Reds post-season transactions 2022-23

[Tom Servo]

Hate to be like Doug here and tease something I don't want to go publicly into detail about but I've heard some more stuff that indicates unhappiness with Wink and Seattle, more to do with Winker's personal life. I just get the impression between that and the struggles and injury that he's not having a very good time right now, even if his teammates do, in fact, like him fine.

Alright to prove I'm not a Doug I will say you can find some of this on Twitter, and basically Wink is spilling his guts to strangers at the bars in Seattle, lamenting his situation with the Mariners and with the mother of his child. That's what has been reported anyway maybe they're making it all up and everything is fine! But it sounds like he is not having much fun in Washington.

[Kc61]

Reds transactions ledger shows pitchers Nick Howard and Kevin Herget signed to minor league contracts.

[Bourgeois Zee]

I like Herget as AAA depth insurance. He had a quality season last year as a AAA SP. Great peripherals. Old for the level. Likely not to stand in the way of what's there, but willing to take his starts as well. He is the polar opposite of Red pitchers in the system-- he gives up a ton of hits and HR, but limits the damage by striking out a decent clip and limiting walks. Maybe they brought him in to show their minor leaguers how to pitch...?

[mth123]

Reds transactions ledger shows pitchers Nick Howard and Kevin Herget signed to minor league contracts.

Herget is 31 with 3 options intact. Guess he's a minor league shuttle possibility if he's ever added to the roster. The Reds just can't quit soon to be 30 Nick Howard. His lack of control makes some of the other walk happy prospects look good by comparison. Exactly the kind of guys I wish they'd quit fooling with.

[MikeS21]

Herget is 31 with 3 options intact. Guess he's a minor league shuttle possibility if he's ever added to the roster. The Reds just can't quit soon to be 30 Nick Howard. His lack of control makes some of the other walk happy prospects look good by comparison. Exactly the kind of guys I wish they'd quit fooling with.

Do you think the Reds are still trying to prove that they didn’t make a mistake by wasting a first round pick on Howard? What is this? His third or fourth go-around with the team? What lightening-in-the-bottle has changed since they released him a few months ago?

[mth123]

Do you think the Reds are still trying to prove that they didn’t make a mistake by wasting a first round pick on Howard? What is this? His third or fourth go-around with the team? What lightening-in-the-bottle has changed since they released him a few months ago?

30 something career minor league pitchers is the new undervalued area in their mind I suppose. Sometimes I think they are trying to be the smartest guy in the room a little too hard. They have several guys like that on the roster I wish they'd cut ties with. Instead they sign more.

[Kc61]

Herget is 31 with 3 options intact. Guess he's a minor league shuttle possibility if he's ever added to the roster. The Reds just can't quit soon to be 30 Nick Howard. His lack of control makes some of the other walk happy prospects look good by comparison. Exactly the kind of guys I wish they'd quit fooling with.

Reds used something like 34 pitchers in the bigs last season, plus a few position players on the mound.

Some of these signings are just to help fill high minor league rosters with enough arms to get through. Some will lack upside or be long shots for MLB promotion.

[mth123]

Reds used something like 34 pitchers in the bigs last season, plus a few position players on the mound.

Some of these signings are just to help fill high minor league rosters with enough arms to get through. Some will lack upside or be long shots for MLB promotion.

I get it. A better idea would be to sign major league pitchers and let the minor leaguers on the major league roster be those depth arms.

[Ron Madden]

This from MLBTR
Reds, Kevin Herget Agree To Minor League Deal

Herget has spent most of his career working out of the bullpen, but he’s gotten more rotation work over the past few seasons. He averaged 4.65 innings per appearance with the Bulls this year and could serve as either rotation or long relief depth in Cincinnati.

The Reds presently have Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft as their top three starters, while the bullpen finished 28th in the majors with a 4.72 ERA.

They’re sure to add a few more immediate big league options this offseason, but the lack of defined roles in both the rotation and relief unit makes Cincinnati a solid landing spot for quality depth players of Herget’s ilk looking to snag an Opening Day job.
..

[Rowsdower]

Big fan of Herget

[Old school 1983]

30 something career minor league pitchers is the new undervalued area in their mind I suppose. Sometimes I think they are trying to be the smartest guy in the room a little too hard. They have several guys like that on the roster I wish they'd cut ties with. Instead they sign more.

Or maybe you have to fill out minor league rosters too. Howard is a known quantity in the system. Maybe they like that. Not every minor leaguer has to be a bonafide prospect.

[Bourgeois Zee]

Or maybe you have to fill out minor league rosters too. Howard is a known quantity in the system. Maybe they like that. Not every minor leaguer has to be a bonafide prospect.

Howard is pretty good, IIRC, about working with younger guys as a veteran arm. Perhaps they're grooming him for a coaching spot later on, while still believing enough in his arm to think he could be a depth piece.

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30 something career minor league pitchers is the new undervalued area in their mind I suppose. Sometimes I think they are trying to be the smartest guy in the room a little too hard. They have several guys like that on the roster I wish they'd cut ties with. Instead they sign more.

Signing career minor league guys who have options has been one way the Dodgers, Guardians, and Rays have largely gamed the 40-man roster system. If they were trying to be the smartest guy in the room, wouldn't they do something different?

[Old school 1983]

Howard is pretty good, IIRC, about working with younger guys as a veteran arm. Perhaps they're grooming him for a coaching spot later on, while still believing enough in his arm to think he could be a depth piece.

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Signing career minor league guys who have options has been one way the Dodgers, Guardians, and Rays have largely gamed the 40-man roster system. If they were trying to be the smartest guy in the room, wouldn't they do something different?

On Howard. Exactly. I haven’t looked at his stuff in a few years, but he had a big arm when he was drafted even if it was a bit of a reach in round 1. Maybe he finds something control wise. Likely not, and if he makes the big leagues, it’ll probably be a thanks for being a organizational type guy cup of coffee like we saw with Okey this year. But back to the point, there are reasons other than legit prospect status guys get brought into minor league systems.

[mth123]

Howard is pretty good, IIRC, about working with younger guys as a veteran arm. Perhaps they're grooming him for a coaching spot later on, while still believing enough in his arm to think he could be a depth piece.

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The Reds already have more career minor league pitchers than they need. Having a few of these guys is fine, but the Reds have filled about 60 percent of the major league pitching staff with them. I guess if they cut a bunch of those guys loose, adding these guys won’t be so bad, but too many of these guys in the minors means eventually you’ll have too many big league innings going to them. Not really a fan of 30 year old minor leaguers.
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[Kc61]

The Reds already have more career minor league pitchers than they need. Having a few of these guys is fine, but the Reds have filled about 60 percent of the major league pitching staff with them. I guess if they cut a bunch of those guys loose, adding these guys won’t be so bad, but too many of these guys in the minors means eventually you’ll have too many big league innings going to them. Not really a fan of 30 year old minor leaguers.
]

This is really a non-event, mth.

The Reds have 23 pitchers on the forty. Most of their upcoming cuts will be pitchers. Some will seek other opportunities. Later in the off-season, probably more cuts as Reds add to the roster.

There will also be thinning out in the minor league system. Some guys will retire, or become FAs, or the Reds will very quietly let them go.

Herget and Howard are experienced guys who can be in AA or AAA. That depth enables lower level pitchers to take their time and not be rushed.

It’s sound management to add guys like this on minor league contracts. The organizational depth is necessary.