Last night the plan in Arizona was for Jonathan India to be with the team, but that he wouldn’t be activated until Tuesday night. There’s an old saying about man planning and God laughing that seemed to apply there for the Cincinnati Reds. Aristides Aquino, who was in the starting lineup, had a calf injury that popped up some time between the lineup being set and the game starting because an hour before the scheduled start the team made a roster move to activate India and to place Aquino on the 10-day injured list.
The timing was a bit tough for Aristides Aquino. The outfielder has struggled much of the year, but since being called back up to Cincinnati on May 22nd he’s hit .283 and slugged .500 thanks to four doubles and two home runs. For Jonathan India it meant an end to his rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville. He went 2-12 with three walks and four strikeouts for the Bats.
That wasn’t the only set of transactions from Monday for the Reds. Earlier in the day the team optioned infielders Colin Moran and Alejo Lopez back to Triple-A Louisville and called up left-handed pitcher Reiver Sanmartin and activated infielder Mike Moustakas from the injured list. Both Moustakas (1-4, RBI) and Sanmartin (0.2IP, 1H, 0R, 1K) played in the game last night. The team also moved outfielder Jake Fraley to the 60-day injured list.
Nick Lodolo also began a rehab assignment out in Arizona at the Reds team complex. He took the mound for the first 2.0 innings of the Arizona Complex League Reds. He allowed a run on four hits and a walk while striking out two batters. If his back recovers in a normal manner his next stop appears to be Triple-A Louisville. The Bats are on the road currently, so his next outing would likely come on the road in Durham against the Bulls.
Fraley to the 60? So, except for Williamson in Chattanooga, none of the Reds’ Seattle trade acquisitions have played much. Though Fraley is only 27, his career numbers aren’t great. He doesn’t look like a good long-term investment. I think being on the 60-day opens a slot on the 40 but when he comes of the 60, he goes back on the 40? I would hope they DFA him at the end of the IL stint and send him to Louisville as filler.
Not exactly. They also got Connor Phillips as the PTBNL, who in 54 innings at Dayton has a 2.83 ERA with 78 strikeouts, while only giving up 30 hits. Phillips just turned 21.
Justin Dunn has been reported to be ready for a rehab assignment.
I don’t disagree on Fraley’s long-term value.
It takes a special ability to simultaneously complain about the lack of production of the players that the Reds received from Seattle and also smirk about the lack of production of the players that the Reds sent to Seattle.
Williamson was the main piece, but Phillips may eclipse him. Dunn was a depth piece, imo. Fraley was always just an add on, because we needed an extra OF, even a AAAA one. Farmer ended up biting a nice add on, so why not take a shot on one when you get the chance.
MBS, I think you’re selling Justin Dunn short. He has had success, albeit in limited appearances, over three MLB seasons. He’s much more than depth assuming he can get healthy.
@earm You might be right. I like his numbers to, but with the known injury it changes the players value imo. I think Krall figured he’d need some arms after the trade deadline, because he planned on trading Castillo and Mahle. He may have had plans to trade Minor after DJ fixed him, but that’s a lot more far fetched now.
Thanks, I did forget about Connor Phillips. It wasn’t trading Suarez/Winker that concerned me. Nor any of the offseason departures, necessarily. In my mind, the bigger issue is the quality of the return. That’s what concerns me about Mahle/Castillo at the trading deadline. Krall hasn’t convinced me that he’s optimizing the return. Rather that he’s “aligning payroll with resources”.
When the return is prospects, its quality takes time to be evident. Somehow, the Reds have some very good young players and some promising prospects. The knee-jerk reaction many of us have when discussing their drafting, acquiring and developing players needs to reconsidered.
Could be though when trading an all star, it’s fair o expect a better prospect
So far the trade is a wash – Winker struggling somewhat, Suarez being Suarez, Reds got younger and cheaper. Check again in 2 years – if any one of the pitchers performs Reds likely win. If Winker has a Justin Turner late career, or the Ms get to the playoffs with either’s performance, the Ms win. Advantage Reds so far.
Still on the fence regarding a trip over to DBAP to see Lodolo if/when we confirm he heads to the Bats. Have to figure it will be no more than a 3-inning stint, so on a sweltering hot night, it may not be worth the trip. Of course, I can always tune in to MiLB.tv to watch him, so there’s that.
