The Cincinnati Reds are in need of pitching help. Some think they should go out and trade for some pitcher before the trade deadline to help with either the rotation or the bullpen (or both). But if the club can’t find a way to do that, they are going to have to hope that the rehab stints for the likes of Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Tejay Antone, and Vladimir Gutierrez go well and can return in August at some point to help bolster things.
While we don’t have a definitive timeline on Greene or Lodolo – just a “August return” for both, with Greene being expected sooner than Lodolo as previously reported – there was more of a specific timeline given for Antone and Gutierrez.
Tejay Antone is scheduled to begin his rehab assignment on Tuesday according to Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Antone, who missed all of 2022 with his second Tommy John surgery, has also missed all of this season after having a setback this spring that saw him get a PRP injection and then sit out for some time before getting back on the throwing program.
Vladimir Gutierrez is expected to be able to return about a week after Antone. He also is recovering from Tommy John surgery. He pitched in 10 games last season before the injury and then missed part of the first half and all of the second half. Gutierrez recently posted some video of his first live batting practice session out in Arizona. His fastball was sitting around 94-95 as he faced off against hitters in Goodyear.
Justin Dunn, who has been dealing with a shoulder problem for the last three seasons, but somehow hasn’t required surgery, is also on the rehab trail. He’s a little bit behind the other two, but could possibly return in September. Dunn, who was acquired from Seattle in March of 2022, pitched in seven games last season with the Reds between August and mid-September, has thrown just 31.0 innings since July of 2021 due to his ongoing shoulder issue.
One thing that these returns, along with that of Nick Lodolo, is that all of these players are currently on the 60-day injured list. That means that they don’t count towards the 40 player limit on the 40-man roster. But once they are eligible to return they’ll have to be activated and will then count towards that limit.
That’s going to lead to some roster crunch down the stretch. There may be a few more obvious guys that the team could designate for assignment to clear room, but four spots may be a little tough and could leave general manager Nick Krall and his team with a tough decision or two to make.
Man if Antone actually makes it back, regardless of how effective he is, kudos to him. I was ready to stick a fork in him after the setback this spring
How does one have 3 straight years of should issues and NOT get surgery? Obviously something is wrong; either actual issue hasn’t been found or someone is just not being rational about what needs to be done
And lastly don’t really think the roster crunch will be that gut wrenching. In my mind these are 4 of the top pitchers in the organization – they slot in high up the list and those hanging on at the bottom get let go. It’s just making your roster better
Solid pen help to rest some weary arms would be a very good thing.
Anybody watch the Louisville Bats game last night? I’ve counted anywhere from 8 to 10 scouts sitting behind home plate. Looks like some trades may be in the works. Stay tuned.
Didn’t know that. Interesting. Also interesting that Siani didn’t play.
He played last night (7-21), and he’s on a tear, as is Barrero. I hope the Reds don’t trade away Hopkins or Marte (who is handling AAA pitching just fine already!), but other than that…. I suppose Phillips too should be held onto: great 7 innings out of him last night (and I thought they were limiting his innings, with only 11 1/3 innings over his previous 4 starts).
40 man spots that could be had , IF these guys come back: Law, Farmer, Busenitz, Overton. If Overton is still on IL, then Salazar would be my next choice. Law and Farmer are both showing cracks , need upgrades for them. Gibaut is inconsistent, but better than those two, in my opinion. If rotation were upgraded, could move Lively and/or Williamson to the pen for this year to bolster that area.
I would hope Brett Kennedy and Curt Casali before any of the guys you mentioned.
Overton is already on the 60-day IL. I anticipate the Reds will attempt to move some of their MLB bench players/AAA depth at the deadline. I agree that Law and Farmer will be pitching to keep a spot on the team over the next 30-45 days.
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
I wonder if they’re considering stretching out Gutierrez during his rehab to potentially start.
They have said specifically that he will be relieving this year, as there will not be enough time to stretch him out.
Thanks. That makes sense, but we have no starting pitching depth at all until guys come off the IL.
I really hope Tejay makes it back. Not so much for the Red’s sake, but because he seems like a good dude.
I am less optimistic that the pitchers currently on the IL will help the Reds this season. The Red’s fate will likely be sealed by mid- August.
LOL
The problem is even if they come back there is no guarantee of their success, we need pitching to compete in a division that the team can win
Exactly..even if they acquire a starting pitcher today how many starts will he give you? Not many. No, the time to add pitching was last winter.
