Nick Krall and the Cincinnati Reds front office: A mid-season grade
By Bill Felber
Free agency
Krall didn’t spend much on available talent this winter, but he did spend frequently. The Reds landed 13 players on the open market with mixed results.
Possibly the big name was infielder-outfielder Wil Myers (-1.3), who signed for $12 million through 2024. In mid-June, with the Reds surging in defiance of Myers’ .189 average, Krall promoted De La Cruz, cut Myers and took the financial hit.
Luke Weaver (-0.8) was brought in to help a young pitching staff reliant on Hunter Green, Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft. Injuries to Lodolo and Ashcraft caused Krall to lean harder on Weaver, and that hasn’t worked. He’s 1-2 with a 6.96 ERA in 13 starts.
Most of the other additions — guys of the stripe of Curt Casali, Kevin Herget, Jason Vosler and Silvino Bracho — have played filler roles or been shipped to the minors.
On the other hand, free agent reliever Buck Farmer (+0.8) re-signed and has a 3.18 ERA in 38 appearances.
Mike Moustakas led a small parade of five 2022 Reds out of town over the winter, and none of them is enjoying life in their new environs. The Rockies picked up the remaining $18 million Cincinnati owed Moustakas for 2023, plus a 2024 club option, then this week shipped him to the Los Angeles Angels for a minor leaguer.