 13 1/3 innings.
  • The Red Sox have officially added James Norwood to the active roster, the team announced. They acquired the right-handed reliever yesterday from the Phillies in exchange for cash considerations. Kutter Crawford was optioned to Triple-A to create the roster spot. Crawford, 26, has started a pair of games and pitched eight times in relief with a 6.41 ERA/5.17 FIP covering 19 2/3 innings of work.

 

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Boston Red Sox Cincinnati Reds Philadelphia Phillies Transactions Alexis Diaz Dauri Moreta James Norwood Kutter Crawford Red Sox TJ Friedl

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Outrights: Marinan, Zabala

By Darragh McDonald | June 16, 2022 at 10:21pm CDT

A couple of players recently made it through the waiver wire unclaimed and will not be changing organizations…

  • The Reds announced that right-hander James Marinan cleared waivers and has been outrighted to High-A Dayton. He was just added to the club’s 40-man roster last November, ahead of the Rule 5 draft that ended up getting canceled by the lockout. Despite having never pitched above High-A, the Reds evidently thought he was worth rostering based on his high strikeout numbers. However, he’s had a poor showing so far this year, putting up an ERA of 7.71 through 32 2/3 innings for Dayton. The long ball has been a particular problem for him, as he’s already allowed 10 homers in that sample. He’ll stick with Dayton and try to get into a better groove, though without occupying a 40-man roster spot.
  • The Marlins announced that right-hander Aneurys Zabala has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Double-A Pensacola. Zabala made a very brief appearance on the club’s 40-man roster, being designated for assignment just a couple of days after his selection. He was selected to take the spot of Garrett Cooper, who went on the COVID IL but returned just two days later, bumping Zabala right back off. During that brief cameo, Zabala was able to face three batters in his lone appearance, allowing a double before recording a fly out and a strikeout. He’s thrown 8 2/3 innings in the minors this year with an unsightly 10.38 ERA. His impressive 27.1% strikeout rate has been largely offset by his matching 27.1% walk rate.
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Cincinnati Reds Miami Marlins Transactions Aneurys Zabala James Marinan

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Trade Candidate: Brandon Drury

By Darragh McDonald | June 15, 2022 at 9:21am CDT

Very little has gone right for Cincinnati Reds in 2022. The club entered the season with hopes of competing, but those hopes were on shaky footing due to some cost-saving moves over the winter that softened the depth of the roster. Once the season began, the injury bug bit them hard, putting pressure on that depth, which the roster hasn’t been able to withstand. Their record is currently 23-39, ahead of just Washington among National League clubs. One small silver lining in all this, however, is that these injuries created an opening for Brandon Drury, who is having the best season of his career.

Drafted by Atlanta in the 13th round in 2010, Drury was sent to the Diamondbacks as a prospect, as part of the deal that sent Justin Upton the other way. He made his big league debut with Arizona in 2015 and showed some promise over his first few seasons. From 2015-2017 with the Snakes, he got into 289 games and hit 31 home runs, slashing .271/.319/.448. That wasn’t elite production, with his wRC+ actually coming in slightly below average at 95, but still encouraging for a player in his age 22-24 seasons. He also provided the Diamondbacks with defensive versatility, as he spent time at every infield position and the outfield corners.

There was enough there to intrigue the Yankees, who acquired Drury prior to the 2018 season. Unfortunately for them, this was the beginning of what would end up being a miserable three-year stretch for him. Drury dealt with blurred vision and migraines, which caused him to miss time and struggle to the point that the Yankees optioned him to the minors. While he hit well on the farm, he struggled mightily in the majors, hitting .176/.263/.275 in 18 games with the Yanks.

Despite those struggles, the Blue Jays decided to take a chance on him, acquiring him from the Yankees in the J.A. Happ trade, ending Drury’s time with the Yanks after just a few months. After just eight games with the Canadian birds, Drury faced another setback, breaking his hand and heading to the injured list again. In 2019, Drury was able to stay healthy but still struggled, hitting .218/.262/.380 for a 66 wRC+ in 120 games. In 2020, the struggles got even worse, with Drury hitting .152/.184/.174 in 21 games, producing a wRC+ of -10 and getting designated for assignment toward the end of the season.

