According to Mark Sheldon, the Reds have signed starting pitcher Todd Redmond to a major league contract worth at least $490,000 (the league minimum).
RHP Todd Redmond, who was the lone Reds pitcher to make a start that wasn’t in the regular starting five in 2012, re-signed with the club. It’s a Major League contract and pays $490,000 for one year.
Signing Redmond isn’t completely surprising. But that he would command a major league contract from the Reds, is highly noteworthy. With the Reds in hot pursuit of a closer (more on that in a second), the Cuban Missile is headed out of the bullpen at full trajectory, leaving a surplus of Mike Leake in the starting rotation.
The Reds’ pricey addition of Redmond certainly signals they are seriously contemplating trading Leake or another starting pitcher – maybe for the Reds’ next left-fielder and/or lead-off hitter.
On the closer front, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Reds are close to signing closer Jonathan Broxton to a multi-year contract.
The Cincinnati Reds, paving the way for left-hander Aroldis Chapman to become a starter, are in serious talks with free-agent right-hander Jonathan Broxton on a three-year contract, according to major league sources.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports confirms the rumor and – stunningly – tweets that the contract would be for at least three years.
A long-term closer contract for Broxton really surprises me. First of all, he’s only a little more than one-year removed from elbow surgery, which means a long-term deal is risky. It also makes Sean Marshall’s long-term contract really puzzling. The Reds are paying Marshall $16.5 million over the next three years. As I wrote in the spring, that extension made brilliant sense for an organization like the Reds if Marshall is going to be the closer.
But it makes considerably less sense for a team with the Reds payroll to pay that much for a set-up pitcher, especially one used sometimes as a LOOGY by the recently re-signed manager. Presumably Broxton will earn legitimate closer pay in any deal. That’s a lot to spend on the bullpen. Maybe this is a further indication that Reds’ owner Bob Castellini has green-lit an accelerated increase in payroll schedule.
If the Broxton deal goes through as reported, prepare yourself for a starting rotation of Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, Chapman, Homer Bailey and Bronson Arroyo.
UPDATE: John Fay has spoken with Broxton’s agent who says the deal isn’t done but could come together quickly.
“It’s more than kicking the tires,†he said. “It could come together quickly.â€Â Abbott said they’ve talked about a couple of different deals. “It’s no secret that Jonathan wants security,†he said. Any multiyear contract would require a physical.