Buy?

[Mitri]

This is such a copout. The GMs of the Rays and A’s are told every single season payroll is either not increasing or actually decreasing and they somehow figure out a way to consistently put winning teams on the field. Krall was told his payroll had to be middle of the road and he didn’t even try.

Yeah. I think it’s time to direct more of the blame on Krall. He looked at this team and thought standing pat was the right move, even with clear black holes at SS, SP and the bullpen.

[RedTeamGo!]

I have no problem getting rid of Krall, but Cast isn't just setting the payroll, there are multiple stories that Cast is the one making the baseball decisions. He's the one that approves every single deal. In other words, he's acting as the President of Baseball Operations. He thinks he's Billy Beane in your A's comp. He's Steinbrenner before he hired Bob Watson.


Bob Quote from an interview with P-Doc




A bunch of quotes from an article in Cincinnati Mag

https://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/a...e-of-meddling/

Yeah, that quote is from like 6 years ago or something. Might still be the case, I don’t know, neither do you.

[Strikes Out Looking]

The time to buy was in December and January. The only buying that should be done at this point is for 2022 and beyond and part of a big picture. Unfortunately, as Bell, Kroll, and the ownership team are only shopping at the dollar store, we are going to end up with a paint by numbers unicorn as a best case scenario.

[Moose Herd]

Yeah, that quote is from like 6 years ago or something. Might still be the case, I don’t know, neither do you.

How about his interview from this year?


http://redscontentplus.com/2021/03/t...ing-interview/

2. Bob Castellini confesses to intervening in baseball decisions to prevent popular players from being traded. At the same time he complains about prolonged periods of losing, not seeing the tension between those two views.

When asked if he’d ever let his being a fan affect his ability to trade a popular player, the Reds owner was surprising and unequivocal.

Yes, it has. There have been at least one, or maybe two I did not want to trade because of the appeal they had to the season ticket buyers.

When asked for specifics, he mentioned three:

Billy Hamilton was one. Todd (Frazier) right after he won the Home Run Derby, they wanted to trade. That was a tough one. Too tough. And Aroldis (Chapman). Then of course he had his tragedy. We missed the boat on that one. But it was not predictable.

Castellini explained that his motivation in vetoing the deals was attendance and that trading fan-favorite players would jeopardize income and possibly winning.

We depend a lot on our attendance. Because you get prospects for your key players who will play in years to come does that mean it sacrifices your ability to appeal to your attendance to get more and more attendance and win in that particular year or one or two years.

[Moose Herd]

One last one, when Krall was promoted he said this:

https://theathletic.com/2147902/2020...-trevor-bauer/

“Not a ton (of change) from a day-to-day standpoint,” Krall said during a video conference call on Monday. “Just will be more of the head of the department and the person who will make the final decision for this department to take to Bob.”

If Bob is just setting the payroll, why does he have to make the final decisions on players?

Bob is running baseball operations, and it's a disaster.

[scotly50]

One last one, when Krall was promoted he said this:

https://theathletic.com/2147902/2020...-trevor-bauer/

I firmly believe Bob only wants to put a mediocre team on the field.



If Bob is just setting the payroll, why does he have to make the final decisions on players?

Bob is running baseball operations, and it's a disaster.

I firmly believe Bob only wants to field a mediocre team.

[Mitri]

One last one, when Krall was promoted he said this:

https://theathletic.com/2147902/2020...-trevor-bauer/





If Bob is just setting the payroll, why does he have to make the final decisions on players?

Bob is running baseball operations, and it's a disaster.

Maybe they are both awful? It's a disaster of a team and they both should be embarrassed.

[Moose Herd]

Maybe they are both awful? It's a disaster of a team and they both should be embarrassed.

I have no problem with getting rid of Krall, but if Bob doesn't give up trying to run the Baseball Operations department it doesn't matter who they bring in, it's going to be the same outcome.

If the new guy has a trade worked out to move Suarez (or whomever) and Bob blocks it because he's a fan favorite, it doesn't really matter who the GM is.

[Mitri]

I have no problem with getting rid of Krall, but if Bob doesn't give up trying to run the Baseball Operations department it doesn't matter who they bring in, it's going to be the same outcome.

If the new guy has a trade worked out to move Suarez (or whomever) and Bob blocks it because he's a fan favorite, it doesn't really matter who the GM is.

If true, I agree. I think the Bob blocking stuff exists but is probably overblown, it's just that he puts stooges in who would rather fix short-term solutions and the bottom-line than take real chances at making the team good in the long-term.

[Moose Herd]

I know everyone doesn't want the issue to be Bob, because we are stuck with Bob. But the issue is Bob.

- - - Updated - - -

If true, I agree. I think the Bob blocking stuff exists but is probably overblown, it's just that he puts stooges in who would rather fix short-term solutions and the bottom-line than take real chances at making the team good in the long-term.

I'm not sure how it's overblown when Bob admits he does it.

[Bob Sheed]

It's strange to me that anyone in baseball as long as Castellini has been in it, would think that anything or anyone would trump winning in regard to fan attendance.

[JFLegal]

what is really depressing is we're at least until 2024 away from being a contender. this team is going nowhere. i have no doubt castellanos will opt out after this season. reds will still be stuck with votto's and moose's contracts for the next two seasons (expiring after the 2023 season). one more year of paying shogo $7M to be a backup outfielder (although he will be a starter in 2022 most likely since castellanos will opt out).

and by the time 2024 rolls around, jesse winker will be a free agent and far too expensive for the reds. so, even expecting a winner in 2024 is a massive stretch. the reds do have arguably the best pitching prospect in baseball in hunter greene (passan did a piece for ESPN yesterday citing GMs around the league saying greene is the best) and some other really good prospects like lodolo, so we just have to hope they turn out well and the reds can build around them.

sorry state of affairs all the way around.

[Mitri]

I know everyone doesn't want the issue to be Bob, because we are stuck with Bob. But the issue is Bob.

- - - Updated - - -



I'm not sure how it's overblown when Bob admits he does it.

It's overblown because for the last 5 years we've had GMs that don't have the cajones, or the baseball smarts, to stand up to him and try to override his hand, so it doesn't really matter. That's why.

[scotly50]

Either trade Wink and Cast or sign them long term.

DFA Shogo, Garrett, Perez,(either or both), and sign Puig.

[Moose Herd]

It's overblown because for the last 5 years we've had GMs that don't have the cajones, or the baseball smarts, to stand up to him and try to override his hand, so it doesn't really matter. That's why.

"Try to override [the owner's] hand"?

Good luck with that.