I’m starting to really really get back into baseball and the Reds. I really want to learn the history of the sport. In your opinion what was the greatest single moment in Reds history?

Pulled this last night

If you told Dodgers and Yankees fans that all other teams are going to pay for there players because they are so important to Mlb, I think they would say that we have a good point. So tired of big market teams claims that unlimited money doesn't help there teams. They always say we don't win every year. Lol

Go Redlegs.

Seems to me the team has more open spots on the 40 man roster to cover those dudes that were Rule 5 eligible. Is Krall looking to add more in a trade soon?

After watching some of Aaron Judge's struggles and Shohei being nonexistent in the WS, I started wondering how Joseph Daniel Votto might have performed on the same stage.

Would he have stepped up or pulled a Houdini?

We have a small sample size from 2010, 2012 (hurt), and 2013.

My gut tells me he likely would have disappeared though I hope otherwise.

What are your thoughts?

REDS FANS

JUST UPDATED FOR 2024

I have a photo history CD/flash drive of key years in Reds history. CD/FD contains complete photo player rosters for the following key years…..1961, 1970-75, 1990, and 2000 through 2024….over 2300 photos. Photo rosters are grouped together on the CD by year so they can be viewed consecutively as a team. Every photo has a description under it: “2005 John Doe SS 05-09” meaning he was a shortstop for the Reds from 2005 through 2009.

CD/FD also contains numerous photos of Reds players from other years, photos of Crosley Field through the years, and images of Reds publications (programs, yearbooks, etc.) going back to the 1950s.

All photos are of a decent size. No postage stamp size photos.

99+% of players are pictured in their Reds uniforms.

If my Reds player photo CDFD interests you, please contact me at conklinwj@aol.com for more details. You will not be disappointed.

Bill

Go Redlegs.

So we've all got our opinions on how to handle the OF situation. Sign a big free agent. Convert McLain to CF. Plenty of other ones as well.

I've got one that I think may be a good fit for where the Reds are right now that fixes a lot of things. Delay the decision for a year. Make a trade for a 2026 free agent outfielder now. This type of trade would likely be fairly low cost, and not use one of the top 10 prospects. We would get a starter level OF in their contract year, playing in a ballpark that has revived some guys as hitters. We wouldn't be making a long term commitment, and would retain some flexibility with 2 big waves of arbitration looming.

So does waiting a year help, or just delay the inevitable? I think a year helps a lot. If you want to move one of the IF's to OF, they could do some spot starting this year, instead of trying to convert in one spring training. You could even start converting an current IF in the minors right now. Hinds and Dunn can be left in AAA to get some at bats and see if they develop some more, and still be brought up in case of injuries. And Carlos Jorge and Hector Rodriguez could have a shot at being ready by 2026.

There are some drawbacks. You would be giving up some mid level prospects for one season of a player. There would be the frustration of possibly bringing in a player who does well, and then likely not being able to resign them after one season.

I think overall it's a risk worth taking.

Below is the list of 2026 OF free agents who this could work with, along with my best guess % of whether their current team would trade them for 1-2 mid tier prospects. I left out ones who would cost too much in 2025 or ones that teams would 100% not trade (Schwarber, Tucker, etc).

Mitch Haniger, Lamonte Wade Jr., Mike Yastrzemski- 90% Grouping these together since they're all Giants. Especially with a new regime in SF, almost a sure thing one of these guys will be traded this offseason

Cedric Mullins- 65% They already shopped him at the last deadline, but could be feeling pressure to full go for it this year

Lane Thomas- 50%- Based on his playoff performance they keep him. Based on how stingy Cleveland is, they may want to save the money and get some future prospects back while they can.

Hunter Renfroe- 75%

Austin Hays- 50%

Ramon Laureano- 60%

Trent Grisham- 80% Chances could drop lower if they lost out on Soto though

Luis Robert- 5%- Adding him even though there's a club option after next season. Don't think the ChiSox are close enough to competing to pick it up. 95% chance he gets traded this offseason or next deadline, but Sox will be looking for high end prospects for him. Something catastrophic would need to happen for them to settle for a smaller deal.

Just a quick heads up on when some things will happen this offseason.

The first of which is Options, which must be decided 5 days from the end of the WS, so 4 days from today.

