The Cincinnati Reds made four more roster moves this afternoon. The biggest one was the release of Chad Pinder. The team also optioned Brandon Williamson to Triple-A, and they reassigned Chase Anderson and Matt Reynolds to minor league camp.
Chad Pinder had struggled this spring. And that’s putting it about as nicely as possible. Officially he was 4-39 (.103), but he also went 0-2 against the Chicago Cubs in a game that eventually was rained out and cancelled, and those stats never became official. That means he was actually 4-41- that’s a .098 batting average for those trying to keep track at home but can’t do that math in their head (it’s me, who can’t do that math in their head). He had been competing for a spot on the Reds bench. As someone who could play both the infield and outfield, if he had been able to hit the ball even a little bit, his fortunes could have been different. But he hit like a pitcher this spring and that just wasn’t enough for the Reds to hand him a spot on the roster.
Brandon Williamson was competing for a spot in the rotation. The left-handed prospect took the mound last night for the Reds against the Seattle Mariners and the Mariners just crushed him. Williamson was charged with nine runs in 2.2 innings, giving up two home runs along with six other hits, while also walking three batters. His ERA on the spring ballooned up to 11.20. A year ago he was the new face in camp, having just arrived via trade with Seattle. One of the players he was traded for, Eugenio Suarez, doubled off of him on Thursday night. He’ll head to Triple-A Louisville where he finished his 2022 season and continue to work on some things in their rotation.
Chase Anderson hasn’t pitched on the big league side of camp in two weeks. He pitched on March 6th, striking out five batters in 2.0 shutout innings. Then he took the mound on March 11th and allowed three runs in 3.0 innings on six hits to go with one strikeout. He’s not shown up in a big league game since. Anderson is now heading back to minor league camp.
Utility man Matt Reynolds heading back to the minors isn’t surprising. He’s only played in four games this spring due to injury. He returned earlier this week , and he’s in the lineup this afternoon for the Reds as they take on the Diamondbacks, but it wasn’t likely he was going to be ready to go when the season began and the team had said as much. For now he’ll head to the minors. Don’t be too surprised if he’s with the club on the bench in a similar role to the one he showed last season, though, at some point later in the year.
Those four moves drop the Reds spring training roster down to 35 active players. That number does still include Tejay Antone, Justin Dunn, Tony Santillan, and Nick Senzel – all of whom will not be ready for the start of the season. So realistically there are 31 players in camp that are playing for the 26 spots on the Opening Day roster.
And so the Pinder experiment ends before it officially even began?
A tough day for conspiracy theorists among us.
Lol A sigh of relief for many on here.
Like the fact that Pinder was released????
Sorry Mel, that was meant for below.
It should be, Jim, but I wonder whether we’ll see–from the very people who insisted that Bell determines the roster–the assertion that this move was made despite Bell’s wishes because, of course, it’s a matter of faith that he prefers bad players to good ones. And that’s okay: People–fans–interact with their teams in different ways.
Not faith @Green. Observation and experience
With all due respect, LDS, baloney.
Facts are facts, Green.
Like the fact that Pinder was released?????
Opinions are not the same thing as facts, LDS. You have opinions. Most people do. That’s fine. But it’s not a bad idea to recognize that they are opinions.
Maybe so Jim, but I can’t say I’ve ever been more pleased to be wrong. I’m glad I was.
+10,000
I am just ecstatic about Pinder being gone he showed nothing this spring and had a lot of opportunities. Happy about Reynolds and Chase Anderson going to the minors too. Reds are actually doing something right for once.
Oh ps. Just heard the Brewers sent down Naquin not sure though but I read he can opt out of his minor league deal tomorrow. Would a reunion be something the Reds would consider? I always felt like he was a decent player overall.
There are still new conspiracies about David Bell and the Reds to hatch. 🙂 We need a couple of days here.
Plus, Tyler Naquin being “Sent down” by the Brewers also implies that the Brewers are quite strong in term of starters and bench, although he might have had a lousy Spring with the Crew. I think the Brewers are my pick to win the NL Central.
Pinder and Reynolds gone. Who will we claim Bell is playing too much as his favorite gutty gritty reserve?
Willie Bloomquist sits by his phone, waiting.
I hear Hunter Strickland use to play SS in Little League
It turns out commenters on RedlegNation actually do set the roster.
I thought it was Bell. LMAO!!!’
It surely wasn’t Krall was it?
Releasing Moose remains the impressive move, but this continues a string of smaller impressive moves. We can quibble with the CES decision, but that really comes down to Joey being ready, which seems the case.
Williamson is the first of many of the prospects getting the certain chance to play himself onto the 26-man. Not now, but he’ll get another with 6-8 good weeks in Louisville.