“No, the time to add pitching was last winter.” True, but adding now is still better than waiting until the offseason.
To be clear I want to do both, we’re likely only going to get a rental, so signing a front of the rotation type of starter in the offseason still needs to happen.
I think many of us would have preferred a starting pitcher over Wil Myers. The most popular starter mentioned here was Cueto—he’s been hurt all year and hasn’t helped the Marlins one iota.
There’s no guarantee that Greene, Lodolo, or an offseason acquisition will or would have helped. Nor is there a guarantee that a trade deadline acquisition will help.
What we know is that the Reds have the cash and the prospects to acquire almost any pitcher available. Their offseason decisions have put them in this position along with lots of prospects delivering immediate results.
Last offseason, in retrospect, was the time to add pitching but then it seemed ownership and many fans felt 2023 would be a lost/sorting year and best to wait for 2024 or afterward.
Read on the Reds site Lodolo back in September.
Yeah, I don’t think Lodolo and Greene be much help this season. They may have a couple of meaningless starts in September, but the race will be long over by then.
The Front office failure to acquire more pitching this past off season was an epic fail. They decided to depend on three young pitchers, none of whom had pitched more than 130 innings in a season. It was a terrible decision, that will likely cost the Reds a division title.
Hey V4L. I understand your comment but I wonder if Green and Lodolo did not get injured and continued to pitched with the success we saw early on we would probably not be having this discussion. What happened was just (more of) the Reds rotten luck when it comes to injuries than an epic fail IMO. Yes it would have been more secure if they had spent money and gotten solid veteran pitching but Reds are going for a more or less total rebuild. They wanted to see what they have with who they had first before committing large sums of money. Now, there are what, maybe one to several players they should spend money on extending their contracts. That money sure will come in handy now. They ate Moustakas’s and Myers contracts which for me was impressive for our particular team ownership. Speaking for myself I am
mostly looking toward next year when big contracts come off the books and Reds have a real opportunity to spend and not have to trade serious prospects for a rental for mediocre pitching. This year is found money as no one expected the team to do anywhere near this well. Yeah it would suck if we don’t make the playoffs this year. We are all chomping at the bit, but I see it as a means to an end and this is the most hope I have had in a Reds team in a very long time.
I agree, but you can see how it unfolded last winter.
Reds’ hitting last year was abominable.
Not a lot of $ to spend, Moose’s fate unknown still.
Some confidence in Greene, Lodolo and Ashcraft.
In the face of that, Krall went with signing Myers, maybe hoping for another Drury lightening in a bottle.
Bet on the wrong horse.
I think the Reds’ offensive resurgence probably caught a lot of folks in the FO by surprise.
Who could have predicted McLain, Steer, Benson?
EDLC was still on the horizon, Votto, Stephenson, India unknowns.
Friedl and Fraley were promising but not sure bets.
Offense did a 180 and SP went on the IL.
BP shed some dead wood and tightened up. Who would have expected Sims to be healthy and mostly reliable?
I thought the Myers move was a desperation one, like with Pham and Minor, money poorly spent.
Part of why I’m not ready to anoint Krall just yet.
The team was frankly reeling in the offseason with so many holes to patch and unknowns.
Not a lot of $ to work with apparently.
Sure, the Myers $ would have been much better spent on pitching. It wasn’t a ton, but it could have helped.
Even without the hindsight we have now.
After the Moran, Minor, Pham and Myers misfires, I’m glad Krall seems to be treading carefully.
Seems to be.
His low level moves (eg Newman and Benson) have been more successful.
Hoping for similar care and success as he shops for pitching.
I give Nick Krall a great deal of credit for the trades with Seattle and Minnesota that have helped to reinvigorate the Red’s farm system and fanbase.
It’s easy to be Debbie Downer. If you are right you can say I told you so, if you are wrong you get to be all happy and say, boy I’m glad I was wrong. The fact is you are wrong, and it’s a WEAK take on things. As for adding pitching in the winter, no one in their right mind thought this team would be doing what it’s doing, so there was ZERO reason to go out and sign a starter for big dollars. The way this team has competed and the successes it has accumulated thus far is anything but an epic fail by the front office. 50 Mil payroll or whatever, and they are the 2nd most explosive offense in the NL and on the cusp of 1st place.