Here's a reminder of the Reds players with pending decisions:

Luke Maile- Club option for $3.5 million

Nick Martinez- Player Option for $12 million

Emilio Pagan- Player option for $8 million

Brent Suter- Club Option for $3.5 million

EDIT: Jake Junis- $8 million mutual option (missed that one somehow)

Rest of the relevant offseason dates-

NOV. 5-7: GM MEETINGS.

NOV. 19: DEADLINE FOR PLAYERS TO ACCEPT OR REJECT QUALIFYING OFFER.

NOV. 22: NON-TENDER DEADLINE.

DEC. 9-12: MLB WINTER MEETINGS.

DEC. 11: RULE 5 DRAFT.

FEBRUARY: ARBITRATION FIGURES EXCHANGED.

MID-FEBRUARY: SPRING TRAINING BEGINS.

To preface I'm not a huge catcher expert so I could be totally off base.

Ty Steve quietly had a very good year. He kind of got overshadowed by the positives in Elly/Greene and the general shitty performance of the team.

With decently hitting catchers being kind of rare nowadays and Ty Steve having a good year, what are thoughts on extending him?

He's going into arb 2 this year. I feel like it could make sense from both sides. Reds can lock up a decent bat/catcher and he can get security for his family.

A similar ish comparison to me feels like Willson Contreras--above average bat, mid-tier framing/other metrics.

He's got 5 years/87.5m guarantied which feels like a bit of an overpay but something like 4/60 with some options maybe?

Thoughts

https://www.redlegnation.com/2024/10/29/the-cincinnati-reds-are-trying-matt-mclain-in-center-field/

If this Matt McLain CF experiment works (he played in college) here's what I'm thinking:

HSK elite defense around the IF (2B/SS/3B) gives us options and he's relatively affordable at likely $15-$20M/yr. Dump Jeimer for literally anything (eat his contract).

C - TySteve
1B - CES
2B - India/HSK/Marte
SS - Elly
3B - HSK/Marte
RF - Friedl
CF - McLain
LF - Steer
DH - Marte/India
Bench - Espinal, Fraley, Maile, Dunn

Yes would love to have a RH power bat in the OF but that market doesn't look great. Do you really want 5 years of injury-prone Tyler O'Neill for $15-$20M/yr? Best bet might be to try to trade Marte for the right bat here. Likely you keep Jeimer in that case.

Rotation - Greene, Lodolo, Abbott, Lowder, Martinez (resign)
Bullpen - Scott (sign), Leclerc (sign), Pagan, Ashcraft/Spiers, Diaz, Moll, Santillan, Suter

That's 26. Let's say you get HSK @ $18M/yr, Scott @ $10M/yr, Martinez @ $15M/yr, Leclerc @ $6M/yr. Payroll is roughly $117M (including projected arbitration increases). Would decrease if you get ANY salary offset for moving Jeimer.

What do you all think? Groundball/strikeout pitchers with good right-side infield defense and passable left. Balance of LHP/RHP in rotation. Strong bullpen arms (2 closers). Multiple guys who can play multiple positions well. Speed/power combos everywhere.

IMO the recipe for small-market success.

Go Redlegs.

If it works for the dodgers it can work for us

How much money do the Reds have realistically in the offseason. I just saw Soto said “Every team has the same opportunities when I go into free agency.” On a scale of 1/10 how realistic is it that they at least try to get him?

We still have a few weeks until this year's Rule 5 Protection Deadline, which falls on November 19 this year, but I'm in the midst of a rare dramatically slow day at work, so I'm gonna write about it now. As most people on this sub are likely aware, there is a date every year by which teams need to add certain players to the 40-man roster in order to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft (the need for protection being based on time since entering the pros). If a player is unprotected, he stays in the organization (unless he is far enough along to be able to elect MiLB free agency, but that's a tale for another time), but he is eligible to be picked by other teams in the Rule 5 Draft that takes place in December at the Winter Meetings.

As things stand, the Reds have 39 players on their 40-man roster. This calculation includes players who ended the year on the 60-day IL, but it does not include players whose contracts have options (including player options like Nick Martinez and Emilio Pagan, mutual options like Jakob Junis, and team options like Luke Maile and Brent Suter). Pagan feels like a lock to pick up his player option, and I imagine that the Reds will pick up the option for at least one of Suter and Maile (though I'm not here to litigate the reasonableness of doing so in either case).

Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that Pagan opts in, Martinez (obviously) opts out, and the Reds pick up exactly one of the options between Suter and Maile. This would put the 40-man at 41, which obviously necessitates a move.