Weather prediction for Saturday evening is not bad. I bought our tickets.
Is that when he’s scheduled to go? Might be tough for me anyway. Our DD#1 is visiting and we’re discussing scheduling homemade pizza for Saturday.
I’ll watch it to see Lodolo pitch regardless. Weather does look like the temps will break by then. That will be nice.
Connor Philips has been very impressive (High A?), and Williamson, a little ahead (AA) is also pitching well.
Dunn may yet pan out. He is kind of on schedule, as far as what was expected.
I honestly don’t think the Reds miss Winker that much. Suarez was a very good guy in the dugout and clubhouse. He was a very well-liked player. But his deterioration as a hitter made him expendable.
The Reds have a whole lot of guys that can play third, besides Moustakas.
India, Senzel, Drury, Schrock, the young guy down in AAA who is hitting well.
I think India stays at 2nd for a while, but maybe he goes to third, or maybe if the Reds keep Senzel and/ or Drury, India stays put. Max Schrock, annually injured, can play 1st, 2nd, Third and probably left field. He is a great line drive hitter. I just hope he gets a real chance to play and prove himself. I think he would be the ideal leadoff hitter, with a high BA and OBP.
The Reds lost 89 Home Runs when the traded Winker, Suarez and failed to sign Castellanos. The lack of power in this line up shows every, single day.
With those three players the Reds were contenders most of last season. This year they were essentially eliminated the first month of the season and will likely finish with the worst record in the team’s history.
I think the Reds miss those three more than they will ever admit.
Suarez was a two outcome hitter (K or HR) and a poor fielder on a somewhat expensive contract (compared to his production).
Castellanos was never going to sign with the Reds for a reasonable salary. It seems like a lot of his power was geared to certain ball parks like GABP. So far, the Reds seem to have made the right choice there though it’s still early.
The guy that I lamented losing the most, Jesse Winker, seems to be the one struggling the most. Time will tell.
In return, the Reds got three quality arms and a fourth outfielder type, as well as salary relief. The trade at this point seems like a win for the Reds, and that’s without any of the pitching paying off yet.
Drury seems to have replaced Suarez’s bat quite nicely at 3B. He needs to be extended.
The Reds suddenly seem to have an abundance of starting pitching. Castillo or Mahle should be traded for a power OF bat. Flip Pham for a power hitting OF prospect at the deadline.
All doable, but easier said than done.
But Winker is not producing this year for the Mariners. He may or may not have produced for the Reds this year.
He was not a good outfielder, and another guy that was injury- prone.
Yes, they miss his production, but you lump that together with Castellanos and Suarez (RBI’s + HR). And Joey Votto continues to decline. India has not played a lot this year.
The Reds problem this year has more to do with pitching (at various stretches, the bullpen or starters) than with lack of run production.
If you get bombed early (as the Reds were doing during the long losing streak), run production doesn’t make much difference.
The Reds miss the pitching of Gray and Miley (2021 version) more than they miss Jesse Winker.
To be fair, we were missing a lot more than Winker, Suarez, and Castellanos. If healthy we’d probably have been a .500 team, or a close to .500 team.
After Castillo came back May 9th we seemed to pick up quite a bit. PreCastillo we were 3 W / 18 L. With Castillo we’ve been 17 W / 16 L.
David, The pitching problems of this year will evaporate. We lost three starters to the IL for more than a month to start the season. Castillo is back in force, Minor Is back in theory, and Dunn seems close to starting a rehab assignment.
My bad, 4 starters, I forgot Lodolo. Or 5 starters if you want to include Overton. Add the loss of Antone, Sims, and Wilson in the bullpen.
The point is, pitching depth is something that the Reds have in spades going forward.
Sign Castillo or Mahle and trade the other for a big bat.
Glass is half full and a new keg has been tapped.
Reading between the lines in Charlie Goldsmith’s article today it sounds like the Reds could stand pat at the trading deadline and David Bell will continue to play veterans to maintain a “Winning atmosphere” for the younger players.
