The Cincinnati Reds have been busy signing their 2021 class for the international signing period over the last few days. Normally a signing period will begin on July 2nd and players that are 16 or older are eligible to sign. However this past year that didn’t take place as things were shut down due to COVID-19 and the start of the signing period was pushed until mid-January. Unlike the recent past, each team has a specific amount of money they are allowed to spend these days, and the Reds have spent almost all of theirs – pushing north of $5.5M spent so far.
Cincinnati has signed 15 total players thus far. The two biggest signings are Malvin Valdez and Ariel Almonte – both are outfielders from the Dominican Republic. Each player signed a bonus for nearly $2M. Valdez is a center fielder with a big arm, a lot of speed, and power potential. Almonte is a corner outfielder who has big time power potential and a chance to hit for average in the future as well. As things stand right now the team has signed six pitches and nine position players. You can read about each of them at the link above. Bonus note: One of the players is the cousin of Reds third baseman Eugenio Suárez.
Baseball America’s Top 100 list
On Monday the Baseball America crew released their Top 100 prospect list. A difficult task to handle without a 2020 minor league baseball season. While most of the guys in the Top 100 were the types who showed up at their team’s alternate roster site, most players in the minors didn’t and that left everyone without much information on an overwhelming majority of players, and a little bit of information on the players that were mostly already well on the radar of everyone. Cincinnati, for their participation on the list, saw two prospects make the Top 100. Jose Garcia came in at #79 on the list, and then outfielder Austin Hendrick came in at #97.
Two players in the Top 100 isn’t the best showing. But the Reds had six other prospects get votes among the Top 150 prospects. It seems that right now the belief is that Cincinnati doesn’t have any elite level prospects, but they’ve got plenty of depth with good prospects.
Little interest in Andrew Benintendi
A little less than two weeks ago rumors began to swirl that Andrew Benintendi was on the market. The Reds Sox were looking at potentially moving their outfielder. We wrote about how it’s a tough sell for the Reds to be interested in the locally born and former Cincinnati draft pick (unsigned) given that the team is already loaded in the outfield. Rob Bradford of WEEI in Boston noted on Tuesday that Cincinnati is among the teams are among those that haven’t been interested. He does note that in the past the Reds have been interested in acquiring the outfielder.
Springer signs big deal in Toronto, hopefully the ice is about to break and we can sign a SS and maybe another bullpen arm that isn’t a project. There are a lot of Reds fans waiting to see what real moves we’ll make before renewing our MLB tv packages, I being one of them…
I would consider renewing my MLBTV package if the REDS were not blacked out here in Louisville ..
I agree Mike. The Reds are blacked out of MLBTV even down here in Chattanooga. Mind-boggling stupid. I’ve complained but to no avail.
I had to move to Miami so I could watch MLBTV. Tough sacrifice, but I am a big Reds fan
Im blacked out as well and I am in West Tennessee, doesnt make much since considering I am closer to St Louis that Cincinnati. So i have to pay extra to get Fox Sports Ohio on Directv
@ Mike V The Reds are blacked out in South Bend, IN as well 🙁 or else I would purchase a package.
I’ve had great success using Express VPN with my Amazon FireTV to get around the blackout restrictions. It isn’t at all complicated to use. You open ExpressVPN, select a city that isn’t blacked out (I default to Chicago), then click a button to turn the VPN on. From there you can open up the MLBtv app and it’s as if you’re watching from Chicago.
The catch is it adds about $10/month to your costs.
And now the Jays ink Bradley
Brantley
Nope – back to the Astros he goes
yeah, that was weird. Every outlet reporting it and then pfft!
I am giving this team until the end of spring training to do anything to improve that is not just signing maybe guys, scrap heap guys, or minor league deals. If they don’t Ill be focusing more on my other two teams in baseball that are actually trying to win Toronto and the White Sox.
ps. I hope so much that the Reds do something significant so they have a better chance at winning this weak division.
Loaded in the outfield? How about a crowded outfield. Loaded to me implies they are very good.
Fair enough.
It will be mildly interesting to see where Benintendi ends up this coming year. I really think had the Reds not already picked up Akiyama, this could have been a possible destination…that said, I’m still pleased with the direction they decided to go.
There is no way there are 100 better prospects than Hunter Greene. Baseball America used to be a publication I could trust. They have lost a lot of talented people and their website is a pricey mess. Don’t see how they stay in business much longer. Unless it was JJ Cooper, then whoever wrote that is probably one of those who just watches games on TV and yells at people on Twitter who disagree with him.
Greene could rocket up the list in 21, but he hasn’t been seen since his surgery. Prasco didn’t count, but the minors this year will.
I don’t know why anyone puts much stock in those national lists. Most of the guys on them never even make it to arbitration much less have a production major league career. I put much more stock into Doug’s list each year. It doesn’t tell me how our prospects compare to other teams but I know the top are most likely going to play in the majors.
+1000 (except for having Vol in your name – rough week in football and basketball – Go Gators!)
I’d also like to say how come Lodolo is not on that list. I feel like he has been pretty solid so far.
Saw a rumor that the Mets are interested in bringing in both Sonny Gray and Suarez. Not sure what they would have for the Reds that would make that worthwhile?
I think the Springer contract re-affirmed Suarez’ trade value. Toronto proved that teams will still spend for sluggers, and also that Suarez’ contract is STILL CHEAP and valuable.
Personally, I’d like to see the Reds move Suarez if they can get equivalent value, even if it be prospects that may not help the team in 2021. I think Suarez is a regression candidate from here forward.
I agree with you about Suarez being a regression candidate. I still think a trade with the Braves makes the most sense.
If the Reds could get Drew Waters and one of their top 10 pitching prospects, I would do that in a heartbeat.
I honestly think Suarez could be a comeback player of the year possibility. Yes he was not himself last year but every year prior to that he continued to get better and better and better.