As things stand, the Reds certainly have some fat they can trim from the roster, and they will need to do so ahead of November 19, as they have several prospects that they will need to add (which is the crux of this post). Some players who are at real risk of being cut are, in no particular order, Ty France, Nick Martini, Tejay Antone, Jacob Hurtubise, Joey Wiemer (though I would be a bit shocked), Austin Wynns, and Christian Roa. There are probably others who aren't guaranteed safety, but those 7 stand out for various reasons.

As for how much space needs to be created, that remains to be seen. This is one of the first times I can remember the Reds entering protection season with a legitimate 40-man crunch, which makes all of the protection calls significantly harder. Below, I've sorted various Rule 5-eligible prospects into buckets of "Likely Protected," "Tough Call," and "Longshot."

Likely Protected:

• RHP Jose Acuña (age 22) - one of two players acquired in the Tyler Naquin trade, all Acuña has done in the minors is shove, despite never getting much love from evaluators. After missing much of the year with injury, Acuña dominated in short stints in AA, to the tune of a 0.81 ERA, 2.64 FIP, 3.45 xFIP, and a nice 26.8% K rate, albeit in only a 22.1 IP sample. He even made his way up to AAA at age 21; things went very poorly there in a tiny sample, but it is nonetheless a testament to his advanced profile. The Reds gave him a massive vote of confidence by using one of their limited Arizona Fall League spots on him (though that may well have simply been to help him get innings after missing most of the year), and I'd be very shocked if he doesn't get protected from the R5 Draft.
• RHP Andrew Moore (age 25) - the fourth piece received in the Luis Castillo deal, Moore is a pure reliever with late-inning stuff. He has struggled with each of walks and injuries so far in the Reds' system, but he has shown enough strikeout stuff (35.6% K rate across A+ and AA in 2024) that he feels likely to be protected from the R5 Draft, especially given that guys like him are the most oft-picked players in the R5.

Tough Call:

• IF Tyler Callihan (age 24) - once seen as one of the future top hitters in the Reds' org, Callihan has mostly oscillated between injury (including a major elbow injury) and underwhelming performance in the minors, but he had solid results in 2024, mostly at AA. Despite a concerning 27.7% K rate, he posted a 126 wRC+ at AA, and he had a scorching 4-game cameo at AAA to end the year (.357/.550/.714 in a 20-PA sample). Long known as a pure hitter with no defensive value (and indeed no real position), Callihan's struggles with Ks are more concerning than for the average prospect, but based on pedigree and the excuse of developmental time missed due to injury and COVID, the Reds could very well give him the benefit of the doubt and protect him now.
• RHP Luis Mey (age 23) - one of the hardest throwers in baseball, Mey's velocity is pretty much the entirety of why he's a tough call. Teams love to bet on guys with premium velocity in the R5, even if they're not really ready for the majors (or even able to throw enough strikes to survive). After years of toiling as a tantalizing-but-frustrating arm in Rookie/A-ball, Mey finally made it up to AA in 2024. Results were a mixed bag, as he got a ton of groundballs and had decent-enough run prevention (4.15 ERA), but he still couldn't find the strike zone consistently enough, and he didn't generate as many swings and misses as a guy who can throw 103 should. One key datapoint here is that the Reds gave him an Arizona Fall League spot, which may be indicative of the value they place on him. I personally wouldn't protect him, but I wouldn't be shocked if the Reds do, and I certainly wouldn't be shocked if he's picked in the R5 in the event that they don't.

Longshot (but still possible):