You seem to have forgotten that the expectation coming into this season was that this was going to be an evaluation year in preparation for contending next year. Looking for rebounds from India and Stephenson, improvements from Fraley and Friedl. A bunch of rookie call-ups to sort through. Letting the 3 pitchers hone their game while seeing what Weaver, Overton and Dunn could do. Over 75 wins was seen as laughable optimism. What about that screams “add veteran pitching!”? What veteran better than Luke Weaver wants to sign up for a situation like that?
If you called the bank shots of every rookie producing like a veteran AND the Cardinals and Cubs crumbling like sandcastles, then I suggest dialing in that crystal ball on the powerball.
Well, at the same time, if Krall went out and got 3 veteran starting pitchers who went on the IL, would you still be calling that an epic fail?
Two parter for me. One, I find it simply an unfortunate happening. But, also, for me, I would like to see us “check out” what we do with the pitchers, even on a day to day basis, from day 1 coming in. It just seems like to me that, veteran or youngsters, we get many of these problems each year. And, I’m tired of it.
I mean, I was calling back in early April that Bell was going to tax the bullpen with what he was doing. Well. . .?
I can’t seen anyone dissing on Greene, Lodolo, and even Ashcraft that much with any time they spent on the IL. I mean, they are just like McLain, AA, Elly, etc., the youth movement. You can’t expect every player to never get injured.
I still think that, potentially, the Reds are looking to build the Tampa Ray 2.0 organization up here. Where, if so, that will probably mean many of these players will be gone in less than 6 years. But, then, we have more coming up behind them. Then, as long as we trade and draft well, just like the Rays, we will keep having more and more coming up behind them. All with one of the lowest payrolls in the league.
We just won’t know that for a while yet.
Dear Lord, I hope they aren’t looking to be TB 2.0. I’m pretty certain the fans will eventually revolt if they have to wave goodbye to every guy they like when he hits his 2nd arb year. TB can do that because they don’t have enough fans to have to care about the outcry.
Give me the Atlanta model, please. Lock into guys early when they show they’ve got it. Buy out arb years and go as far as possible into FA years. Keep the farm stocked, trade from surplus, and develop that pitching.
@Thomas, Steve keeps referencing Tampa 2.0 but he has no idea what Tampa’s model is, nor you for that matter. It is NOT to trade key assets before year 6. They sign key assets longer term, buying out some of their free agent years, then they trade them after that. In many cases they lock up key assets for 7-10 years before trading them. At least if you and Steve are going to reference Tampa, do a little research and get their model right first.
Hi, Thomas,
I would love the Atlanta model, also. But, also, with Atlanta, they have the 8th highest payroll this year. I believe I remember reading that was 2/3 of the total net worth of Castellini. I just can’t see them doing that.
Alright, Hype, research
Rays –
C who hasn’t played in the majors since 2017, signed him in 2023, earliest FA is 2025
1st – not regular till 2022, earliest FA is 2026
2nd – signed 2019 through 2024
SS – now him 2022 through 2033. But, due to make $15 million in 2026, $22 million in $2027. With a current team payroll of $76 million, I doubt seriously they will keep that player through 2033. They never have for any other player.
3rd – signed with Tampa in 2022, no FA till 2028
LF – signed with Tampa 2020, earliest FA is 2027
CF – signed with Tampa in 2022, earliest FA is 2028
RF – first year was 2022, earliest FA is 2029
Hmmm, let’s see, I see one they only have locked up. And, given in 2027, that would be 1/3 of the payroll, I doubt he would be staying around very long.
Sorry, Hype, maybe you better to some research before spouting off. I mean, seriously, everyone knows this about Tampa.
You’ve got the Tampa model completely backwards, historycally. You’re not well versed on Tampa’s strategy at all. They signed their young core players LONG TERM first, buying out free agent years and the player’s peak years, then they traded them just before or during their 30s. But the key is long term contracts and buying out a couple years of free agency. THAT is the Rays prescription, NOT waiting for them to become expensive in the latter years of arbitration and flipping them for prospects before year 6 as you suggest.
Reference long term (post free agency years) for Franco (11-year $182M), Springs, Lowe, Longoria, Kiermaier, Snell, Glasnow, Archer, Shields, Alvarez, Vaughn, Crawford, Zobrist, Kazmir, Moore
It’s a little complex for you, I know.
