I’m not sure any Cincinnati baseball fan can question Bob Castellini’s commitment as owner of the Redlegs. The Fayman has a pretty good piece here about Castellini, and his first promise:
It was just over four years ago that Bob Castellini famously promised to bring a championship baseball back to Cincinnati. It was Castellini first public act as the new owner.
It was the smart thing to say. But it was greeted with a healthy dose of skepticism.
After all, what else can a new owner say?
But what Castellini has done over the last several weeks should prove he’s willing to back his words with his wallet.
The Reds have quietly spent more money this offseason than they ever have in their history. They’ve handed out $151 million in long-term contracts.
The moves haven’t made big national headlines because all of the contracts went to players currently on the roster and none have set any records.
“It’s a huge commitment,” general manager Walt Jocketty said.
It’s a huge commitment indeed and, other than the ill-advised (says my head, not my heart) extension handed out to Bronson Arroyo, all that money made good baseball/business sense. Castellini has been at the helm as a ship that had been drifting for a decade was finally set back on course. He deserves immense credit for leading this resurgence, and getting the right baseball people in the right places.
Fun time to be a Reds fan, isn’t it?