As much as I love Luis Castillo, holding on to him another year could very well be devastating to this franchise. Unless, of course they are willing to sign him for over $100 million dollars. Which I think we all agree is unlikely.
This July, Luis Castillo would be the hottest player on the market with a full year and a half before he becomes a free agent. The return could set the Reds up for the rest of the decade. For a team wanting to emulate the Tampa Bay Rays this is the move to make!
Should the Reds wait and trade him next summer he would be a two month rental and the Reds would be lucky to get a decent lottery ticket in return.
The one lesson from the last rebuild debacle is don’t hang on to your players too long. The one take away from this article is that this is exactly what the Red’s plan to do.
When will they ever learn?
Or maybe they are slow playing things to drive up the bidding war.
Every player is tradeable for the right price.
what is the price for moose??
Reds could trade Moose if they paid the agreeing team the remainder of his salary this year, $18 million more for 2023 and $4 million more for his buyout with the Reds not exercising his 2024 option.
The Reds would receive in return (2) original souvenir Moose egg nog glasses from the movie Christmas vacation for Phil Castellini’s office and a Jelly of the month club membership for David bell. Its the gift that keeps on giving.
I would like to think the Reds have a plan and are playing coy, but I don’t buy it. I think their only plan is to avoid long term contracts and search for free agent bargains at the end of Spring training each year.
The Reds seemed to play a passive role in the deal with Seattle.
I used to play in a fantasy baseball league where one owner was very passive. He would only make trades when another owner proposed it. He would often take quantity over quality. He once traded Randy Johnson for Chad Curtis, Steve Belinda and Greg Gagne. Nick Krall reminds me of him a great deal.
Some “bull in a China shop”.
Votto4, what do you expect from Krall this year? He was told by ownership to cut payroll, and since then the team has been decimated by injuries. I don’t think he was passive when he shipped off Gray for example. He got his best deal and moved on. The pitching is coming around and I have to believe the Reds will be active at the deadline.
I love all of the young pitching that Cincinnati has accumulated. Yes, I do believe there is a plan.
Ermbrister the flaw in your argument is that Nick Krall cut salary only to turn around and waste the savings on Mike Minor. How you explain that?
I think it is likely that Nick Krall was given a budget and he purposely cut deeper than he needed to do so that he could turn around and sign The likes of Mike Minor and Tommy Pham.
I am by no means a fan of the Castellinis, but they did indulge Nick Krall in these acquisitions. So, I am sorry I can’t give Krall a pass. He also bears responsibility for this season.
Why do you “think it is likely that Nick Krall was given a budget and he purposely cut deeper than he needed to do so that he could turn around and sign The likes of Mike Minor and Tommy Pham”?
Likely? That seems to be quite the mental gymnastics that he purposely cut more than he had to. Doesn’t seem logical.
Just as “likely” is that they wanted to move on from Amir Garrett, and the best offer they got in return was Mike Minor. Upon consultation with pitching coach DJ it was decided to take Minor with the intention of flipping him at the deadline. His preseason injury seemingly scuttled their plans.
As for Pham, if he can keep his butt out of trouble it is “likely” he gets flipped halfway thru a modest one year contract. It could very well be that Krall saw an opportunity there and rolled the dice.
Look, I understand you don’t like Krall. I’m more than willing to see how his moves pan out given a little time.
The Mariners trade, his largest, seems to be working out.
Lol @ “maintaining a winning atmosphere”. If this is true, then the FO is disconnected further from reality even greater than feared. Where was that consideration during the offseason and during the horrific/historic start to the season?
This year is about figuring out which youth can help over the next few years, not redeeming sunk costs. I’m ok if they don’t trade Castillo though, if they have a realistic plan to spend and compete for next year. Otherwise, it really is bad business. Who cares if they only lose 95 instead of 105 this year?
For all the Krall haters, so far his moves have been more positive than negative under the assumption that his bosses told him to cut payroll.
Castillo is 29 now turning 30 in the off season. He is, according to the experts, in the middle of his prime years right now. The longer the Reds wait the less the return. After 30 long term contracts become riskier and riskier, and the Reds will never sign him long term. They are terrible with him, and going nowhere this or probably next year. Restock something, anything with good promising future value and pull the trigger, and try no to get fleeced..