• UTL Ivan Johnson (age 26) - Johnson is an interesting case, and of all the guys listed in this section, he likely has the strongest argument to be protected. On the one hand, he swings and misses way too much, which has led to K rates consistently around and above 30% in the minors. On the other hand, he played 2B and all three OF spots (with CF being his most-played position) in 2024, and he hits the ball hard...very hard. His average exit velo in AAA was 90.6 MPH, which would be very high even by MLB standards. His overall results were quite good across AA/AAA this year, with a 130 wRC+ across the two levels. But given the continued strikeout issues and his advanced age, I think it's more likely the Reds roll the dice and leave Johnson unprotected.
• RHP Nestor Lorant (age 22) - it's not hyperbole to say that Nestor Lorant was probably the Reds' best minor league pitcher in 2024. He posted a 1.44 ERA, 2.63 FIP, and 3.09 xFIP in 87.2 IP in Low-A, supported by an awesome 30.2% K rate and 6.7% BB rate. The problem for Lorant, of course, is that it was only Low-A. With an 8.2 IP cameo in High-A late in the season, Lorant has only ever thrown 8.2 IP above Low-A. That is not a recipe for getting picked in the R5, but it wouldn't be unprecedented, either. Lorant is one to watch going forward, but it's probably a year too early for him, which is why he is likely to go both unprotected and unpicked in the R5 this year.
• C Mat Nelson (age 26) - the argument for Nelson, which I'm ultimately not persuaded by, is "who else ya got?" If the Reds DFA Austin Wynns and decline Luke Maile's option, they may arrive at the Rule 5 Protection Deadline with only one catcher on the 40-man. Nelson, a disappointing former top 40 pick, has big power, but he seemed to sacrifice that in 2024 to cut down on swinging and missing. His K rate of 22.3% was the best for any meaningful sample in his career, but his ISO cratered to .089, easily the lowest in his career. Overall, he was a slightly below-average hitter at AA in 2024 (93 wRC+). The Reds don't have many viable catcher options, so there's always a chance for Nelson, but I don't think the Reds will be too concerned about him getting picked.

The Reds are seemingly good for a surprise choice every year, mostly in the vein of choosing to protect someone who was not on peoples' radar for protection (which included Tejay Antone once upon a time!). Thus, can't say I'd be shocked if someone who I didn't list here is ultimately protected (dart throw: T.J. Sikkema), but we shall see!

Go Redlegs.

As we get closer and closer to the end of the playoffs, followed by the offseason, I wanted to bring up one very underrated factor that will influence how the front office approaches signings and trades. Arbitration.

The downside of having these classes of prospects come up is that teams can get his with waves of them going from their cushy league minimum salaries into their arbitration periods, when those numbers will start climbing. If a team has 2-3 players hit arbitration in an offseason, it can make a small dent in their payroll. If they have a bigger wave, it can start adding up.

Here's what the Reds are staring at in the next 2 years of players moving into arbitration:

Starting Arb 1 this offseason-5 per Spotrac (Gibaut, Moll, Diaz, Ashcraft Lodolo)

After 2025- 9 players (McLain, Benson, Fairchild, Friedl, Martini, Steer, Williamson, Cruz, Santillan)

After 2026- 4 players- (Elly, CES, Weimer, Abbott)

So over the next 3 years, 19 players on the roster will start getting raises. Add to that some of the other players currently in the arbitration cycle who will also be getting raises. Now some may obviously not be here by the time they do get to arbitration, being released or traded potentially.

Now raises for arbitration will be based some on performance, but rough numbers for an average player would be going from 800K to $1.5-$3mil on Arb 1. Then to $4-7 million on Arb 2. And $8-11 million on Arb 3. Some will be less, some more. Juan Soto as a example went $8.5, $17 and $23 in his first 3 years of arbitration.

So this big wave coming could add a lot of money to payroll without even adding anyone to the roster. How does knowing this wave is coming affect what the Reds may do this offseason?

1. With any signings, emphasis on shorter contracts. Heavily expect the Reds not to sign a free agent this offseason to more than a 3 year deal. This also means that they may overpay on an AAV to get someone in if they want them. So as an example, if you see player A rumored to be looking for a contract at 5 years $15 million per, the Reds may still make an offer to them, but it may be more like 3 years $20 million per.

2. A lot of focus on extensions. Extending a lot of these players helps even out the costs and make them more predictable going forward. So you may see less of the efforts going toward bringing in new signings, but hear rumblings about extension talks. Now, agents really, really hate extending these young players any more, so don't expect a ton of successes with it, especially if their agent's name rhymes with "Sore-Ass"

3. Trades. So you may see the Reds be more active in the trade market to make the changes they need. And who gets traded may change. So you may be less likely to see them shopping minor leaguers like Sal Stewart or Bryce Petty, and more likely to see them offering players closer to the arbitration window like Abbott or CES. They may also look to do somw swapping of players close to arbitration to those further back, or even for players who've already passed their window and have a short, predictable, and affordable contract.

CES was removed from the AFL game on Oct 16th in the 8th inning. He has not played for Glendale since.

I am wondering if anyone knows what his injury is.