The Cincinnati Reds had a decision to make after Wednesday afternoon’s loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hunter Greene, currently on the 15-day injured list with a strained right groin, was named the probable pitcher for Friday’s game against the Chicago Cubs. With the roster set at 13 pitchers, the Reds front office was going to have to decide which pitcher would go to the minor leagues to make room for Greene. That moved turned out to be to send right-handed reliever Lyon Richardson back to Triple-A.
There weren’t a lot of choices available to Cincinnati as only three relievers even had options available. All three of those pitchers have been getting the job done this season, too. Along with Richardson, the Reds could have optioned Graham Ashcraft or Luis Mey. No one else could have been sent to the minor leagues without being placed on waivers first.
For Lyon Richardson it’s got to be a tough pill to swallow. The 25-year-old rookie has pitched in 10 games this season and has allowed just two earned runs. That’s a 1.32 ERA. He does have five walks, but two of those walks have been intentional walks. For those wondering, Richardson has not allowed any inherited runners to score this season – but he also hasn’t had to come into a game with any runners on base.
It’s always better to have to make a tough decision like this than to know immediately which four guys should be sent down because of a lack of performance. That probably doesn’t make a guy like Richardson feel much better, though, because he did everything that was asked of him and then some and he gets a big pay cut and has to head back to the minor leagues as a result of the entire thing.
He will likely return later this season, and probably sooner rather than later given the general health history of pitchers. But for now he’ll head back to Louisville and try to keep his outstanding performance going.
Backwards move from a backwards franchise. Not a surprise though.
They should have DFA Ian Gibaut instead of sending Richardson back down. The Reds keep wasting options on these young players and Gibaut has a history of inconsistency.
Gibaut: 2023/2024 5.27 ERA and two long IL stints each year.
2024/2025*
@ Dennis. The option was already burned as Richardson has spent more than 20 days in the minors.
I get it, however just dont like this move. Who is your future? Barlow or Richardson?
A slight surprise, but they must be convinced Mey has turned the corner on the control issue. A short term pain for Richardson, and unless he goes off the rails in AAA he’s proven himself and will return sooner rather than later, this season, and in a more permanent role. Barlow and Rogers are only signed this year, so they’d be easy to move or DFA in a month or two – and IL time for anyone brings Richardson back sooner.
Moll and Diaz are the mystery candidates – how much does either have left – either to return or as tradeable?
The demotion of Richardson, in essence for Gilbeat, also means the pen has one less reliever who can go more than one inning.
Yep, multi-inning relievers are really valuable as they can help preserve the rest of the pen. I bet Richardson will be back soon. The Reds have enviable depth in their pen this year.
Lyon has been a terrific success story. Lights out in his return from TJ, a big stumble at the highest level, and a nice transition to the bullpen. Not bad. Neither is that changeup.
If Gibaut keeps pitching well, I wonder if they’ll trade Pagan. Lots of teams are looking for a CL.
I see Martinez as the biggest trade chip.No way they pay him to stay after this year. He will be traded at the deadline.
Oh god, I don’t want Gibaut as our closer. I Pagan was traded away I think Ashcraft becomes the closer, I know Rogers has experience doing it too. There are options there. I am enjoying Pagan’s success through and hope he is on the team the rest of the year.
The Reds bullpen would be better today with Richardson–he’s pitched better and can cover multiple innings, which is a big asset. On the other hand, it’s early in the season. This move retains both pitchers in the organization, which may provide more value over the season.
The ups and downs of breaking in to the major leagues. He’s shown what he can do, and his demeanor might be the greatest improvement. This has been a big success for him. More to come.
I agree. I wanted him on the big league roster on opening day. It’s a setback for him. Hopefully, the move pays off in the long run for the Reds.
Hopefully just short term for Richardson. I see this as a good problem to have. If something happens with any reliever right now, whoever it is, you’re not missing a thing because you have Richardson in your back pocket.