I guess I’m more selfish than the others in the comments above. I want Antone back for me, what another weapon he could be if he’s anything near his old self. I’m guessing that Gutierrez will also be in the pen this year if he returns healthy. Those 2 plus Santillan can give the pen some needed fresh arms.
Sims, Farmer, and Gibaut have no options, and they are 3 of the most worked arms. I’m guessing a couple of them might come down with a mysterious injury that puts them on the IL once some of these others come back. A 15 day break for some of those guys might be what the doctor ordered.
Agreed MBS with your post. It would be so huge to get Antone back and as you mentioned IF he is able to pitch up to the best of what he showed us when healthy.
When do rosters expand?
September first they go to 28, 14 pitchers max.
The return of Gutierrez should help bolster Louisville’s rotation, but hopefully the Reds don’t get desperate enough to need him in Cincy.
I think the Reds realistically have to be thinking about VG for ST 2024.
Promising pitcher who really hadn’t established himself pre TJ.
Antone has got to be the guy folks are lighting votive candles about.
Impossible to imagine him returning to form, but I think that’s what a lot of folks are doing.
Including me.
Both guys are pure lotto tickets at the moment, but there could be a big payoff.
Might be worth giving Gutierrez a shot in the AAA BP first to ease him back in.
Talk about lotto tickets, there’s Dunn.
Seems like 1 in 1M right now.
He was falling off the mound so hard, he spun himself in a circle twice in the posted video.
He seemed to be well within himself to me. My guess is that he was throwing off an extremely dry Arizona mound (It’s been about 113 for several days now in the Valley) and that he wasn’t sticking the landing as well as he wanted.
Lineup posted:
EDLC 3B
Senzel CF
MAC 2B
Steer LF
India 2B
Votto 1B
CES DH
Stephenson C
Benson RF
Thanks for the lineup.
Why not let CES play 1B over Votto? He needs playing time there because once Votto is gone, that is probably his spot. I give Bell kudos for letting Benson face a lefty. That is good experience. I don’t get Stephenson batting so far down in the lineup. I would like to see this:
Mac
EDLC
CES
Steer
Stephenson
Votto
India
Benson
Senzel
We have no other OF. It was Benson or Fraley. Or, even Friedl, which would mean Senzel is in a corner OF position, not his strong spot out there.
Yes, starting Votto and Benson against a lefty? But with Friedl in a slump, what to do? They need Fairchild or Hopkins back up! Benson’s double was against a righty last night; poor defensive play by him. Benson and Fraley kill righties; Newman and Senzel kill lefties–none of these guys are long time solutions.
I love seeing Benson in the lineup vs LHP. Friedl really isn’t a platoon, I guess they figured he needed a blow. He did almost cave in the wall a couple of nights ago with a great catch.
With CES getting called up, Bell is basically rotating the days off. Agree Friedl isn’t a platoon, but if he’s going to get a day off, you want it to be against a lefty.
wkuchad – Agreed.
@WK, yes, but today is the 1st day he sat 2 regulars, Fraley, Friedl. So it’s not the normal rotation that he’s been doing since CES’s promotion. I am glad that he didn’t empty the bench to get all the lefties out of the lineup. Friedl out seems to be the anomaly today. We’ll see how he manages the roster the next time or two when a LHP is starting against us.
MBS – It probably is the normal rotation with Friedl out. I believe Bell thinks the normal rotation includes Fraley/Senzel platoon. There will probably eventually be a game when they both sit. Personally I’d like for him to give Fraley more chances against lefties.
Stephenson’s OPS is likely last in that lineup. Realistically, he should be 9th with India hitting 8th
AGreed.
Snakes start a lefty and Joey against any lefty is not a good thing.Of course he will smoke a couple now that I have said that.I won’t get in to the outfield nor the batting order but will only say get Fairchild up here cause he helps both.Maybe it will happen soon.
Yeah, I don’t get that. Would be better to have CES playing first and use Maile as the DH. He’s got strong numbers against lefties, albeit in small sample size.
You mean Bell actually using some competence?
So you’d rather have Maile in the lineup vs Votto? Lefty or not, how in the world do you choose Maile over Votto?
What do mean lefty or not? That’s pretty relevant information given how Votto has fared against lefties the last few years.
Not sure how to be more clear? A lefty or not a lefty, in other words who cares? How in the world would you rather have Maile in the lineup over Votto, and yes, even when a lefty is pitching.
Because Maile is a better hitter against lefties than Votto. Hope that helps.
