Reds Trade And Free Agent Rumours 2023-24 Offseason

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Originally Posted by westofyou

It does not matter who the owners are (and many of the current owners (26) have been in this for the duration of those thirty years) the Reds are not a splashy FA team, not ever and likely not in the future. "Spending" is a soft term, I can go out to buy a car and the market might say oh... he's gonna buy a 70K car, when in reality I'm looking at used 20K cars.

Both approaches can be defined as "spending" Last winter the Reds claimed they would not spend recklessly, which in MLB is paying 30 year old guys 5 year contracts to throw a baseball. I tend to have to lean on the Reds 130-year old history of being a cheaper organization in most aspects, including spending on FA talent

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They do have a history of that, but within that history, each owner hasn’t been the same. During the Linder years, there seemed to be no intention of building a winning team. That’s the approach that a lot of folks are saying the Castellinis are taking. And that hasn’t been the case. In the 2010-2013 window, they spent heavily in prospects and extensions to make the team better. There was a botched rebuild in between where spending was down, but in 2019 and 2020 they spent when they said they would. The only piece of evidence point to they won’t spend when they say they will is the 2021 SS. Every other time the Castillinis said they’d spend, they have.

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Originally Posted by REDREAD

The most likely reason why the Reds did that big FA spending spree:
1. Dick Williams actually wanted to win, he had the owner's ears, they decided to give it a try.
2. Attendance was bad from all those years of tanking. Reds drew 2.4 million fans in 2015. After tanking, attendance was at 1.6 in 2018 and 1.8 in 2019. At the time, the farm system had no help on the horizon. Reds had a few solid players like Castillo, etc on the roster. It made finanical sense to make some moves in the offseason and get the fanbase energized again.

So let's look at this offseason.
1. Krall has not shown a desire to win. He most likely had money to spend at the trade deadline (since he had money to sign those waiver guys), but he was too timid to make a move. Until proven otherwise, Krall is firmly in the "horde prospects forever" camp instead of "Win now". Krall said the Reds were "definitely buyers" at the deadline, yet he basically did nothing. This winter, he's been very evasive when asked about making moves.. Other than some vague "we have some money to spend". It's not really encouraging.

2. Reds drew over 2 million last year on a shoestring budget. There's really no business case to add a lot of payroll if you are the owners. Most likely, they can do nothing over the winter and still sell about 2 million tickets next year. Now, if the 2024 team regresses, that will hurt 2025 sales, but I bet they are comfortable with that risk.

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You’re acting like they are the Linder ownership group. They aren’t.

If the Reds' choices are to trade for a fat contract like Cease, Beiber, or Glasnow, or sign a fat contract like a Giolito or Rodriguez, I vote the latter. I mean I don't get a say, and the total dollars in going the FA route may be something that offends ownership. But from a value pov, having a cost-controlled asset has value in terms of certainty anf trade deadline value.

Which is why I'll weirdly make a case for Bauer. Yeah, he's a PR nightmare, but probably less in Cincinnati. Reds fans loathe the MLB's commissioner's office and we all know why. The recently release info regarding Bauer, which has been discussed ad nauseam, fuels a certain type of fanbase. He's expressed a desire to return to Cincinnati, and he pitched well in Japan. Add to all that, the coaching staff knows him. It can work

Would I want to see him chatting up my daughter? No. Because his private life and choices are just too well known for me. But kink in sports is not a new thing. Baseball had players swap wives. The NBA is an absolute dumpster fire when it comes to exploitation. Gun violence is fine if you are a LB on a HOF track. The hypocrisy of saying this offends me more than shooting a dude is a line I can't quite come to grips with.

That said, I'd say his MLB return is somewhere in the 25% range. Miami, maybe. AZ? I don't think the Reds are out on him. I weirdly think SF might be a fit.

Back to the SP acquisition as a whole. I do not see how trading for a large contract, is something the Reds' ownership or FO for that matter, is the logical way to go. FA makes more sense. Either way you are giving up a lot of money, but why give up talent too?

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Originally Posted by TRF

If the Reds' choices are to trade for a fat contract like Cease, Beiber, or Glasnow, or sign a fat contract like a Giolito or Rodriguez, I vote the latter. I mean I don't get a say, and the total dollars in going the FA route may be something that offends ownership. But from a value pov, having a cost-controlled asset has value in terms of certainty anf trade deadline value.