They’ve been riding Lyon hard the last ten days like they knew this was always the plan, right or wrong.
Diaz blew another outing at AAA.
Acuna looked really good again at AA.
Lyon has been great, but the move makes sense to me. Next time the bullpen gets overworked they will likely swap Mey for Lyon and on and on it goes for the rest of the season. Is it possible they may return Lyon to the rotation in AAA because I believe that he didn’t develop the devastating change-up until relief conversion.
So Lyon can only be brought up 5 times before he would be outrighted. Next time will be 3.
Here is a link to the official explanation of options: https://www.mlb.com/glossary/transactions/minor-league-options
It is basically 3 years of options, but a team can yo-yo a player back and forth only 5 times in any given option year.
They still have plenty of flexibility with Richardson, but there will be an injury or other issue (like a trade) soon enough, and they will call him up again this year. And I’m sure that Francona gave Richardson a good “don’t take this too hard; you’ll certainly be back” speech when he informed him of the decision.
Tough for the kid but it about options and history of the guys that stayed.By take on a major league pen is always about what have you done for me lately and stuff.Lyon has better stuff then Barlow or Gibault with multiple pitches having been a starter at one point and as mentioned can and does go multiple innings.He will be back but yep he did all he could do and well
It’s early can’t spell at all.
Not unexpected … the money involved in any DFA of others mentioned just wasn’t palatable to ownership. That’s how they roll.
Since I love nitpicking, one of those intentional walks was on a 3-0 count on a hitter he let get away with a base open. Tito made the call, but it was because he was wild. If memory serves, he got the job done regardless.
Hmm… my memory was off as usual, he took the loss that day it seems.
Well the Padres have been shut out two games in a row. Have only scored 3 runs in last five games.
So, silverlining? LOL
It’s early still. Clearly the offense is the biggest issue, but we’re gonna have to ride that out a bit until the trade deadline or some one gets healthy/breaks out. The team isn’t in that bad of spot… yet anyway. Still looking for consistent production from any of the corners, that would be a good start for some runs.
I tend to agree, however the offense is hard to watch at times. I am still of the mind set that if this team goes on a roll they will be in a good spot come all star break and beyond.
I’m pretty pessimistic. I don’t expect Krall to pull off a deal for a serious middle of the order bat, so consistent improvement in the offense will require consistent improvement from a number of its constituent parts, probably to include injured question marks like CES and Marte. Not impossible, but we’re nearly a third of the way through the season. The pitching has been excellent so far, but more injuries are likely and bullpen fatigue is, too. There you have it. It is 38 degrees this morning, strong wind and rain with a bit of snow possible this evening, and this may have influenced my outlook.
Why wait until July to trade for the big piece the offense needs? The Pads traded for Arreaz last year in a similar timeframe and went from below 500 to a feared playoff team. There aren’t a million of big bats out there and even less that can be had. And at this juncture, you are probably going to have to overpay to get this dude. But what choice do you have? Ride this out another month and believe all these underachievers are going to go from 600 OPS to 800 OPS. And if you are wrong, then risk falling 8-10 games behind the lousy Cubs. Then what? Trade for Ohtani? That wait and see theory has failed Krall the last few years. Not all that long that we were a finalist for 1 year of a rather inexpensive Tucker ($25M) but chose not to better the Cubs offer.of 3 top ten prospects. Can we get a mulligan? What dos Krall think a big bat will cost? I doubt it will be cheaper than the Tucker option. I would love to see Krall’s history of being patient and not trading prospects work out but I am skeptical that it will this year either.
