Cincinnati Reds 2017 Season Preview
Key Offseason Additions
Two of the biggest moves of the offseason were nearly opposite in their impact on fans of the team.
On February 12th, roughly 10 days before spring training opened, the Reds traded long-time second baseman Brandon Phillips to Atlanta for lefty reliever Andrew McKirahan and righty reliever Carlos Portuondo.
Phillips was a guy who provided flash and good effort for the team on the field every day and was good with the fans, but his on field performance did not match his salary any longer, and the team wanted to see what they had in multiple infield options, so moving Phillips was a priority of the offseason, one that took eating a lot of cash to pull off.
The other trade may not have struck at Cincinnati Reds fans’ hearts as hard, but probably involved the better player leaving the Reds as Dan Straily was traded to the Miami Marlins for three players, including strong-armed prospect Luis Castillo.
Very probably the biggest free agent signing of the offseason ended up being starter Scott Feldman. While he was signed to be depth in the rotation, injuries to other starters have led to Feldman being named the opening day starter for the Reds.
The Reds opened the 2017 calendar year by signing reliever Drew Storen to a contract on January 3rd. Storen, the former Nationals closer, had fallen on hard times in his performance in 2015-2016, but he could be a big asset if he can bounce back to his previous form.
In one of the first moves of the offseason, Arismendy Alcantara was claimed from the Oakland Athletics. He’s a former top prospect when he was with the Cubs organization, and he could provide a solid bench infielder.
The Reds worked the free agent and waiver wire with more minor moves in February as the season drew near, picking up utility man Zach Walters, outfielder Desmond Jennings, pitcher Bronson Arroyo, utility man Ryan Raburn, 1B/OF Christian Walker, pitcher Lisalverto Bonilla and pitcher Jumbo Diaz.
Obviously not all of those guys will make the team, but Cincinnati is definitely being wise to give opportunities to all who could give value to the big-league club.
Key Offseason Losses
Straily and Phillips have been mentioned, and they’re definitely the biggest impact players that had been lost.
The Reds lost a few free agents that they didn’t seem to make much effort to pursue, like J.J. Hoover, Alfredo Simon, among many others.
The Reds did sell John Lamb to the Tampa Bay Rays. Lamb was part of the return for Johnny Cueto when he was traded to Kansas City in midseason, and while the Reds have been very pleased with the return of Brandon Finnegan and still have hope for Cody Reed, they were not pleased with Lamb in 2016. Lamb didn’t end up sticking with the Rays, either, being released roughly two weeks later before signing with the Angels.
Two interesting losses in the offseason were Tyrell Jenkins and Richie Shaffer. Both players were claimed from other teams when those teams tried to designate the players off of their 40-man rosters.
Hoping they could sneak one by, the Reds attempted to do the same thing, and both were claimed by other teams, landing Jenkins in San Diego and Schaffer in Cleveland.
The Reds also lost pinch hitter and backup outfielder Steve Selsky on waivers to the Red Sox.
Let’s take a look at the position players of note for 2017…
Next: Lineup/Bench