Red Reporter - All PostsAAAA Affiliate of the Cincinnati Redshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/30447/favicon.ico2024-03-18T11:27:51-04:00http://www.redreporter.com/rss/current/2024-03-18T11:27:51-04:002024-03-18T11:27:51-04:00Red Reposter - Joey Votto Reposter
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<figcaption>Dave Nelson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Monday links!</p> <p id="nOr2od">The number 37 is scratched across the back of the jersey of the guy on the right in the above photo, a guy coming off injury and in camp on a non-guaranteed contract. His previous team had the option to retain him and declined, and he waited into March before finally coming to terms with a new club.</p>
<p id="sCwwCB">Said club - the Toronto Blue Jays - has a star 1B on its roster already, a guy who, in a non-Ohtani world, would have an American League MVP trophy in his cabinet alongside his Silver Slugger, 3x All Star Games, and All Star Game MVP trophy. Toronto also has an in-house veteran to be their DH most days - a former Cincinnati Reds draftee who hit 23 dongs and boasted a 114 OPS+ in a mostly-healthy 2023 at age 38.</p>
<p id="QZrCDP">#37 has a hill to climb to reach the big leagues, and precious little time to climb it. He took a major first step yesterday, however, as he took the first pitch he saw from the pitcher who just inked the highest average annual value contract in history and swatted it for a homer to left-center - the kind of throwback swing to when he claimed a National League MVP himself. And as David Singh of Sportsnet noted, he later stepped on a bat in the dugout and rolled his ankle a bit.</p>
<p id="OueG4d"><a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/inside-wild-day-for-joey-votto-at-blue-jays-spring-training/">It was a wild first day on the diamond for Joey Votto</a>, that #37 in blue who became an icon for the Cincinnati Reds over the last 17 years. It was also the latest in a series of great first impressions from the future Hall of Famer, as Jayson Stark of The Athletic made note of yesterday, too.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Joey Votto the last two years:<br><br>Today: HR on the first pitch he sees as a Blue Jay<br><br>Last June 19: HR in his first game of the season<br><br>Last Sept. 10: HR in his first game off the Injured List<br><br>Some guys just know how to make an entrance <a href="https://t.co/NMZfUGVwp8">https://t.co/NMZfUGVwp8</a></p>— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) <a href="https://twitter.com/jaysonst/status/1769417333041180885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2024</a>
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<p id="gJitrC">You didn’t have to squint to see the 104.3 mph rocket off Votto’s bat looked like a vintage, healthy swing from him, the kind we didn’t get much of a chance to see over the last two seasons as he recovered from major surgeries to his shoulder and biceps. But now, at age 40, Votto insists he’s healthier than he has been, and we all know that his health paired with his hitter’s mind and intense physical preparation means he’s most certainly still got a bit left in his tank. </p>
<p id="qYI5mo">I referenced Vlad Guerrero, their incumbent everyday 1B. I mentioned Justin Turner, signed to a guaranteed deal to, at the time, be their primary DH. Thing is, if you <em>do</em> squint in Votto’s direction with a side-eye on Toronto’s roster, you can see a path to pretty regular PA for him in the right circumstances.</p>
<p id="noovsD">Isiah Kiner-Falefa has a lovely glove and a fresh free agent deal that guarantees him $15 million over a pair of years, and <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/depth-charts/blue-jays">FanGraphs lists him atop the 3B depth chart</a> at the moment. IKF also posted just a .646 OPS last year (and .648 against RHP), while Turner - an everyday 3B in his younger years - actually owns a slightly better career OPS vs. RHP (.830) than LHP (.826). Turner spent 58 games on the dirt last year and started 66 games at the hot corner for the Dodgers in 2022, and if the Blue Jays see enough in Votto to want to get him into the lineup against RHP, using Turner in the field provides a path for Joey’s time to DH.</p>
<p id="kIq32Q">They’ll just need to make sure they keep the bats off the ground in the dugout, of course.</p>
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https://www.redreporter.com/2024/3/18/24104827/toronto-joey-votto-home-run-blue-jays-ankleWick Terrell2024-03-17T21:12:48-04:002024-03-17T21:12:48-04:00Cincinnati Reds CF TJ Friedl has a wrist fracture
