Reds Sign LHP Manny Parra, DFA Todd Redmond

[Red Swagger]

Hoover and Ondrusek have options left. Masset will prob start the year on the DL, rehab assignment. Chapman will start the year in the bullpen, on the "Kris Medlen" plan. So as of now, our bullpen will look like this:

Chapman
Broxton
Marshall
Arredondo
LeCure
Simon
Parra

Hoover and Ondrusek at AAA Louisville
Masset on the DL

Leake as the 5th starter

This is the most likely scenario

[757690]

I have a feeling, once April rolls around, we will all be thinking the Reds don't have enough relief pitching options, lol.

[mth123]

Originally Posted by Red Swagger

Hoover and Ondrusek have options left. Masset will prob start the year on the DL, rehab assignment. Chapman will start the year in the bullpen, on the "Kris Medlen" plan. So as of now, our bullpen will look like this:

Chapman
Broxton
Marshall
Arredondo
LeCure
Simon
Parra

Hoover and Ondrusek at AAA Louisville
Masset on the DL

Leake as the 5th starter

This is the most likely scenario

What's the status of Ondrusek's option clock? Once a guy is in the big leagues so long, options or not, he needs to pass through waivers to be sent down to AAA. I think for Leake, this occurs sometime in mid April 2013. Not sure on Ondrusek.

I wouldn't be upset if the Reds had to put Ondrusek through waivers and somebody took him. I'd be happy about it actually.

[Blitz Dorsey]

Another thing to keep in mind here: 2012 was Parra's first season as a reliever and he was coming off a major injury. In his second season as a reliever and not coming back from injury, I'm expecting us to look back on this as an excellent value signing by the Reds.

Great job this offseason, Walt. 3 cheers for you! (And 3 beers for me. x4.)

[Scrap Irony]

I like the Parra gamble. Reminds me of a LH Simon.

Price tends to work well with this sort of guy. (Chapman, Bailey, Simon, Arredondo-- all found better control/ approach under the Red pitching coach.)

[Blitz Dorsey]

Originally Posted by Scrap Irony

I like the Parra gamble. Reminds me of a LH Simon.

Price tends to work well with this sort of guy. (Chapman, Bailey, Simon, Arredondo-- all found better control/ approach under the Red pitching coach.)

And you gotta like it when a "gamble" means risking all of $1 million. (Petty change in MLB where the average salary for a player is nearly $3 million.)

[cumberlandreds]

Another good depth signing. You can always use leftys that can actually get lefty hitters out.

[RedlegJake]

All I can say after Olivo and Parra - is there a real hole left that Walt hasn't made a credible shot at filling this off season? Really like both these signings as last minutr details that needed attending. Seen more meaningful to the point moves this offseason than I ever have.

[LoganBuck]

I know overexposing Jason Donald/Izturis would qualify, but the only thing I see missing from Walt's usual MO is a veteran bench guy who can't hit. Only a little hint of sarcasm there...

[jhu1321]

Originally Posted by LoganBuck

I know overexposing Jason Donald/Izturis would qualify, but the only thing I see missing from Walt's usual MO is a veteran bench guy who can't hit. Only a little hint of sarcasm there...

That's why he'll ink Rolen soon.

[MoneyInTheBank]

I don't care for the signing much on a major league deal but hopefully he's not a lock to make the roster even with his $1M contract. Ondrusek and Arredondo both get lefties out at a better rate than Parra. So maybe Simon is the odd man out since he has relatively high BAA despite a low ERA and high GO/AO? Or Hoover, simply because he has options?

Unless there is a startling development in Spring Training, I wouldn't mind seeing Parra DFA'd before the team goes North

[Tony Cloninger]

Originally Posted by mth123

I think Leake or Chapman serves as the long guy while the transition to Chapman in the rotation is going on with Leake eventually filling that role. Simon will be 32 in May and last year was the first time he was better than abysmal, I'm not a believer. Arredondo is a better pitcher IMO and fits better in shorter relief. I hope it doesn't come down to options. If so, Hoover heads to AAA when he should be the Reds top RH set-up guy. I have a feeling Ondrusek's ill-advised 2 year deal causes the move of Hoover to AAA.

There is no way in heck that Hoover is sent down unless he comes in out of shape and tries to think he has it made already. Option or not. Come on.

[M2]

Originally Posted by Scrap Irony

I like the Parra gamble. Reminds me of a LH Simon.

Price tends to work well with this sort of guy. (Chapman, Bailey, Simon, Arredondo-- all found better control/ approach under the Red pitching coach.)

That's certainly the hope. Assessing this signing really comes down to your level of confidence in the Reds brain trust.

Based on his career to date, Parra's a horrible pitcher, consistently easy to hit despite his K rate. Yet the K rate is there and the HR rate dropped sharply after he converted to the pen. It's something to work with, but the Reds need to be willing to cut bait on Parra if he isn't delivering.

[nate]

Parra is kind of the left-handed lovechild from Alfredo Simon and Jose Arredondo's "Summer of '12."

He sure walks a ton of dudes but he strikes them out as well. The question is, can he maintain a low HR-rate?

[Kc61]

Originally Posted by M2

That's certainly the hope. Assessing this signing really comes down to your level of confidence in the Reds brain trust.

Based on his career to date, Parra's a horrible pitcher, consistently easy to hit despite his K rate. Yet the K rate is there and the HR rate dropped sharply after he converted to the pen. It's something to work with, but the Reds need to be willing to cut bait on Parra if he isn't delivering.

Yeah, having now gone through Parra's lifetime stats, I withdraw any previous posts suggesting he is very likely to go north with the club.

I'm not so sure. He needs to have a good spring. I could easily see the Reds keeping Arredondo, Ondrusek, Hoover, Simon, any of them over Parra. He's simply in the competition.

Parra's lifetime WHIP is quit high, allows a lot of base runners, I'm just not sure he'll make it, we'll see.