“There’s no a magic potion …that’s part of the game…”, Terry Francona
Sad for Richardson… I would rather Gibaut to be DFA’d at this point, maybe would pass thru waivers…Mey has the confidence right now to be honest I thought he was going to be sent down instead…
I’m not sure Richardson could have continued to perform as well as he was. But it was worth finding out. Gibault isn’t pitching well. And neither is Barlow. Gibault has a 2.2 WAR total over 7 seasons with a 1.4+ WHIP. He’s had only two seasons with an ERA under 4.00. He’s nearly 32. He’s not going to matter. But he’s cheap. Barlow? Probably better stats overall than Gibault. However, he hasn’t had a decent year since 2021 & 2022 with KC. I didn’t like the Reds signing Barlow in the first place. It’s more of the Krall strategy of signing someone on the cheap and hoping for a miracle.
Well we got our closer back, and all we lost was a middle reliever. lol
This was a mistake, Gibaut should have been DFA’d. I get it if you speak about preserving depth, but preserving depth at the cost of performance is not a good trade.
One of the things the next CBA needs to consider is loaner players. Meaning, an MLB franchise can loan a player to another MLB franchise for a set period time. It would allow MLB quality players to play (and earn) at the MLB level. The whole issue of options and players that can’t be sent down hurts replacement level players so much. It gets them sent down and DFA’d but since they’re out of options, no one wants them.
Think about Wynns – right now the best thing to do with Wynns is to loan him to an AL team. He keeps playing and earning and is available for the Reds once again if needed.
The MLBPA should never even consider this idea. It will kill free agency even further than it’s already been killed. Teams will just try to avoid getting better in the offseason and try to just get “loaned” players from teams that suck.
Agreed, but I think there could be some discussion with the MLBPA about some roster niches for third catchers.
The 61st-through-90th best catchers are pretty much the definition of replacement level. It would be nice if there was a way to make them more available for short-term use (suspensions, paternity leave, concussion protocol, etc.) without having to use a 40-man spot. Maybe pay them their salary (or a big portion of it) and have them accrue service time, while they are in the minors.
I remember about 6 years ago, when the Reds had all 3 of their rostered catchers with wives were due to deliver within about 10 days of each other in September. It worked out, but it would’ve been a major headache if it hadn’t.
@OBE, I would like to see rosters expand by one spot that would be filled exclusively by a third catcher. Rules could dictate that he has to be signed as a minor league free agent in the offseason and limited to being used as a catcher to remain off the 26/40-man roster. The idea has merit as teams need catchers familiar with their pitching staff, and catching is the most specialized/least versatile position.
They would need to set tight usage parameters to prevent teams from gaming the extra roster spot. One suggestion: if a team used the player in any other capacity, such as pinch hitter/runner, without having the player catching in the next half inning, they would have to add the player to their 26/40-man roster before their next game.
I’ve always thought the old NFL third QB rule should apply . Before the game you designate your top 2 catchers. The only way catcher three gets to play is if both one and two are out of the game and cannot return either by injury or circumstances.
@Tom, this would create multiple opportunities for conflicts of interest. Think of the position you would be putting a player in–he’s being paid by one team that controls his “rights” and yet playing for another. Because of interleague play, even loaning a player to a team in a different league wouldn’t work.
The logic of the 40-man roster and limited options is to limit how many viable major league players each franchise can maintain control of without actively playing them. If another team believes Wynns can help them, they should make the Reds an acceptable trade offer either now or if he is DFA.
If we are at a point where we are out of it at the trade deadline it will be interesting to see what kind of trade the Reds might attempt.
I’ve often advocated for a trade of prospects to gain other young elite prospects, or young MLB players.
If we don’t trade Petty, Lowder, Arroyo etc.. and we do trade a Martinez, or a Singer what would be a good get for either of them?
I was looking at Martinez, and I think we could get a top 100 Prospects out of him. The Dodgers seem like a good fit.
Martinez for Freeland
If we trade Singer I think we could get a good deal with the Giants.
Singer for Eldridge
We hope it doesn’t come to that, but I agree that Martinez and Singer would be on the block if it does. Frankly, though, if the Reds aren’t close to .500 in late July, it would likely mean that at least one of them has pitched poorly and would have limited trade value.