Meant to comment on both pitchers that may be added soon.I can see them in our pen as soon as they are ready.Good news.
What starting pitchers would anyone have wanted the Reds to sign this past offseason? If Castillo didn’t warrant a deal I don’t know who would have. This was the “Let’s see what we have” season and, tbh, with a healthy rotation of Greene, Lodolo, Ash and Abbott and more on the way I don’t see a drastic change in the future.
Well they did sign Weaver.
I was a bit surprised that they gave up on Hoffman, though.
Not sure what was behind that.
Sure, he wasn’t a beast, but he would be welcome in the BP, able to go multiple innings.
Anyone know the story on his departure?
Again, no guarantee they are going to be any good coming back from injury. At least they will be an arm, though.
Well, lineups are out.
At least Bell has learned that Senzel’s best position out there is CF. Now, if he could just make a competent batting order.
Nothing wrong with that batting order.
Your opinion
Reds still with five unsigned drafted pitchers. Will they get any signed? One would think that this year’s experience would have been enticing for pitchers.
TBF they only need either Schoenwetter or Gaeckle, and they’re likely waiting for one or the other to accept the offer.
Greene and Lodolo need to pitch when they get back, whether good or bad. The risk that they could be bad is one more reason I don’t ding the farm to sign a rental.
Well, we will know that early enough. I could see either way. We have “enough pieces” to trade with. The questions are going to be “which pieces” and “how many pieces” does the other team want?
With neither injury arm specific I tend to think that Greene and Lodolo will be strong upon returning. They have to be itching to get back and they will be fresh. With Abbot and with Ashcraft getting better we should be very solid in September. I just hope it’s not too late by then.
And, that is part of the Calculus of all this. If we are entirely out of it and it’s 2 weeks into Sept, I would shut them down.
Going to be realistic here. If any of these guys besides Lodolo and Greene come back as even a decent reliever, that would be nice but I highly doubt it. These guys who have had one or two TJ surgeries are not going to be the same pitchers we remember them as.
I have to agree.
For, me, it all has to do when they come back and possibly where are we in the standings.
For example, if early August, pitch them.
If late September, why risk catching a quick comebacker and injury like what Weaver had? I would just shut them down.
I don’t think the Reds will make a big splash on a starting pitcher. I keep thinking Lance Lynn. His numbers aren’t great, but he’s been pitching much better lately. Not sure if the Red’s front office is thinking about this, but I’ve heard that Milwaukee is or was under .500 outside of the central division. Would they be thinking….We don’t need to mortgage our future because Milwaukee hasn’t played well outside of our division and the Reds have an easy September schedule?
I never count on an “easy” schedule. In 2021 they had the easiest September than any team in the NL Central and we all know how that turned out.
I agree. I don’t think the Reds will make a big splash this summer. The big test will be this winter, but honestly I don’t see them making a big move then either. They will draw fairly well next season regardless. Why spend money ?
What I would like to see the Reds do this winter is selectively lock up key players and add to the bullpen. Our rotation problem is injury related. The reds should be able to enter next season with Greene, Abbott, Lodolo, Ashcraft, Williamson, Dunn, Guttierez and Lively—that’s eight starters with MLB experience. Phillips and Stoudt will provide depth with Petty and Lowder close, too.
Hader would really elevate the bullpen and has rare consistency for a reliver. I don’t want the Reds to do their traditional spend to budget routine that will drive poor baseball decisions as the young core hits arbitration.
I too like Lynn. I think the competition for him will be luke warm to a degree. The big $ clubs (Dodgers, Rangers) will go after him and not worry that he has an 18$M 2024 option with a buyout. The less spend teams (Twins, Brewers, Orioles, Rays) probably won’t go after him. So if we’re willing to acquire some payroll, it might not take a huge prospect package to get him.
My only hope is – if they give up some decent prospects – they acquire pitchers that will be available for a year or two beyond this one. Otherwise, its too much to spend on a heavily flawed team like the current one.
Relievers the same – don’t spend significant prospect capital on a guy that might only pitch 10 innings for us before he becomes a free agent.
Baseball America list the Cincinnati Reds as one of the teams most likely to land Ohtani.
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/giants-not-among-baseball-americas-173417305.html
They’re bananas. lol
Nice to see, don’t want that to happen.
According to Trade Simulator, these are possible options that could get 2 months of Ohtani.