I agree, but it depends on what teams offer for him. I have a rule to never, ever trade for a Yankees prospect (and probably now the Mets), because the ones they make available — i.e., anybody other than Derek Jeter and Aaron Judge — are always overrated.
The Dodgers, who need a replacement for Walker Buehler, are a different story. They regularly develop good players.
But I am not sure who the real buyers will be, and or which of those clubs have the right chips in their farm systems to justify a Castillo trade. There is a train of thought out there that the better trades are made in the off-season, when Castillo would still have a full season to offer.
99.9% of us (including me) don’t have enough knowledge of other teams’ prospects to evaluate good trade proposals. I would like to see some speed and leather, which this team lacks now, at least at the MLB level.
Just to amplify what Doug said about Aquino’s offensive performance since his return from (deserved) AAA exile. His BA/OBP/SLG/OPS line is .283/.298/.500/.798 over 47PAs in 16 games. That’s good for a wRC+ of 115, 15% above league average.
The injury buys them some time to get Aquino some AAA at-bats. I’ve always felt that Aquino has to play all the time or not at all, just because of his swing, which I do believe he is trying to shorten.
As I recall w/o looking, his AAA OPS was above .900 for the 3 or so weeks he was down. Add in the last 3-4 weeks at MLB plus his defense; and, I suspect they would not get him through waivers at this point. So, they need to take full advantage of the rehab period then make a decision to trade or keep him on the active roster through the end of the season.
I see a fundamental difference in him since he returned. He is getting hits on balls he is fighting off. His K rate while still high is down 10%. I think these two factors are related. I’m guessing a lot of those fought off hits are coming on pitches that would have been whiffs prior.
And I agree AA needs to play at least 4 days a week to work.
At Jim Walker, and Old Big Ed.
We all recall that amazing month in 2019, where Aquino tore the cover off the ball (August). Then September was lousy for him. Who was the real Aquino?
Since then, with no Minor League in 2020, and he was hurt part of last year (broken hand), he has not really gotten a lot of AB’s.
I think you are right, he needs to bat regularly to be effective. A little reminiscent of Wily Mo Pena. Wily Mo struck out a lot, but also hit some incredible home runs, had a lot of power. His career died when the Reds traded him to Boston, because he then never played regularly.
Sluggers are always streaky. Hot, cold, timing good, timing bad. I think since 2019, he has developed some bad hitting habits, ie, losing the strike zone and being too aggressive, plus, more pitchers are dealing him curves/off speed stuff, since he is a dead-red fastball hitter.
Hope the Reds deal any combo of Castillo, Mahle, Pham, Minor, Farmer, and Reynolds at the deadline for a couple of stud OF prospects and a C prospect. Stephenson to 1B, Votto to DH, and Moose to PH or any team that will take him off our hands at a reasonable cost.
Sign Drury to a team-friendly 2-3 year deal and plant him at 3B. He’s putting up the kind of numbers that Suarez put up before Eugenio became a pull-crazy, HR-crazy, strikeout-crazy windmill. And Drury’s a steadier fielder.
I do not think Votto will like DH. Stephenson can wait. Votto will be good for another year. Stephenson is playing good, but like all players, he is one slump from some criticism. Treat the Hall of Famer with the class he deserves. The Reds seem to have less and less of them.
@docproc – I like a lot of this. Drury moves like a good fielder should – much better than Suarez and he also has corner outfield experience which is very valuable. I would definitely like to see us sign him.
I’m also ready for Votto to move to DH but I’d like to wait till next year. Like the idea of a stud outfielder and catcher for any of the trades – probably multiples. I’d also like to see us target some higher level relief pitching prospects as returns for the less valuable veterans we will trade because that bullpen still needs a lot of help.
It sucks awuino hurt but glad he not in the lineup or on the bench bc he isn’t panning out let someone take him with Moose and call it a day
Why dont you state facts instead of just hating on Aquino, at least spell his name right and try using some grammer.
lol. all valid points.
He must not have read the article outlining Aquino’s slash line since he returned from AAA.
I think it is “grammar” …
Some on guys, let’s not attack each other’s posts.