There are several relievers who could be traded, but who also won’t bring much. They need to get Candelario going and palm him off to the Red Sox; the Sox will probably find something else before Candelario gets un-injured.
Yep, I’d rather be in it. I feel like we are several bats away from being a consistently good offense. When healthy, and facing RHP’s we’re pretty good. It’s all of the other times when we aren’t very healthy, or we face LHP that worries me.
I had also thought of moving a Martinez, or Singer paired with Candy. The return would be next to nothing if we could even swing a deal, but it would open up salary maneuverability next year.
Like OBE, I hope we’re in the position to acquire players at the deadline. One could almost see a trade like you suggested with the Dodgers being something that would make sense when offseason free agent acquisitions become trade-eligible in mid-June. Some might argue that Martinez’s salary may dampen trade interest. Not only is he pitching well, but his versatility would be very valuable down the stretch and in the playoffs. I think he has more value than Singer, who derives a lot of his value by staying healthy and making starts–he’s a 4/5 starter on a good staff which is more valuable across a 162-game schedule than in the playoffs.
That Dodger trade could also make sense at the deadline if we are relatively healthy.
Greene, Lodolo, Singer, Abbott plus Burns, Lowder, Petty, and maybe Miley could all be rotation candidates.
I was targeting players that are near MLB ready as I was thinking of a trade. I’d still rather deal from prospect depth if we are in it, but that Dodger deal could still be a net benefit if our young SP prospects are ready to fill in for Martinez.
Martinez’s versatility does make him valuable, and the fact that he’d be off the books for the Dodgers in 26 was one of the reasons I looked at them. They have some pretty good banged up SP’s that they’ll want to start once healthy.
I still think with the right team Singer has more value with his history as a starter, and his extra year of control.
All good points. Today, the Reds have surplus pitching AND good prospects at AA (I think this is the prime level for trading prospects). Of course, surplus pitching is a lot like water vapor; it tends not to last too long. The Reds are going to need a boost to compete. I fear that if they don’t get help sooner, it won’t matter much by the time we reach the trade deadline–that’s how I’ve perceived the last two seasons.
fWAR and bWar are fairly divergent this early but Nick Martinez leads reds pitchers in fWAR heading into Memorial Day . He was voted Reds best pitcher in 2024. I dont care about candelario salary in 2026. Just eat it. Id do the opposite. Martinez has tremendous value and id pair him at the trade deadline with a Petty or Collier to the highest bidder for a top 20 lefty outfielder who is graduating to MLB . This team desperately needs Jay Bruce or Paul Oneill in RF without handedness platoons. I suspect Will Benson will get his reps against righties for a good bit.
Most underreported story of the Reds 2025 season is outfield isnt bad
Friedl Hays and Benson lead the team in fWAR with Elly positionally
The infield hitting is what stinks heading into Memorial Day
Not the move I would do, but I get it. It stinks for Lyon Richardson, but he was one of only 3 players with options, so it is what it is. This is the system that the players and owners have agreed to.
If the Reds didn’t want to send out Ashcraft, Mey, or Richardson, the only options were to cut somebody like Barlow or Gibaut. But the argument for keeping extra depth in the organization is valid. Pitchers get hurt a lot, and it’s good to have depth. It’s not as if Barlow and Gibaut have been terrible, just that they’ve been the worst from what has been a pretty good bullpen.
Like others have said, Lyon will be back up with the big team at some point this year. Someone will eventually get hurt, and he will be the first guy called up.
If we are in an era of higher than historical injury rates, I would prefer to see the 40 man roster increased to as many as 45. It would give the teams more flexibility, would bump some minor leaguers in salary, give those minor leaguers a taste of the show. Might need to limit the distribution between pitchers and position players.
This would make sense if MLB could get better resource parity across its franchises. Today, roster limits seem to be one of the mechanisms that keep larger market teams from hoarding players who fall on the fringes of MLB rosters.