Baseball season never truly ends. By the time the World Series is over there has been winter league baseball going on for nearly a month. And that winter league baseball continues through the Caribbean Series, which ended on Saturday night with Mexico picking up the win. Now two days later we’ve got pitchers, catchers, and World Baseball Classic participants showing up for spring training.
The Cincinnati Reds should have a bunch of players showing up in Goodyear on Monday afternoon. Between the pitchers and catchers who are invited to big league camp as well as the additional six players who will be playing in the World Baseball Classic, 41 players should be at the Reds complex tomorrow. Four of those 41 players, though, are not technically in big league spring training and are Reds minor league players who will be representing their country in the WBC. Infielders Eugenio Suarez (Venezuela) and Edwin Arroyo (Puerto Rico) are the only two players from the 40-man roster who will be playing in the WBC. Minor leaguers Ivan Johnson (Great Britain), Alexander Vargas (Cuba), David Lorduy (Colombia) and Ryjeteri Merite (Netherlands) will all be playing in March in the WBC.
While guys may get on the field before then, the first on-field workout is officially scheduled for Wednesday. On Tuesday the players are all scheduled for their physicals with the medical staff. Position players are scheduled to arrive to Goodyear on Saturday the 14th. A week later the first game will be played as the Reds will take on their spring training complex mates the Cleveland Guardians.
The spring training schedule is quite packed. They have an off day on February 23rd and March 3rd. The next time the Reds don’t have a game after that is the 19th, and some guys won’t even get that day off as the Spring Breakout is scheduled that day. That’s an event where each team puts together a roster of their prospects to play in a game against another organization’s prospect team. After that the only day off is the 25th, which is a travel day to Cincinnati so the team can be ready for Opening Day against the Boston Red Sox on the 26th. The final two days of spring training will actually take place in Milwaukee as they take on the Brewers on the 23rd and 24th at American Family Field.
Hard for me to get too excited about guys showing up in Arizona. 45 days until actual games still, over 6 weeks. 12 days until the first spring training game, at least then we’ll see some actual results. Biggest things i’m looking to see:
• Everyone healthy
• Elly able to run
• Where is Sal playing defensively
• How much is McLain striking out
• The LF battle, who is getting the PT
• The last bullpen spot battle
Your first five bullet points are likely the most important, but I’m most intrigued by how the Reds plan to set up the bullpen. Of course, the health could drive changes, but it seems certain that five spots will go to: (1) Pagan, (2) Santillan, (3) Johnson, (4) Ferguson, and (5) Burke. (6) Ashcraft and (7) Phillips seem to have the inside track on the next two spots, but the fact that they can be optioned may factor into the decision. (8) Moll is out of options, and if he’s healthy and has a decent spring training, he’s very likely to make the team.
What seems to be missing from last year’s team is a long reliever. Phillips or Aschraft could be used in that role, as they were starting back in 2024. Rhett Lowder is almost certainly one of the 13 best pitchers on the squad; will the Reds want to use him in a long relief role if he doesn’t make the rotation? Williamson and Aguiar, returning from TJS, could also be used in that role. If one of the pitchers expected to begin the season in the AAA rotation makes the opening roster, it could come at the expense of Phillips or Ashcraft. The good thing is that the Reds have multiple potentially good options for the last spot in the pen. I look forward to seeing how it plays out.
I enjoy finding out what players have worked on over the winter, ie Richardson showing up with that changeup last year (will he find a better fastball or secondary pitch given hitters learned to kay iff the change?).
This year, I’m watching for a few things. Is McLain stronger with the added 10 lbs and what do he and Arroyo look like a year out from shoulder surgery. Burns returned healthy last fall, but how much knowledge has he integrated from his rookie year. If he has Elly-like aptitude, look out. Lowder, too, seemed healthy at year’s end. But, his command was rusty. Being his highest rated skill, it’s critical. How soon will it re-appear? Stewart dropped some poundage. It’s not hard given current medications. But is he in superior condition? Don’t ever tell Sal he can’t do anything. You’ll lose. I am also excited to see what the manager and coaching staff have thought about and learned over the winter. Will we run more? Etc
Richardson is in almost the exact same boat that Santillan was in in 2024. Out of options, not on the 40, can stash him in Louisville but once he’s brought up he’s up for good.
Santillan matured as a reliever in ’24 in Louisville and the Reds brought up for good in July of that year.
I think we’ll all be rooting for Richardson to have a similar performance path back.
Richardson really seemed to have turned the corner last Spring. It would be great to see him make that one final adjustment.