Despite that abysmal three-year stretch, the Mets decided to take a flier on him, signing him to a minor league deal prior to the 2021 campaign. After the big league club suffered a pile of injuries to their position player mix, they called on Drury in May, who was having a nice showing in Triple-A. He would end up holding himself well in a utility role, playing 51 games while taking the field at first, second and third base, as well as the outfield corners. He hit .274/.307/.476 for a wRC+ of 114 in 88 plate appearances. Despite that solid showing, he was designated for assignment as the season was winding down in October.

A similar situation played out for Drury this year, as he signed a minor league deal with the Reds in March. A slew of injuries created a need for Drury, who has taken the opportunity and ran with it. He’s now played 53 games with the Reds, just beyond his total with the Mets last year. However, it’s clearly been a full-time role this time around, as his 218 plate appearances more than double his 88 from last year. In that time, he’s hit 12 home runs, a number bested by only 12 other National League hitters this year. His overall slash is .269/.335/.508 for a wRC+ of 129. He’s already produced 1.4 wins above replacement this year, according to FanGraphs, with almost two-thirds of the season still remaining. This doesn’t seem to just be good luck either, as his .297 BABIP on the year is just barely ahead of his .294 career mark, and his Statcast page has plenty of those healthy red hues. Defensively, Drury has largely played second and third, helping the club cover for extended absences from Jonathan India and Mike Moustakas, though he’s also made cameos at shortstop and first base.

Taking all of this into consideration, Drury’s true nature is very difficult to peg. A pessimist could point to his dismal stretch from 2018-2020 and dismiss this year’s showing as a small-sample hot streak. He’s also a mere rental, as he began this season with 5 years and one day of service time. Since he cracked Cincy’s Opening Day roster, he will just barely eclipse six years at the end of this season. But on the other hand, he showed enough promise earlier in his career for three different teams to trade for him, clearly demonstrating that this breakout was considered possible in the past. Now he’s delivering on that promise and should hold plenty of appeal to competing teams, especially those with budgetary constraints. The financials of Drury’s deal weren’t reported at the time, though his Baseball Reference page lists his salary as the $700K league minimum.

What Drury also has going for him as a trade candidate is his versatility. Since he can play multiple infield spots, there are potentially many teams who could fit him into their plans. The Angels have gotten very little out of their middle infield this year and could slot Drury in at second base. Josh Harrison and Leury Garcia have both struggled mightily, leaving the White Sox with the keystone as an obvious area to upgrade. The Dodgers love adding underrated bench players and have watched Justin Turner slouch through most of the season so far. Alec Bohm is still struggling in Philly, and since they’ve gone over the luxury tax for the first time, Drury’s low salary could be extra appealing to them. It’s also possible that an injury to an infielder creates a need on a team that didn’t previously have one, like when this week’s Ozzie Albies injury suddenly created a huge hole at second base in Atlanta. Though one team that almost certainly won’t be in the mix is the Blue Jays, as Drury is apparently unvaccinated and isn’t eligible to cross the border. Drury won’t complete remake any of these teams on his own, but role players like this can sometimes have huge impacts. Last year’s marquee deadline trade sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Dodgers, but the Braves won the World Series after acquiring lesser-known players like Jorge Soler, Adam Duvall and Eddie Rosario.

Even if Drury does garner interest at the deadline, it likely won’t lead to a massive return. Strong season aside, he’s got enough warts on his resume to prevent acquiring teams from shelling out any kind elite prospect package. Still, for the Reds to get any kind of trade return out of a player who signed a minor league deal when Spring Training was already underway, that’s one nice development in a season that hasn’t had too many.

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Cincinnati Reds MLBTR Originals Trade Candidate Brandon Drury

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Reds Activate Jonathan India, Mike Moustakas

By Anthony Franco | June 13, 2022 at 8:18pm CDT

The Reds reinstated infielders Jonathan India and Mike Moustakas from the injured list and recalled southpaw Reiver Sanmartin before tonight’s game against the Diamondbacks. Corner outfielder Aristides Aquino is headed to the 10-day injured list due to a left calf strain, while infielders Colin Moran and Alejo López have been optioned to Triple-A Louisville.