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<figcaption>Photo by George Kubas/Diamond Images via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>And the team’s depth will be tested yet again...</p> <p id="K9WK0v">Despite the vast influx of young talent seen on the 2023 Cincinnati Reds, it was TJ Friedl who was truly the breakout star. He led the team in bWAR (3.8), showed he could hit lefties, and cemented himself as the team’s leadoff hitter throughout the season, his combination of speed, defense, and competent power something of a prototype CF.</p>
<p id="qHGFhL">Thing is, while the Reds built in failsafes on their roster all over the infield and at the corner outfield positions, CF was the place where they probably had the least depth. So while the suspension of Noelvi Marte and the various injuries to both Matt McLain and Jonathan India over recent months raised <em>a few</em> eyebrows, any injury to Friedl in CF would likely be met with much more concern given the lack of true options to step into that role.</p>
<p id="pbQkMf">We’re about to see how raised our eyebrows really get, unfortunately.</p>
<p id="g7IZao">After diving for a ball in the outfield and leaving immediately with pain in his wrist on Saturday, the news Sunday confirmed that Friedl has a fracture in his wrist. <a href="https://x.com/CharlieG__/status/1769501041773711422?s=20">The Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith relayed the news</a>, noting that Friedl will be shut down for 3-4 weeks before they reconsider where his progress stands.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">TJ Friedl has a wrist fracture. Re access in 3-4 weeks. Has to let the bone heal.</p>— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) <a href="https://twitter.com/CharlieG__/status/1769501041773711422?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2024</a>
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<p id="b9LlTj">That means no Friedl for Opening Day, and perhaps no Friedl for most (if not all) of the month of April. Suddenly, it seems Will Benson and Stuart Fairchild will now be in the mix for the reps in CF, and the team’s ability to platoon all across the outfield will be tested as a result.</p>
<p id="VlMqRs">It’s another big blow to a roster that, to its credit, had a lot going for it just weeks ago. Now, we’re faced with the team’s leader in bWAR being out for over a month, the team’s top prospect being out for an 80-game suspension, lefties Alex Young and Sam Moll still being sidelined, and more questions than answers that you’d like to hear from an up and coming young roster.</p>
<p id="0LoRR9">Get well soon, TJ. </p>
https://www.redreporter.com/2024/3/17/24104439/cincinnati-reds-tj-friedl-injury-rumors-wrist-fractureWick Terrell2024-03-16T20:21:44-04:002024-03-16T20:21:44-04:00Cincinnati Reds Opening Day Roster Prediction, Volume III
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<figcaption>Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>After a series of big moves and injury updates, here’s our latest projection.</p> <p id="PbupKZ">As should always be expected in the third and fourth weeks of any camp in Spring Training, a whole hell of a lot of news has impacted our <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/2024/2/13/24072409/cincinnati-reds-opening-day-roster-prediction-frankie-montas">initial</a> (and <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/2024/3/4/24090238/cincinnati-reds-opening-day-roster-prediction-jonathan-india-injured">subsequent</a>) roster projections.</p>
<p id="9zD0uu">Noelvi Marte got smacked with an 80-game suspension for PEDS. Ouch!</p>
<p id="RjHeet">Jose Barrero got placed on waivers in early March, for whatever reason, a decision that might well have serious ramifications since TJ Friedl has been diagnosed with a sprained wrist. Who’s the CF for the Reds if Friedl, who I have starting the season on the IL now, misses significant time?</p>
<p id="rLye57">Fernando Cruz has been serving up bombs, unfortunately, and since he’s a) got an option and b) other arms have shown themselves to be more healthy than they were earlier in came, he’s on the AAA Louisville roster come Opening Day in this Volume III projection.</p>
<p id="ne7TVV">Did I say ‘arms’ and ‘healthy’ in the same sentence? I suppose I should have mentioned <em>righties</em> in said sentence, since the lefties are all over the map. Alex Young has been downgraded to out for Opening Day, while Sam Moll still hasn’t thrown a pitch in a Cactus League game. The Reds signed Justin Wilson on Friday because they needed the lefty cover, and <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/2024/3/16/24103323/cincinnati-reds-bullpen-rumors-justin-wilson-sam-moll-brent-suter">that’s a pretty good tell that things are in flux</a> out there.</p>