The Strickland decision still looms, and Reynolds will likely be up at the first injury, but most of the Louisville roster, and some of the Lookouts roster clearly have their chance to force a move up with a hot start.
I will say this, we still have a ways to go in the jumping off bridges over sports department to equal Boston, even with the recent Chad Pinder distress here. And to think, I never saw a single comment regarding him turning on a Hanging Chad.
Maybe the FO is coming around to the notion that fans will tolerate losses from youngsters better than wins from has beens or never weres (HBNWs). Must admit, I’m not convinced the youngsters will lose prolifically, nor more than the HBNWs. Hope they prove me right. Exciting and able to support Greene, Lodolo and Ascraft with a bucketfull of wins would go a long way with fans. First milestone to bury is 3-22.
Does that leave Ramos as the lone man standing, or is Vosler, or others still in the mix? Who will the fans rail against with out Pinder?
Haha, we have choices as long as Bell is around and as long as the Castellini’s are the owners. I’m sure Phil will stick his foot in his mouth soon enough.
LOL
Barring trades, a waiver claim award, or injury the next flash point on the position side has to be over Senzel. Someone who made the opening day roster will have to come off the 26 man active roster for Senzel to come on.
From what we can surmise now, the candidates would be Ramos, Friedl, Benson, or possibly Steer. Add in the real possibility that folks at Louisville such as CES, Fairchild, and shall we include EDLC, may be putting up clearly better numbers than Senzel during his rehab facing the same pitching at AAA.
Or conversely, we could have the same situation with Senzel as occurred a couple of years ago when he declared himself done with rehab only to be optioned instead of restored to the active 26 man MLB roster.
Vosler
I think it’s a lead-pipe cinch that Senzel will be on the ML roster when he is fully healed and ready to play. They are paying him $2 Mil, and he will play unless he is somehow traded (to who??).
Vosler or Ramos, and neither are on the 40 man roster. Something has to give here, or they call back Fairchild to be on the 26 man roster (he’s on the 40 man).
The catcher thing is another conundrum.
And still, Strickland survives!
And Barrero is in CF so that Newman can play. Decisions like this insure we will always have something to complain about. Now Krall, make me wrong again and dump Strickland.
I’m going to keep saying this until I’m proved wrong: Newman might turn out to be a good player. He’s shown potential in the past and is at the age when a lot of guys have their best seasons. His stats suggest he has the capacity to be a better hitter than Farmer and he’s a real shortstop.
I have nothing against Newman but he is at best an average MLB SS. I don’t mind him playing as the backup one bit. I just worry Bell will play him more than Barrero at SS.
I am still not sold on Barrero being a starting SS great backup but not a starter in my mind. If he proves he can hit say around .250 and can get on base some more than his past. I hope he becomes a better hitter. He Defense is really good.
@LDS
Newman needs reps and at bats to be a good back up SS/ utility infielder. I dont have an issue with Barrero playing once a week in CF
If thats not the plan, (barrero playing SS 24 games out of 30 till May1) I’ll wholeheartedly stand with you
@OS, I hear you. Just establishing that the Reds will always provide us something we don’t like. Personally, let Newman play CF or DH, maybe SS 1 in 10. Don’t Senzel Barrero.
I was huge Winker guy but turn clock back 2 years and Moose at 3b and Suarez at short and Votto first base and winker LF and barnhart C
Ill take athletes in the OF as long as its Barrero only once a week
Newman is a good defensive bench infielder and can spell india barrero and steer on occassion
Oh no!
You’ve got your Barrero in my Senzel!
They traded to get Newman in case Barrero couldn’t cut it, and EDLC wasn’t felt to be ready. So it will be either or, until EDLC gets called up to get a chance to play SS with the Reds. And then we will see if he is a decent ML SS, because there are people who think he can’t play that position in the Majors.
I doubt, LDS, that you will ever find yourself short of things to complain about.
I would have guessed, Green Mountain, you’d be happy that LDS is complaining and I’m popping off with flakey opinions.
Just more opportunities for you to post your poorly constructed counter arguments and play the know-it-all.
It’s a baseball discussion forum. Of course people are shooting off their opinions.
Some folks, like you, though, come on with the childish need to be RIGHT.
Thanks so much for setting me straight, Harry.
David Bell is only one of three Reds managers to lose 100 games in a season and people here still defend him. Amazing. Also, the same manager that ran Amir Garrett out there 5 days a week, despite getting rocked every time he took the mound.
Who can say with a straight face that David Bell would be managing the Reds if his father wasn’t the team’s Vice-President?