The one thing that is very odd about Richardson is that he didn’t get a bump in velo going from starting to relieving. Maybe he has more in the tank but lost a bit of command or control so he dialed it back. If he had a couple ticks more in velo that changeup would play up. All of his stuff would play up a little more.
Thank Goodness. Longest winter ever. Will be nice to see the boys on the field.
Minus ten this morning, minus fifteen yesterday morning with high temp minus two, snow tomorrow. It’ll be awhile before I’ll be able to relate to spring training.
Here’s a story to help you relate – two times that I drove to Arizona for spring training I had to drive through snow in Arizona to get to the greater Phoenix area. They are just like us (in the mountains) this time of year!
Doug,
Yes, there is usually a lot of snow up north in Arizona, on the high plateau. Flagstaff always gets a lot of snow. There is some ski resort that is up on a mountainside, within view of flagstaff.
And today it seems like someone ought to cue up “Centerfield” by John Fogarty.
https://tinyurl.com/ysarm6hs
Hey, I just did that.
I found a picture on my phone from 2018. It was geotagged for Springerville, Arizona. There’s snow on the road.
Yes, Springerville is at about 7,000 feet above sea level, in the White Mountains (that was Apache country in the 19th century!). Somewhat southeast of Flagstaff, but still on the high northern plateau, not down in the Valley of the Sun (Phoenix).
Arizona is a weird state, in a way. Most people think of Phoenix and Tuscon, which are out in the desert and really hot during the summer. But up on the northern plateau, it is usually very temperate. The Grand Canyon is up there, but if you go DOWN into the Grand Canyon, it can be very hot in the summer. The last time we were there was in February, and there was a lot of snow there. It was quite beautiful.
Went to the Grand Canyon one year on my drive back to Cincinnati. It was snowing when I arrived around 3am, but after about an hour of the sun being up it had warmed up quite a bit. I was in a tshirt before noon. I’d love to go back and be able to spend real time at the Grand Canyon.
The closest I have gotten to snow in the last 30 years was when I ate a snow cone at a park. Even that was a traumatic experience.
*stares out the window at about 16 inches of snow*
Why are you so mean?
Dear Doug,
Next time take the southern route through AZ. No snow, bro.
Very much doubt there will be a next time.
Looking forward to more daily updates from Goodyear.
All about ST. Pitchers and Catchers Report is like its own little holiday!
Going to be an interesting season. Still feels like the Reds are battling the Pirates for 3rd place. But hopefully everything comes together for the Reds, health and recovery all around (McLain, EDLC, and the rest) and major breakouts by Hinds, Stewart, and Dunn. Then it’ll be real interesting. Sunny and 70 here today so it’s time for baseball.
Perhaps more of a three-team race for second in the division, as the projections you shared yesterday show only a 4-game gap between the Brewers, Pirates, and Reds. Unless the Brewers can continue to harness the voodoo that allows them to trade one of their top players and replace his value at the same time, they have fallen back into the pack. Skenes will keep the Pirates relevant. The Brewers, Pirates, and Reds all have pitching as a strength. At the end of the season, the healthiest staff likely leads their team to prevail.
Yeah, it’s that Brewer voodoo that’s the problem. Maybe Chicago stumbles this year and makes it a more interesting division race. Still wish Krall would pull off one more big move. Not sure what, but Boston seems to have a surplus of OFers and needs an infielder.
Hallelujah! We are almost half way through my least favorite 3 months of the year. Baseball is coming.
Reds baseball is back and that makes me happy. Yes, super weird that they’ll play in Milwaukee 2 games before flying to Cincy for Opening Day, but that’s a win for me since I can go see them. I remember a few years ago the Reds played there in early April and there was 5 inches of snow outside. Thank goodness for the roof–it’s why I prefer that stadium over Wrigley…you get that certainty that you won’t freeze to death the first 1/3 of the season. Not looking forward to what awaits me in the Twin Cities in mid April when I head up there for that series. Pretty nutty they didn’t build a retractable dome stadium.
Spring Training games are not too far off!
I can’t say I’m all that stoked to discuss calisthenics, but it’s time to consider discussing the team they have instead of what the national scribes think they should have purchased. I’ve seen enough theoretical batting orders and Triple-A pitching “rotations” to last me for the duration of time. The Rojos won the Caribe. That’s an omen.
unless we are discussing stretches that can strengthen oblique muscles…
Nick Martinez to the Rays. No word on numbers, but i’m curious. Could have fit in that strictly long relief role here if he wasn’t too pricy. I think Littel is still out there.
Yep, I was thinking about Littel, too. As stated in my reply to you above, I’m interested to see how the Reds handle the long-relief role this year. I would love to see them bring back Littel, but I’m not optimistic.
