The Cincinnati Reds have picked up another relief pitcher. This time around it’s right-handed pitcher Davis Daniel. He has signed a minor league deal with the club for 2026.
From 2023-2025 Davis Daniel spent time pitching for the Los Angeles Angels and Atlanta Braves organizations. He would pitch in Major League Baseball for both clubs during that time, covering a total of 52.2 innings. He made eight starts and four relief appearances during that time.
In 2023 he had a 2.19 ERA in three games, pitching 12.1 innings for the Angels. He walked nine and struck out nine during that time but was able to keep runners from coming around to score. In 2024 his control was much better as he walked just six batters in 30.1 innings and had 28 strikeouts, but his ERA jumped up to 6.23 as he allowed 39 hits and five home runs during his six appearances – all of which were starts. Last year he pitched 10.0 innings for Atlanta as he covered two starts and one relief appearance. The struggles to throw strikes returned as he handed out seven walks and hit a batter during that time frame and had an ERA of 5.40.
During his minor league career he had pitched very well through Double-A. Daniel posted a 2.34 ERA in his career as a minor league pitcher in rookie ball, Single-A, High-A, and Double-A. But he also only threw 119.0 total innings at all of those levels and after being drafted as a college senior in 2019 he didn’t even make his professional debut until he was a 23-year-old in 2021 (he would turn 24 in the middle of the season). With his age and performance he was fast tracked.
But then he got to Triple-A and the more advanced hitters gave him some trouble. He’s seen action at that level in all five years he’s been a professional, through in the first two years of his career that was just for 25.0 total innings. Still, he’s now thrown 346.2 innings in Triple-A and has a 5.48 ERA during that time. That’s actually higher than his career 5.13 ERA in the big leagues. You can see his career stats here.
Back in 2022 the Triple-A level began to have public pitch tracking data. That year Davis Daniel averaged 90.9 MPH with his fastball. The next season he suffered a shoulder injury in spring training and didn’t get back on the mound until August and only pitched in five games – though three were in the big leagues – but he averaged 92.5 MPH with his fastball during that time. His velocity dropped to 91.8 MPH in 2024. And last season it dropped again, this time to 90.3 MPH.
Along with his 4-seam fastball, Daniel also brings a slider and splitter to the table. He will also occasionally throw a curveball, but in 2025 he threw it less than 4% of the time. That was a career low in terms of usage. In 2024 he began to throw the splitter and has since stopped using a change up.
So, this guy, Davis Daniel sounds like another marginal AAAA level pitcher.
He signed a minor league deal, and while off the top of my head not knowing the number of pitchers (likely) on the Bats staff, he will likely fill out the bullpen at Louisville, and maybe be a spot starter.
A guy on the margin between top level minors, and yet probably not good enough to cut it in the Majors on a consistent basis.
Doug, it might be interesting for all your avid readers, for you to (maybe) look at all the acquisitions so far and make some guesses, maybe make out something of a depth chart, (AND WE’LL HELP!!!) about where all these guys might start the season.
And thanks for keeping us all abreast of the acquisitions. I realize, at least, that reporting on them does not necessarily mean you are endorsing them, but it keeps us fans informed so we can make ludicrous statements about the competence of the Reds front office. I know that they have to fill out the rosters of all the teams in the minors, and AAA is where a lot of these “marginal” players probably end up.
Actually as it stands right now, the Major League Reds look to have a pretty good bullpen for 2026.
Happy for Daniel. He spends even 2 weeks up in the bigs and he’ll bring home $42k+. Spend a couple of months up, and that’s very nice money for anyone grinding and sticking to the dream. Anyone of these guys are by far the best players on anyone’s softball team.
Sounds like a depth signing who should be way down the pecking order.
If he ever throws a pitch in Cincinnati this season, something has gone very wrong.
Once upon a time, before electronic media was at our fingertips, this sort of signing would probably have not even been noticed outside of the Reds minor league camp.
“Who are you?”
“Daniel.”
“With an ‘S’?”
“Yeah, Davis.”
“Oh, Dave Daniels?”
“No, Davis Daniel.”
“Where ya from, Dave?”
