After another disappointing year, the Cincinnati Reds have missed the playoffs for the 2nd year in a row. Once again, the Reds have a big rebuild year after going 62-100 and finishing 3rd to last in MLB (Major League Baseball) standings. Phase 1 of General Manager Nick Krall’s newest plan to “eliminate peaks and valleys” has provided tons of headaches to diehard Reds fans. Although there was much bad this season, there is a bit of hope to be seen from this season.
The Ugly
Before we get to the good, we have to get the sad part over with. The Red’s started their season off historically bad. After the first 25 games, the Reds only managed a 3-22 start, the tied 2nd worst start to an MLB season ever. The middle of the season didn’t get any better, as the Reds only managed to go 41-41 in the next 82 games. Although the end of the season was also terrible (5-19), the fans were already looking towards next season.
The Bad
One of the major hopes for this season was to see the development of Reds star Jonathan India. But the 2021 AL (American League) Rookie of the Year got sidelined for a good portion of the season due to injuries. In the end, India was only about to play 103/162 games. India wasn’t the only player to also get injured. Many of our players missed a considerable amount of time at some point this season. Only one player on our team had over 500 at bats, although the average for a starter is around 600. The Reds have also made early offseason moves. Cutting 5 coaches in a attempt to bring in guys who can lead the Reds to more success.
The entire offseason deserves its own section, worse than bad and ugly. The offseason consisted heavily of many key players getting trades to offload contracts. The biggest trade was when we traded duo stars Jesse Winkler and Eugerio Suarez to the Seattle Mariners. In return all we got 3 players and some cash. The only notable player out of the 3 being Justin Dunn, a 27 year old pitcher who played 31 innings for up and was arguably one of our worst pitchers this season. We also got rid of players like Wade Milley, Sonney Gray and others for no apparent reason. Last season’s offseason got so bad the protests started to beg the owner of the Reds (Bob Castellini) to sell the team, which did not happen.
The Good
Cincinnati Reds have one of the strongest young cores in the league. And with the early confirmation of missing the playoffs, the Reds were able to give the youngsters some gametime. That game time has shown to the world that the Reds have a strong young core. A total of 4 pitchers made the two MLB All-Rookie Teams, with many others just missing the achievement.
One of the goals for General Manager Nick Krall was to heavily improve the player pipeline for the Reds. Krall knew that the Reds needed to “figure out how to continue to build through our player pipeline, player development and scouting. That’s got to be the base of everything we do. If that’s the base, that’s how we’ll build long-term success and sustainable success.” After this season it is easy to tell that they didn’t just complete that target, but they absolutely nailed it on the head. One of the best Prospects in all of MLB is Triple A star Elly De La Cruz. Elly plays for Reds affiliate Chattanooga Reds, although currently balling in Dominican Republic until the MLB season starts. Many of the Reds best players are already their youngsters. Even with star infielder Jonathan India out for about ⅓ of the season from injury, the Reds have had others step up in his place. One of the few bright spots in Cincinnati this year has been Graham Ashcraft, with a 3.96 ERA (Earned Runs Average) in 86.1 innings as a rookie right-handed pitcher. With the major developments in Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo. The Reds look to have a dangerous pitching rotation for the years to come.
The Hope for Offseason
Although not guaranteed, as history shows, offseason luck is never on the Reds side. In most years under the current ownership. Most of the best players are shipped out due to either contract problems or just to get younger players.
The Reds also have a lot of flexibility for the upcoming offseason. With having only two players under contract, the front office has a lot of money to spend to help clean up the lineup. So what do they need? The Reds should look to spend that money on a veteran pitcher who can mentor the youngsters. Another reasonable spot would be to build a strong outfield as no one in their current outfield looks to be anything good. The Reds also don’t look to be losing anyone massive so don’t expect anyone to leave in Free Agency.
All things considered. If all the right moves are made then you call expect a team that will only lose around 85 games. Although a 77-85 season is still a poor season and would mean no playoffs again. It would be a massive improvement from the 100+ lose season we have just seen this season. But look forward to the 2024-2025 season. Most of our young players will be at their prime by then and we have the ability to become a top team. Could you even expect the Reds to be a World Series contender? Only time will tell.
