The Cincinnati Reds rebuild stumbled along through another year in 2018. They are looking to change that in 2019.
It has been five years since the Cincinnati Reds last had a winning record, or made the postseason. Back in 2013, the final year of Dusty Baker‘s reign in Cincy. However, Baker was let go following a loss in the Wild Card Game, leading to a rough stretch under former managers Bryan Price and Jim Riggleman.
Those days may well be coming to an end soon. The Reds have the offense to allow them to keep pace in the NL Central, but need a great deal of work on the pitching staff. None of the Reds starters who made more than seven starts had an ERA+ better than 98, and only two pitchers who made a start in Cincinnati were above league average. The task ahead is clear.
There is a bit of optimism looking ahead to the 2019 campaign. Nick Krall took over as general manager part way through the 2018 campaign, and David Bell is taking over as manager. All Star closer Raisel Iglesias has been signed to a three year extension. The pieces seem to be in place for improvement, if the Reds can fortify their roster this offseason.
Let us take a look back at the 2018 campaign for the Cincinnati Reds, and then look ahead to the 2019 season.