India has been on the IL for the past six weeks due to a right hamstring issue. He’s been limited to just 11 games thus far, one of myriad reasons the Reds have a disappointing 21-39 record. The reigning National League Rookie of the Year, India is coming off an excellent .269/.376/.459 showing through 631 plate appearances. India had been targeting a return for the upcoming weekend series against the Brewers, but it seems he’s progressed a bit better than anticipated.

Moustakas, meanwhile, spent a week on the COVID-19 injured list. He also missed some time in April because of a biceps strain, but he’s played fairly regularly when healthy. The left-handed hitter is amidst a second straight underwhelming campaign, owner of a .200/.314/.308 slash with three home runs across 153 trips to the dish. India’s return could cut into the reps for Moustakas, as Brandon Drury figures to see more time at the hot corner with India manning the keystone.

While Moustakas was on the virus list, he hadn’t occupied a spot on the 40-man roster. Now that he’s been reinstated, the club needed to create a 40-man vacancy. They’ve done so by transferring outfielder Jake Fraley from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list, officially ruling him out through at least the end of June.

Fraley, acquired from the Mariners as part of the Jesse Winker deal in Spring Training, went on the IL on May 1 with right knee inflammation. He headed out on a minor league rehab assignment late last month but was shut down while battling a toe issue (via Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer). The left-handed hitting Fraley has been limited to 15 games with his new club thus far, hitting just .116/.208/.233.

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Cincinnati Reds Transactions Aristides Aquino Jake Fraley Jonathan India Mike Moustakas

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Reds Claim Stuart Fairchild Off Waivers From Giants

By TC Zencka | June 11, 2022 at 1:34pm CDT

The Reds have claimed outfielder Stuart Fairchild off waivers from the Giants and optioned him to Triple-A, per the team. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, right-hander James Marinan was designated for assignment.

This will be Fairchild’s second turn with Reds. He was previously traded from Cincinnati to the Diamondbacks are part of the Archie Bradley trade. The versatile outfielder wasn’t been able to get much playing time in the Majors with the Diamondbacks, however, nor with the Mariners or Giants, his next two stops. In Triple-A this season, Fairchild has slashed .232/.376/.449 over 85 plate appearances.

Marinan, 23, has yet to pitch higher than High-A. The right-hander has struggled this season in particular, racking up a 7.71 ERA over 32 2/3 innings with High-A Daytona. Given the numbers, he’s unlikely to be claimed, though the other 29 teams will have their chance to add him to their 40-man rosters, should they so choose.

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Cincinnati Reds San Francisco Giants Transactions James Marinan Stuart Fairchild

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Lucas Sims Loses Arbitration Case

By Anthony Franco | June 10, 2022 at 11:58am CDT

The Reds beat reliever Lucas Sims in arbitration, reports Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). Sims will be paid at the team’s filing rate of $1.2MM this season; he’d been seeking a $1.6MM salary.

A former first-round pick of the Braves, Sims struggled as a starting pitcher during his rookie season in 2017. Atlanta dealt him to Cincinnati at the 2018 deadline, and he’s since worked primarily out of the bullpen. He was bounced on and off the big league roster through 2019 but emerged as a high-leverage option during the shortened 2020 season. Sims posted a 2.45 ERA while striking out a third of opponents through 25 2/3 innings that year.

The right-hander struck out an even more impressive 39% of batters faced last season. He also collected the first seven saves of his career and held nine leads, but 37% of the baserunners he allowed came around to score and he served up 4.40 earned runs per nine innings.

This year’s arbitration process is anomalous because of the lockout, which froze offseason business for more than three months. The delay forced unsettled arb cases to be resolved in-season, as logistical hurdles prevented them from being handled during the customary February and March time period. Nevertheless, the hearings are to be decided based on players’ pre-2022 bodies of work, so Sims’ performance this year should not have been a factor in the result.

There would not have been much to go on in Sims’ case anyhow, as he’s been limited to six appearances by injury. Back spasms have hampered him for a few months, and he’s spent the past four weeks on the 15-day IL. He struggled during his limited look on the active roster, seemingly impacted by the back issue.

This was Sims’ first season of arbitration-eligibility. He’ll be eligible twice more before first qualifying for free agency after the 2024 season, assuming the team continues to tender him contracts.