Sign Littel and trade Lodolo to Red Sox for Duran.
I read 13 million for one season plus mutual option
So which Martinez will they get? The 2024 Martinez, who was pretty good, or the 2025 Martinez, who was…not so much good. Still valuable, but probably not worth the $21 Million QO the Reds gave him.
And remember, the Reds are still paying Jeimer Candalario ~ $15 mill this year to sit at home, because he can’t hit the baseball anymore.
That’s more than I would have paid for turning 36 in August Nick Martinez. At that price, I assume the Rays are having him start.
I’m pretty sure we are paying Candy $16 million this season.
I am more optimistic after the Suárez signing. It showed the willingness of the ownership group to go beyond their comfort zone and give this team a chance to win.
I’m not sold on the Pirates. I think the Brewers and Cubs are still the teams to beat. I think the Reds may have the best rotation in the division and I like what Nick Krall has done with the bullpen.
I think the Red’s season will come down to health. If they can stay relatively healthy, I think they have a chance at the NLC title. I’m feeling much better about this team now than I was a month ago.
Good or bad, the Pirates are often a pain for the Reds when least expected.
They will likely be a better offensive team this year, with the additions they have made. And probably a better defensive team, even without Ke’Bryan Hayes. Magnum will probably play CF, because ONeill Cruz was a terrible CF. A cautionary tale about moving a SS to CF, ala EDLC. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t.
Anybody but the Dodgers! Brings back the old days and the hatred of the Dodgers in the division. May the Reds have the fight and will of Ron Oester and win it all this year and silence the critics for just a little while. Let’s kick some a$&.
Ronny Oester also says the word: Turlit!
He’s a true treasure of Cincinnati!!
Hip hip horray!
Pirates signed Ozuna today. It’s about a wash between him & Suarez. Ozuana is 9 months older. Both have played a lot over the years, so relatively healthy careers. Suarez has 949 RBI, Ozuna 948.
I would take Suarez over Ozuna every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Signing Ozuna might have been a mistake for the Pirates. They wanted a heavy bat for DH, and Ozuna MIGHT be that hitter, but looking at his numbers show a decline last season, and at his age, might mean something. 2024 was a very good year for Ozuna, but 2025…not so much. And Atlanta, after having him for 6 seasons, decided not to resign him. Makes you wonder.
And PNC park, for whatever reason, does not seem to be a friendly hitters park.
Ozuna had a steep decline in power last year. His Iso dropped to .168 from .244 in 2024 and .285 in 2023. He only managed to hit .232 last year and that was with a .280 BABIP, and that was while being a full time DH and the Pirates are murmuring about Ozuna playing LF some this year too. Trends would say to expect a .700-.725 OPS this season from Ozuna.
Don’t forget that Ozuna was dealing with a hip injury most of last season. I fear that he’s going to return to form, or at least perform noticeably better than last year, even if he doesn’t quite reach those 2024 levels. As for playing him in left field, I hope they do, because he’d be terrible. He was a bad fielder before he got old. He’s been DH-only for a reason.
Nick Martinez signed with the Rays for $13M. I had hoped the Reds would find a spot for him but not at that price point. Good for Nick! He’s one heck of a teammate that can adapt to the needs of the team.
I like Martinez. A little surprised the Rays signed him for that much. I think he’ll probably be solid there, Rays feel like maybe a surprise team to get back to where they were a few years ago winning 90 games or so.
The Rays have a steep hill to climb. The American League East may be the strongest division in MLB, with the Blue Jays, Yankees, Red Sox, and Orioles all projected to have winning seasons ahead of the Rays. I like pulling for underdog teams like the Rays and like Nick Martinez. I’ll be cheering them on to be that surprise team in the AL. Of course, I’m really hoping for the Reds to be the biggest surprise team of all in MLB.
Re: “I like pulling for underdog teams like the Rays and like Nick Martinez. I’ll be cheering them on to be that surprise team in the AL.”
I’ll be pulling for them as well, and will get to see a few of their ST games. Fraley and Lux being on the team is an added bonus too.
The wife and I are driving from Charlotte to Cincinnati for the July 9th game versus Phillies. I’m hoping Suarez can drive in his 51st run of the year which would make him 1000 for his career!
Sorry, but I hope Geno has more than 51 RBI by July 9th. That’s past the halfway point in the season and we need Geno well over 100 RBI this year hopefully.
I think it’s great that Edwin Arroyo is getting to play in the WBC. That seems like that will be great experience for him, and will give an opportunity to see how he fairs against some better competition, assuming they play DR and USA.
I agree, Arroyo is the Red I’ll be watching for in the WBC.