Which is why I'll weirdly make a case for Bauer. Yeah, he's a PR nightmare, but probably less in Cincinnati. Reds fans loathe the MLB's commissioner's office and we all know why. The recently release info regarding Bauer, which has been discussed ad nauseam, fuels a certain type of fanbase. He's expressed a desire to return to Cincinnati, and he pitched well in Japan. Add to all that, the coaching staff knows him. It can work

Would I want to see him chatting up my daughter? No. Because his private life and choices are just too well known for me. But kink in sports is not a new thing. Baseball had players swap wives. The NBA is an absolute dumpster fire when it comes to exploitation. Gun violence is fine if you are a LB on a HOF track. The hypocrisy of saying this offends me more than shooting a dude is a line I can't quite come to grips with.

That said, I'd say his MLB return is somewhere in the 25% range. Miami, maybe. AZ? I don't think the Reds are out on him. I weirdly think SF might be a fit.

Back to the SP acquisition as a whole. I do not see how trading for a large contract, is something the Reds' ownership or FO for that matter, is the logical way to go. FA makes more sense. Either way you are giving up a lot of money, but why give up talent too?

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Arizona had Bauer once and jettisoned him, can't see that marriage.

Maybe the New York Knights will sign him? Unless of course he runs into Harriet Bird before that can come to fruition

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Originally Posted by Old school 1983

They do have a history of that, but within that history, each owner hasn’t been the same. During the Linder years, there seemed to be no intention of building a winning team. That’s the approach that a lot of folks are saying the Castellinis are taking. And that hasn’t been the case. In the 2010-2013 window, they spent heavily in prospects and extensions to make the team better. There was a botched rebuild in between where spending was down, but in 2019 and 2020 they spent when they said they would. The only piece of evidence point to they won’t spend when they say they will is the 2021 SS. Every other time the Castillinis said they’d spend, they have.

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So are you expecting the Reds to have a higher opening day payroll than last year?

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Originally Posted by LeatherPants

So are you expecting the Reds to have a higher opening day payroll than last year?

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No. I’m saying they will add significant talent to the team whether it be trade or FA signing. There was a lot of dead weight on the payroll last year with Moose and a lesser extent Votto. I could give an eff what the payroll is so long as they can competently build a winner.

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Originally Posted by westofyou

Arizona had Bauer once and jettisoned him, can't see that marriage.

Maybe the New York Knights will sign him? Unless of course he runs into Harriet Bird before that can come to fruition

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Coming so close to winning it all can make for strange bedfellows.

pun intended.

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Originally Posted by westofyou

Arizona had Bauer once and jettisoned him, can't see that marriage.

Maybe the New York Knights will sign him? Unless of course he runs into Harriet Bird before that can come to fruition

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You know Pop Fisher wouldn't put up with any shenanigans

Sign Trevor Bauer.

Per Jon Heyman via Rotoworld:

The Reds are showing interest in Emilio Pagán, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman.

Heyman adds that the Reds are just one of many teams to have reached out to Pagán after his fine season, which included a 2.99 ERA in 69 1/3 innings. Still, they seem like a particularly bad fit for him, given that he’s one of the game’s most notorious flyball pitchers and they play in the league’s most homer-happy ballpark.

The beatings will continue until moral improves.

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Originally Posted by NebraskaRed

I'm not saying it isn't justified to some degree, but this thread has become wildly pessimistic and angry. Good lord.

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And suddenly we are all now Cardinal fans!

That is what I have been playing “devil’s advocate” against. I think we all agree the Reds need to spend this and add talent this offseason. I am one of the few that is confident that they will, and will spend and add significantly. And I am a monster for believing this.

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Originally Posted by 757690

And suddenly we are all now Cardinal fans!

That is what I have been playing “devil’s advocate” against. I think we all agree the Reds need to spend this and add talent this offseason. I am one of the few that is confident that they will, and will spend and add significantly. And I am a monster for believing this.

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Could be worse. You could be a Castellini family member like me.

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Mark Feinsand
@Feinsand
The Reds have agreed to a two-year deal with RHP Emilio Pagán, per source. The deal is still pending physical.
12:26 PM · Nov 29, 2023

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Maybe we can talk about the Reds are doing instead of arguing about what we think the Reds will do.

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Originally Posted by 757690

Maybe we can talk about the Reds are doing instead of arguing about what we think the Reds will do.

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We should act like the Cards just made this deal and not the Reds. Wonder how the takes would differ.