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Rating MLB general managers for 2021: The NL Central

By Bill Felber

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington looks on during batting practice before the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington looks on during batting practice before the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Reds general manager Nick Krall (right) with field manager David Bell.
Reds general manager Nick Krall (right) with field manager David Bell. /

NL Central GM rankings: No. 2 — Nick Krall, Cincinnati Reds vice president and general manager

-2.8 WAA

This was a season of ‘what might have been’ for Nick Krall and his Reds. The June collapse of the Chicago Cubs opened a potential playoff window that Krall attempted to shove his team through. A few of his moves worked, but the accumulated impact was insufficient to prevent a 12-17 September stretch run that consigned Cincinnati to third place.

Krall did a lot of things very well in 2021. His mid-season pickup of Luis Cessa from the Yankees markedly improved the Reds’ bullpen, a team weakness. Cessa had a 2.05 ERA in 26 late-season innings, good for a 1.0 WAA.

His farm system, meanwhile, was easily the majors’ most productive. Second baseman Jonathan India, an on-base machine, had a .376 on-base average, while pitchers Vlad Gutierrez and and Tony Santillan combined for 157 innings of effective work. As a trio, they were the principal reason for the Reds’  +4.3 WAA among first-year players.

But the bulk of Krall’s work was more mediocre. He made 43 personnel moves affecting the big league roster in 2021, 22 of which produced negative value and only 18 of which worked out positive.

Krall may especially regret what he did to the Reds’ pitching staff over the winter … although the Giants and Dodgers certainly won’t. He released Anthony DeSclafani and lost Trevor Bauer to free agency. DeSclafani landed in San Francisco, going 13-7 with a 3.17 for the majors’ best team.

Before running into legal problems, Bauer boosted LA with a 2.59 ERA in 17 starts. Together their departures cost the Reds a potential 4.7 WAA.

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