I sure wish I could charge the price for advertising that the newspapers of those days could and then I’d not have to do nearly as much work as I do to make a fraction of the money.
I did the news business for a career (retired a lot of years ago) and following baseball now is a lot more interesting, so we have that to work with. I sometimes long for the day when pitcher wins and ERA were the only stats that mattered.
Son of Jack.
Reason enough for him to stick.
I knew him well.
I see Seattle infielder Samad Taylor has clear waivers and has elected free agency. He is 28 and hasn’t had much success at the major league level but at AAA last season, he batted .296 with 27 doubles, seven triples, 17 home runs, 86 RBI and 44 steals in 54 chances. He also walked 73 times. His OPS was .839. He can play 2B, 3B and LF.
Taylor may be worth taking a flyer on.
Votto4life
Sorry, I was wrong. Taylor is 27.
Interesting player, but he’s already signed elsewhere per MLB Trade Rumors:
The Padres have signed infielder Samad Taylor to a minor-league deal with an invitation to Spring Training
Thank you. I didn’t see he had signed. Thanks again.
I all of these players as interesting depth but how many will be gone after the 26 man roster is established? I suspect most of them. Doug do you happen do know if the Reds have the contractual status that allows them to placed in Louisville?
If they signed a minor league contract it kind of says minor leagues. They might have opt outs at some date but in their minds the Reds offered the best or only opportunity available to them, so prospects aren’t great for opportunities coming out of ST.
Isn’t signing a minor league contract pretty normal for players not on the 40-man? Unless they have an opt-out, they agree to be assigned, which is usually AAA.
Krall signs another carbon-based life form!
Jesse Rogers on ESPN is more objective than most about the state of the Central Division this off season. Hint, the Reds need to do something or suffer the consequences.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/offseason-updates-for-brewers-cubs-pirates-cardinals-reds/ar-AA1UbWCS?ocid=BingNewsVerp&apiversion=v2&domshim=1&noservercache=1&noservertelemetry=1&batchservertelemetry=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1
This part of the article (link) you provided, LDS, is glaring:
Cincinnati Reds
Key additions
None
We’re like a high school team that made it to districts but not state. We lost some seniors. No new kids. Got a couple of freshmen that could be good….
Thanks for posting this LDS. The good news is there is still time to improve this team. So, we will see if they can get something done or not. As currently constructed though, it’s hard to see this team grabbing a WC spot, let alone the NLC division title. There are some who think the team has had a good offseason. I don’t see it myself, but maybe I am wrong.
For better or worse, we are about to find out just what kind of an offseason the Reds have had.
@V4L, “The good news is there is still time to improve this team” – man, how many years have we told ourselves that.
20 years? I am trying to avoid reading a 17,000 word dissertation on how I am wrong and Bob Castellini is the greatest owner is Sports History.
Seriously though, I am not sure how anyone could look at this franchise over the past twenty years and come away thinking it’s working well. I mean look at their record for the past two decade. It’s really that simple. But people will still find excuses.
It’s not that difficult for people outside Red’s country to see things objectively. Like the Author noted the Reds have made no key additions this offseason. This is what people outside the tri—state area think about the Reds offseason, No Key Additions.
Good stuff, LDS and Votto4life.
A rather boring article IMO, some of the “key acquisitions” are anything but while lacking a key losses category. I certainly dont need MSN/ESPN to tell me the Reds have had a fairly lackluster offseason, does anyone here need it other than to champion their lowly Red’s team opinion? Recommend skipping it if youre looking for something interesting to read.
Harrison Bader signs with the Giants. It will be interesting to see who signs Geno.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/01/giants-sign-harrison-bader.html
It almost feels like our friends that pull the levers and push the buttons behind the curtain at the Cincinnati front office are holding their collective breath and waiting to exhale once Suarez is signed, elsewhere. The looming CBA standoff at season’s end also seems to give them further reason to approach competing for the division with added nonchalance. I sincerely hope, with what little hope I have, that the owners and MLBPA will come together in time to save the 2027 season. For now, the front office is likely congratulating themselves on their sparse participation this off season. I hate being negative because I’m not a negative person, but these Reds bring out the worst in me.