– Abbot + Arroyo
– Ashcraft + CES
– Lodolo + Marte
– Steer + Friedl
Not seeing anything that tempts me toward a 2 month rental.
IMO, the Reds could do Steer and Friedl and not significantly hurt the team now or later because they are in a position to cover both of them as long as they don’t trade close prospects or anyone else on their 40 man roster besides those two. I have doubts that Ohtani would come nearly that cheap though.
For two months of Ohtani?
That’s Silly Billy stuff.
But for the Steer / Friedl combo, that is extra nutty pricey.
I know it’s two guys, but I anticipate Abbott and CES to just about keep pace with Ohtani over the rest of the season.
Trading Abbott at this time would be muy loco.
Did Trade Simulator watch the game last night?
Agreed. The asking is way, way too much esp for a rebuilding team like the Reds. Atlanta maybe, I don’t know. Most likely he will not get traded and will be signed in the off season by the Mets, Yankees or Dodgers, the few teams with the wealthiest owners.
Harry>> I disagree about Steer and Friedl being too pricey for Ohtani. For when? This year or the future? I’d tag them both as being under pressure to hold their starting spots with the in 2024.
That’s not a knock on them, it is how deep the Reds are. Marte is likely to take over 3rd in 2024. If India isn’t traded McML could well end up in CF in 2024 (played at least 1 full season there at UCLA). Alternately, because of having Ohtani this year, the Reds don’t trade Barrero for pitching and he is the CF in 2024.
This year would take some juggling but it would be worth it to have Ohtani DHing 4-5 days a week and pitching 1 day a week. In addition, because he is a qualified 2 way player, he would not count against the 13 pitcher limit which would also benefit the Reds.
I saw one proposal sending CES, Marte, and Lodolo. For a guy who’s not even going to be here next year? I don’t think so.
It’s amazing to me the dislike for Steer. The guy has produced at the major league level and Barrero hasn’t but let’s put him in the starting lineup. Oh and while we are at it Fairchild as well.
Jim, I think you misinterpreted my reply.
I meant “…BUT for the Steer / Friedl combo…” I think the price is too high.
No shade on Steer, but there are folks in reserve.
Barrero in CF feels like going in circles.
Trade the poor fella.
No way on any of those Trade Simulator options! Steer is the future left-fielder (Hopkins in right, Friedl in center, Marte at third, CES at first). The Reds are putting together quite a starting 8. No reason to go all in this season! It would be smarter to trade Phillips and Petty if Ohtani must be got.
I wouldn’t trade two solid young position players for two months of any pitcher. If the Reds knew with certainty that Ohtani would sign a multi-year contract with them (and ownership would cough up the money), it would be different.
Trade 5 years of two very promising pitchers….who you just traded for….for two months of Ohtani?
Wow.
To quote Jim in the British comedy ‘The Vicar of Dibley’, “No….No…No..No.No. no No No”
Probably only because we have the prospects and players to put a package together for him.
I would have to think it would be a rental at best.
I sincerely hope not. He surely wouldn’t stay here in free agency.
That’s nutso! The Reds won’t pay him and he won’t want to come here.
Justin Dunn who has not any surgery maybe would be back in september and has not pitched since one year ago. Antone and Gutierrez both have TJ surgery maybe are coming back before Dunn….
The shoulder is a much more complicated joint that the elbow, so the shoulder is trickier to rehab. As I understand it, Dunn has an injury to a fairly small muscle in the shoulder that is hard to isolate, and thus the only option is rest, which in turn creates a longer recovery time, because the other shoulder muscles also have to be built back up.
Dunn was in Goodyear early, and he thought he would be ready, then this injury (or reinjury) arose. There’s no question that Dunn is now a longshot to be a productive Reds player, but he still has a fighting chance.
I think Dunn could be DFA when he returns. For some reason I think the reds are going to pull off a significant trade by the deadline
My prediction is we get some more bullpen help and they will say that they tried to add a starter too.
I am not a fan of Lynn though. No interest.
Dunn and Gutierrez are probably a couple years off from competitive ML pitching (say sub 4 bullpen ERA), but you never know and everybody needs bullpen depth. Their roster spots are obviously tenuous if the Reds make moves. Antone had some filthy stuff, so I can understand trying to keep a spot for him to prove if he can be a medical marvel.
I’d like to think these guys will come back and help and certainly hope so. Probably foolish to count on it though.