The Cincinnati Reds are Back
The Cincinnati Reds have been busy this offseason. After finishing 2019 with a 75-87 record, they were looking to improve an anemic offense, and boy did they. When the season finished up, GM Dick Williams stated the Reds were going to be big players in free agency, something that’s never been their M.O. What they’ve done this offseason has put them in the driver’s seat in the division.
Taking a Look at the Cincinnati Reds’ 2018-19 off-season
Get The Pitching
In the 2018-19 offseason, the Reds were looking to become considerably better. The buzz within the organization culminated in a saying, “Get the pitching”. They already had Luis Castillo, who had shown glimpses of great potential until the wheels fell off in 2018 and he got rocked. They also had Anthony DeSclafani, who had finally strung together a season full of starts not marred by injury. Other than that both the bullpen and other rotation starters were pretty abysmal. The team finished with a 4.63 ERA and a 4.65 FIP, which ranked in the bottom 5 of the league.
Coming into the 2018-19 offseason, they were linked to several starters, including Dallas Keuchel, Sonny Gray, and Alex Wood. In December of 2018, the Reds made their first big splash when they completed a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cincinnati sent Homer Bailey, and prospects Jeter Downs and Josiah Gray to Los Angeles for Alex Wood, Yasiel Puig, and Matt Kemp. Then one month later the next splash came when the Reds traded Shed Long and a Competitive Balance Round A pick to the New York Yankees for Sonny Gray. They also added Tanner Roark.
Sonny Gray Rebounds
In the short term, these trades looked good. The Reds got the pitching upgrades and a couple of bats. Plus they didn’t have to empty the farm for it. Unfortunately, Alex Wood would only be limited to 7 starts with a 5.80 ERA due to some back issues. Sonny Gray on the other hand, had one of the best major league seasons of his career. After a 2018 season that saw Gray struggle, he had a wonderful 2019 for the Reds. He was 11-8 with a 2.87 ERA and had 205 strikeouts. Earlier this week, Gray did an interview stating he wasn’t 100% at any point last season.
In-Season Additions
On the day of the trade deadline, Cincinnati sent Yasiel Puig and Taylor Trammell to the Cleveland Indians and San Diego Padres respectively, for Trevor Bauer. After the trade, Cincy had one of the best rotations in baseball. They also sent off Tanner Roark for an outfield prospect from the Oakland A’s. The Reds finished with a 75-87 record, which made them 10 games better than 2018. Unfortunately, the offensive additions did not pan out, and it caused them to struggle all season. The Pythagorean win/loss for Cincinnati came out to be 83-79, which would’ve been their first winning season since 2013.
The 2019-20 Payroll “Explosion”
2019-20 Offseason Additions
At the end of the season, GM Dick Williams stated that the Reds would be major players in the free-agent market. Until this offseason, the Red’s largest free-agent contract was Aroldis Chapman at five years, $30 million. On December 5th, 2019, they changed that when they signed infielder Mike Moustakas away from a division rival, the Milwaukee Brewers, with a four-year $64 million dollar deal. That contract became the largest in franchise history. After Moose inked the contract, Cincinnati turned its focus to another first for the team.
Looking to Japan
On January 6th, 2020, Cincinnati inked CF Shogo Akiyama of the Seibu Lions in Japan to a three-year $21 million deal. He became the first Japanese player in Reds history.
In Japan, Akiyama was an all-star multiple times and finished 2019 with a .320/.398/.497 slash line. He is the ideal leadoff hitter for Cincinnati. Even after the Shogo signing, they still weren’t finished.
More Free Agent Signings
Cincy had connections to both Marcell Ozuna and Nicholas Castellanos. While Ozuna signed with the Atlanta Braves on a one year deal, the Reds offered multiple years to him and missed. They made up for that miss with the signing of Nick Castellanos. Castellanos inked a four-year $64 million deal with an opt-out clause for years one and two. More importantly, the Reds signed him away from another division rival in the Chicago Cubs.
Cincinnati also shored up the back end of the bullpen when they signed Pedro Strop last week. He adds depth into a bullpen that has a rising star in Amir Garrett, a two-way player in Michael Lorenzen and a proven closer, Raisel Iglesias.
Expectations Are High
Since they made a splash with a $164 million offseason, the Reds are being looked at as a frontrunner for the NL Central Division. Each team, besides Cincinnati, has either stood pat or lost some of their best players to in-division rivals or other teams. Some analysts have gone as far as to predict the Reds will win 90+ games and the NL Central, something that would be very welcome for all the fans.
Baseball is right around the corner. Pitchers and catchers reported this past week, and the first spring training game for the Cincinnati Reds is on February 23. The NL Central has a new and improved team to worry about, and the Reds are looking to win it all in 2020.