Haha. Was highly doubtful from the beginning he’d make the team. Whether Senzel is ready or not will determine Vosler and Ramos’ fates.
I wonder if Ramos is maybe our next surprise player that has a nice first half that we flip at the trade deadline.
Opening Day Starting lineup with ages and speed rating
India 2b (26) fair
Fraley Dh(27) average
Myers RF(32)average
Votto 1b(39) slow
Stephenson C (26). Speed demon compared to Romine or Barnhart)
Friedl LF (27) good
Steer 3b (25)fair
Barrero SS(turning 25 April)good
Benson Cf (turning 25 june)elite
Hunter greene SP (23)
Nice roster transformation for speed and youth by Krall
Thats not a bad opening day lineup
Other than Votto in the 2nd slot or moving to the bottom 3, I can see that. Don’t see Votto as a #4 hitter these days. Move him to #2 if he shows a decent OBP otherwise move him to the bottom of the lineup.
Im trying to factor in the Votto vet HOF factor
It took Bell till late June and Suarez hitting .130 and multiple golden sombreros to move him down. Bells first move was move him to
Leadoff!!!
Votto will go up before he goes down. Plus to quote Dusty- cant have guys clogging up the bases- which he actually would
Barrero and Benson make good speed options at the 8/9
Hole to turn the lineup over for india and fraley and myers
It should be a really really hard decision from the FO/Staff to release Chad Pinder so I think they just were always sure he was gonna make it but the ST of Pinder was so horrible that they get disappointed. Something similar is happening with Strickland so if he throws two more scoreless frames in the rest of ST he likely will be in the OD roster.
Is the utility bench guy between Ramos and Vosler ? Will Bennet Sousa take the spot off of Alex Young?
Ramos is in.
Greene
Lodolo
Ashcraft
Cessna
Overton
Diaz
Farmer
Gibault
Reiver
Young
Cruz
Strickland
Law
Stephenson
Votto
India
Barrero
Steer
Fraley
Benson
Meyer
Casali
Meile
Newman
Friedl
Ramos
Strickland perfect for games trailing by 4 or more runs so he can it up to a 10 run lead and everybody can take the rest of the game off.
I think you might have the opening day team sitting there. I like all the choices. Don’t mind Strickland being a mop-up guy too.
Sanmartin is horrible
Numbers disagree
…as a starter. He was really good out of the pen.
I like Ramos. I realize I may be getting old-guy repetitive, but Ramos’ story is interesting. He was a soccer/tennis athlete in high school, and didn’t focus on baseball until much later than many, if not most, these days. He made good progress in the Red Sox’ system and reached AA on time. But he had a stress fracture in his knee after fouling off a pitch. From then he kinda got lost and bounced around a bit. But he’s big and strong (6’2″ 215), switch hits, plays very good defense and is athletic. At 30 years old, he’s in a good place to accept his role and understand always to be ready to playwhen called off the bench. If we need up seeing a Louisville Shuttle with Ramos and Senzel (options, right?) when dealing with injuries, it could be a good bridge to having Ramos as a decent 4/5th OF for the next few years.
I think he could turn into a big surprise….and that cuts both ways.
But he has looked pretty good with the bat in Spring Training. It would not bother me if he was on the 26 man…but something has to give because he is not on the 40 man roster.
The catching conundrum continues. 3 catchers makes this tricky.
Maybe the Reds only carry 12 pitchers?
So with that it looks like they plan to keep Ramos as a 5th OF instead of Pinder as the utility guy.
Looking at current roster, what’s the plan for 3B when Steer gets a day off? Slide Newman over until Senzel gets back?
FWIW that’s what I’ve been advocating and to me it makes a lot of efficient sense.
Why carry a lightweight extra player (Pinder) when you have people (Newman) to do the job?
We saw Newman step in at 3d yesterday. Makes a lot of sense.
My obviously unsupported guess is that’s what played out in discussions between Bell and Krall.
Bell’s lengthy elegy for Pinder suggests where he might have stood on the decision.
Barrero showing some offense could likely have played a role, too. Barrero in CF gives Bell some options for his lineup juggling and removes the need for another extra role player against LH pitchers.
Now if Strickland gets sent to AAA to ‘work on his stuff’ I will start to get the impression that some improved decision making is going on with the roster.
Credit where it’s due, Harry: I can’t find anything in your comment that merits a childish complaint. Well, almost nothing.
The release of Pinder indicates a real Reds turn toward the youth movement and the development of the farm system.
Nice cuts. I like everyone they have better than who they cut. Like to see Ramos take to hitting at GABP. Hope the two lefty relievers stick. Three lefties the Reds could use one as an opener for the fourth and fifth spots. Hope to see a lot go right