At his best last summer, June and July, he was lashing line drives all over, but especially to LF from the left side. When or if he starts hitting them off the wall and occasionally turning on one and putting it over the fence, then we’ll be seeing the player we saw at Dayton. And that takes his ceiling from switching middle infield utility to a starter.
I think health at the end of spring training is always the biggest key, especially this year. If everyone is healthy, I like our chances in making the playoffs again……hopefully against someone besides LAD.
I don’t remember the Reds playing two games at Milwaukee or other place no named Arizona just two days before opening day in recent years…
I really hope the complete pitching staff arrives healthy to the facility. Last year Andrew Abbott had a shoulder impigement from the beginning that delayed his spring and season start
Just last year the Reds played their final game of the spring in Dayton against what was basically the Louisville Bats opening day roster.
This is true! I didn’t remember that game maybe because it was a little weird…well like the most of spring training games…at least Dayton is much closer to Cincinnati…
I recall that “game” well. Doug was on special assignment, and I made a rare stand in appearance as the game wrap up person. Some of the RLN stalwarts did not appreciate that a took the game it’s than seriously. Oh well. 😉
Hi Doug. I remember they were wearing those rather plain looking uniforms that I believe someone compared to getting a Reds’ jersey from Wal-Mart in that Dayton game. Did they ever wear those in the regular season? I don’t recall seeing them again.
I’d like to see the Reds claim OF Yanquiel Fernandez who the Yankees just DFA’d today. He is just 23 and has an average line of.284/.347/.502/.849 in the PCL last year for the Rockies with 13 HR in .271 plate appearances with a 14% K and 8.5% BB rates. They’d have to carry him on the 40 man roster but he has an option remaining. He’s got plus power and a plus arm to profile well in RF.
I don’t know of anyone who is sure-fire headed to the 60-day IL, but the Reds now have an additional method of opening a 40-man roster spot without giving up a player.
And he’s left handed, which the Reds sorely need.
However, I’m not sure he’d be much better than Will Benson or JJ Bleday at this point in time.
But if they feel like he’s a 40-man roster upgrade, they could give him a look at AAA and see how he does. Every once in a while, one of these DFA’d players pans out.
I like Phillips in middle relief & Lowder as a setup man & eventual closer if he can get a good K/BB ratio going.
I think its likely Chase Burns or Rhett Lowder do some opening innings. I also think Callihan will make things interesting in the outfield. What I wonder about mostly, is whether McLain will play some center field. Is it just me, or does it seem McLain to center would be easier than Steer to left? If Steer can play a decent 2nd base, I have more faith in the outfield being good if Friedl switches to left if McLain can handle center. I bet they do it if McLain hits well enough. Who will hit better? McLain, Steer, or Stewart? I love spring training baseball. Endless questions.
McLain is a plus defender at 2B. He won’t be moving. But Marte may be the future CF, given how well he transitioned to RF having never played the position before. The team has said Marte will see time in CF.
@Kevin, “I think its likely Chase Burns or Rhett Lowder do some opening innings”
Neither have their arms ready to pitch a whole MLB season as a starter. I don’t think it’s likely that the Reds would piggy back them, but 32 starts at 4 IP is 128 IP. 128 is a really good goal for the pair.
They’d both be set to go 150+ next year.
I really can’t figure out the plan for these two. Both seem like they should be starting on a MLB rotation, but both are going to be very limited on innings.
Burns threw 110 IP last year. Just have him pitch and as long as he’s feeling good, keep him pitching. Odds are there will be an IL stint or two, and if not you can put guys on the IL for “fatigue” and you can limit his innings that way. You can’t plan on them being healthy later just because you limit innings earlier. Just let them pitch until action needs to be taken otherwise.
I’m more about 140 or so innings for both of them this season. Let them pitch and adjust to how they are feeling.
@Duke, “Odds are there will be an IL stint or two, and if not you can put guys on the IL for “fatigue” and you can limit his innings that way.”
I agree with that. Most pitchers don’t get through a season without a trip or two to the IL.
That being said 110 isn’t really a good launching point for a MLB season. If he makes it to 130ish this year that puts him in a good position for an average MLB season by a pitcher in 2027.
32 Starts 6 IP per start = 192 IP
32 Starts 5.1 IP per start = 170 IP
22 Starts 6 IP per start = 132 IP
25 Starts 5.1 IP per start = 133.25
No matter how you slice it, his starts will have to be managed either by injury, or “fatigue”. He’s not setup to pitch anywhere near a full season.
He was brought up before his arm had been built up, but he helped us make the playoffs last year. tradeoffs I guess
1st Spring Training games are in 11 days!