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Cincinnati Reds Transactions Lucas Sims

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Tyler Stephenson To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Fractured Thumb

By Darragh McDonald | June 9, 2022 at 10:45pm CDT

Reds manager David Bell told reporters, including Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, that catcher Tyler Stephenson has a fractured right thumb and will miss 4-6 weeks.

Stephenson was removed from today’s game after taking a foul ball off his throwing hand and it seems that testing has now resulted in this diagnosis that will keep him sidelined for over a month. It’s yet another frustrating injury for a Reds team that has been particularly unfortunate in the health department this year. The club currently has 14 players on their injured list, with Stephenson surely to make it 15 in the next 24 hours or so. Even among players not currently on the IL, many of them missed extended periods of time earlier in the year, contributing to the club’s disappointing 20-37 record on the season so far.

The loss of Stephenson, 25, will be particularly deflating to the team as he’s been one of the few positive stories in this otherwise-frustrating season. After a strong showing in his first 140 MLB games over 2020-2021, the Reds felt good enough about his ability to take over as the regular catcher that they traded Tucker Barnhart to the Tigers as soon as the offseason began, literally the day after the World Series ended. Stephenson has justified the club’s faith in him by putting up a slash line of .305/.361/.468. That production amounts to a wRC+ of 128, or 28% better than the league average hitter. Since catchers typically hit a little bit less than the other players in the lineup, that production is especially valuable. Among backstops with at least 150 plate appearances this year, only Willson Contreras and Alejandro Kirk have been better with the bat this year.

Subtracting that level of production would hurt any team but will especially sting the Reds. The team’s overall batting line was .236/.308/.380 coming into today, amounting to a wRC+ of 90 that places them ahead of just four teams in the league. Without their star catcher, the lineup will likely drop down by another couple of pegs.

Aramis Garcia has been the primary backup in Cincy this year, getting into 25 games but hitting just .169/.194/.231 for a wRC+ of 13. His career line is a bit better but still amounts to just a 57 wRC+. The only other catcher on the 40-man roster is Mark Kolozsvary, who made his MLB debut this year but didn’t impress in a small sample of just six games. If the club were to consider options not on the 40-man roster, they have veteran Sandy Leon in the organization on a minor league deal. He’s only hitting .193/.309/.281, 66 wRC+ in Triple-A this year, but that’s in a small sample of just 20 games. Even if he wouldn’t provide a ton with the bat, he’d at least bring 10 years of MLB experience to the club. Of course, if the Reds aren’t satisfied with that group, they could look outside the organization for an addition of some kind.

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Cincinnati Reds Tyler Stephenson

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Reds To Select Chris Okey

By Darragh McDonald | June 9, 2022 at 9:05pm CDT

The Reds are going to select the contract of catcher Chris Okey, reports C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. He will join the club’s catching corps, which took a big hit today with the announcement that Tyler Stephenson fractured his thumb and will be out for a month or more. He will head to the injured list in a corresponding move. The club already has a vacancy on their 40-man roster due to Mike Moustakas going on the Covid-IL earlier this week.

Okey was selected in the second round, 43rd overall, by the Reds in the 2016 draft. Considered to be a bat-first catcher at the time, he was ranked as the #14 Reds’ prospect by Baseball America in 2017, with FanGraphs showing a bit more confidence by placing him at #8 in the system. However, the next season, he dropped to #26 on the FG list and off the BA list entirely, as injuries slowed his progress and his bat didn’t quite live up to expectations.

Despite losing some prospect shine, Okey is having a nice season here in 2022. Through 74 plate appearances in 24 Triple-A games, he’s hitting .265/.324/.441. That production is good enough for him to have a wRC+ of 102 on the year, 2% better than the league average hitter, though catchers typically produce a bit less than other hitters. There is perhaps a bit of good luck in there, as his .386 BABIP is well above previous seasons, and he also has a 31.1% strikeout rate on the year. The 27-year-old will make his MLB debut as soon as he gets into a game.

With Stephenson out for the next few weeks, Okey and Aramis Garcia will make up the club’s catching duo. Mark Kolozsvary is also on the 40-man and playing in Triple-A, but the Reds evidently want to get a look at their former second-rounder and see how he fares at the big league level.

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Cincinnati Reds Transactions Chris Okey Tyler Stephenson

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