The CttP Five: Desperate Teams Call for Desperate Measures

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

#3 The REDS

The Cincinnati Reds, the last four seasons, have been great. They’ve made the playoffs three of those years, Joey Votto has been all kinds of excellent and have gone a cumulative 357-291. The core of the Reds, that is Votto, Brandon Philips, Jay Bruce, Mat Latos and Homer Bailey have all been excellent in that time, and pitching has scarcely been so consistent on any team. In 2012 the Reds famously had all of their five opening day starters make all their starts for the year. In 2013 they only used six starters and every one of them posted an above-league-average ERA, with Bronson Arroyo‘s 3.79 being the highest ERA mark amongst Reds starters last year. A team like the Reds, as currently constructed, often aren’t in the business of shaking up their roster. Under normal circumstances in a less competitive division, the Reds could have mostly stood pat, hoping to sign someone to work as a viable replacement for departed free agent Shin-Soo Choo and earmarking themselves for another 90 win season. However, things aren’t rosy in the land of the Redlegs. The Cardinals are an unstoppable juggernaut atop their division and the newly successful Pirates have had the projections for their players adjusted for last year’s breakouts. What’s happened is that the Reds have been left behind in the dust. Despite having one of the best first-basemen in the game and a strong core of both offense players and pitchers, a solidly constructed team has found itself projected for a mere 77 wins in 2014, thanks to the predicted dominance of the Cardinals and predicted goodness of the Pirates. The Reds need to add an impact player to replace Choo’s production atop their lineup. Many will point to rookie speed-demon Billy Hamilton as the answer to that conundrum, but his .308 OBP at AAA last year does not bode well for his future as anything but a pinch runner. The Reds would do well to attempt a trade for more of an impact player than Hamilton, and replacing either him or Ryan Ludwick in the outfield with someone of a bit more offensive pedigree may bode well for the teams chances to return to the postseason in 2014. Replacing Ludwick with Nelson Cruz may be a viable option if the Reds can swing the salary and draft pick loss that comes attached to Cruz. They showed a willingness to sacrifice outfield defense for offense last year by playing Choo in center even though he was terrible, so a signing like Cruz or Kendrys Morales could be the best way for the club to see some impact talent without sacrificing their top prospects.