* some
Mistakes, when posting, are easy to make, as I just demonstrated. Lol.
I’m for trading Castillo and Mahle. We have Greene, lodolo and Ashcraft possibly Overton. We have some nice pitching prospects working there way up the ladder to compete for the remaining spot or two. We need outfielders. Get me a couple of corner outfielders with pop for the two of them keep pushing some nice pieces in the minors and if ownership will spend some of the money we save on Votto and Moose being off the book and year and we may be ready to compete. As bad as our record is this season with a better bull pen we would not be in last place. There is a path to improve our situation if ownership is willing.
I’m all for it if they can get a high ceiling OF prospect…not some 25 year old 4th outfielder type
I’d like to see the lineup; can I assume India is starting?
Yes, he is. Senzel batting 6th. Moose back at DH.
Would much rather see Reynolds DH than Moose. Reynolds much more athletic and a better hitter right now. Reynolds in the 6th spot followed by Almora, then Garcia and Senzel hitting 9th. Senzel, India act as double leadoff when lineup turns over.
Take a look at Reynold’s splits … his OPS this year is more than 300 points higher vs. LHP than RHP and this year’s split is consistent with his career. My guess is they believe a healthy Moose is the better option against a RHP.
His stat line vs. RHP this year is .204, .297, .330, .627
Reynolds this year vs. RHP is .259, .312, .353, .655
Sorry, but the stats prove that Reynolds is the better hitter vs. RHP so far this year.
Moose is no where close to the hitter he was in Milwaukee. In fact, he hasn’t even been close to league average since putting on a Reds uniform, which is 2+ years now. You have to pay him if he plays or sits. Right now, Reynolds deserves to play more than Moose.
Reynolds stat line for June. .295, .311, .500, .811
Do the Reds really have the luxury to not play him?
Yep, but Moose is still on the team. So, the Reds aren’t ready to declare him a “sunk cost” and DFA him. I really agree with your assessment–Moose has underperformed this year and it’s getting harder and harder to expect “good health” to change his poor results. That doesn’t change the fact that Reynolds has poor track record against RHP that is even more pronounced this year. When facing a RH starter, I just don’t see a .028 advantage in OPS worth critiquing the Manager’s lineup.
I also agree with dropping Senzel to the 9-hole. His 47 OPS+ is abysmal and his PAs should be minimized and I like the idea of the back-to-back speed guys in the 9/1 spots in the order. Unfortunately, Garcia has an OPS+ of 7. I guess my point is It’s hard to build an optimal lineup when you are forced to pick from bad options.
You obviously don’t know how to read.
Who said anything about DFA? I said you have to pay him regardless of if you play him or not. Right now, he doesn’t warrant more PT than Reynolds.
Moose has underperformed his whole stay with the Reds, not only this year.
Track record? 2022 stats show that Reynolds has been better across the board.
Also, you must’ve skipped over looking at BA, OPS and SLG, which are all higher.
What argument do you have to justify Moose playing over Reynolds right now?
I’m really not trying to argue with you and definitely didn’t intend to put words in your mouth. I understand your preference for Reynolds over Moose in tonight’s lineup. I’m simply pointing out that when I looked at their respective splits there’s not a lot of difference in their performance this year. I agree, Reynolds still maintains a slight edge.
My guess is the Reds are just as frustrated with Moose’s performance as we are. Given that they have to pay his full $16M salary this year and another $22M in future salaries, they likely want to make a comprehensive evaluation before cutting him and declaring his contract a sunk cost. It’s really hard to evaluate him if he’s sitting on the bench. I guess I’d like to see this evaluation run its course and Moose either earns his roster spot or is let go as our injured players return to health.
Most importantly, I sincerely had no intention of marginalizing your point–just trying to enjoy a conversation about my favorite team.
We are all passionate about the Reds. I know it’s frustrating when we can’t get our point across. I know I get frustrated at times.
But can we all agree not to attack each other? Let’s save our anger for the Cardinals.
Agree, I get a little overexcited at times myself. ON this same point, I believe I now hate the Cardinals more than the Cubs.
… Aquino, who is hitting .172 with three home runs this season, was injured on Sunday while sliding awkwardly into home plate while scoring on a sacrifice fly …