<p id="7UIeBd">As for how the Reds fill-in for the lack of Marte on the infield, Friedl in the outfield, and with them surely going to have Jonathan India in kid gloves (boots?) defensively until he’s totally beyond his plantar fasciitis, I’ve added both Tony Kemp and Nick Martini to the roster. Kemp can cover both infield and outfield (and has 42 games played in CF to his name), while Martini has shown he can at least thump the ball when given the chance. It’s a two-player way of adding defensive cover for Friedl and Marte (Kemp) and offensive cover (Martini, in theory).</p>
<p id="5HKnUq">The lone hangup I’ve got at the moment is whether the Reds will go with an obvious four-man rotation until Nick Lodolo debuts on April 10th. They’ve got a pair of scheduled days off before his targeted return date, in theory giving them the ability to roll with a deeper bullpen instead of a fifth starter. For now, I’ve got them sticking with a fifth starter (with Nick Martinez in a bullpen role).</p>
<p id="YGL0yE">The biggest takeaway here? Man, do I ever hope TJ Friedl is absolutely fine and returns in plenty of time to make the Opening Day roster 100%.</p>
<h3 id="Zvjh9W">Catcher (2)</h3>
<p id="SCoIes">Tyler Stephenson, Luke Maile</p>
<h3 id="2uSxfT">Infield (5)</h3>
<p id="yxX82f">Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, Jeimer Candelario, Jonathan India</p>
<h3 id="CyfdrM">Outfield (3)</h3>
<p id="2ZO2vz">Will Benson, Jake Fraley, Stuart Fairchild</p>
<h3 id="hina9m">Infield/Outfield/26th man (2)</h3>
<p id="BUVWuq">Tony Kemp, Nick Martini</p>
<h3 id="3Gomfi">Spencer Steer (1)</h3>
<p id="a1hScA">Spencer Steer</p>
<h3 id="O6k44w">Starting Rotation (5)</h3>
<p id="hrmpb7">Hunter Greene, Frankie Montas, Andrew Abbott, Graham Ashcraft, Brandon Williamson</p>
<h3 id="oXMfkn">Bullpen (8)</h3>
<p id="nnVzX6">Alexis Díaz, Emilio Pagán, Brent Suter, Nick Martinez, Lucas Sims, Tejay Antone, Justin Wilson, Buck Farmer</p>
<h3 id="tnDVFD">15-day IL (5)</h3>
<p id="by390P">TJ Friedl (wrist), Ian Gibaut (forearm), Alex Young (back), Sam Moll (shoulder), Nick Lodolo (tibia)</p>
<h3 id="2jcV1C">80-game Suspension (1)</h3>
<p id="KgKEkE">Noelvi Marte</p>
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https://www.redreporter.com/2024/3/16/24103493/cincinnati-reds-opening-day-roster-tj-friedl-sprained-wristWick Terrell2024-03-16T16:00:04-04:002024-03-16T16:00:04-04:00The Reds signing of Justin Wilson shows their bullpen is still in flux
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<figcaption>Meg Vogel via Imagn Content Services, LLC</figcaption>
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<p>An old friend was signed to a big league deal on Friday.</p> <p id="0ZhRCF">The Cincinnati Reds bullpen managed to eek out a 4.11 ERA over the course of the 2023 regular season, a mark that landed them middle of the pack among all MLB clubs (16th). Despite the roughly league-average results, though, many of the advanced metrics were much more sour on them.</p>
<p id="miHmOS">Their 4.45 SIERA, for instance, <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&lg=all&qual=0&season=2023&season1=2023&ind=0&team=0%2Cts&rost=0&filter=&players=0&type=1&month=0&stats=rel&sortcol=19&sortdir=default&pagenum=1">was third worst in all of baseball</a>, while their .280 BABIP was the fourth lowest. Despite the cozy confines of GABP, their 10.1% HR/FB rate was the second best in the entire game, and that came despite a 41.0% fly-ball rate that was the second highest in all of baseball.</p>
<p id="rlYW1G">In other words, a lot of metrics think the Cincinnati bullpen got a little lucky last year. The Reds front office wasn’t immune to that skepticism, either, and dove headfirst into free agency to address those issue. Back came Buck Farmer, while each of Emilio Pagan, Nick Martinez, and Brent Suter were signed to fortify the group’s outlook for the upcoming campaign.</p>
<p id="O9GX9Y">The Reds signed lefty Justin Wilson to a guaranteed big league deal yesterday, <a href="https://twitter.com/ByRobertMurray/status/1768691234544259207">per FanSided’s Robert Murray</a>, and that shows just how in-flux the team’s bullpen situation still is today.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Free-agent reliever Justin Wilson reached agreement on a major-league contract with the Cincinnati Reds, according to sources familiar with the deal. <a href="https://t.co/02w9WzGQ2M">https://t.co/02w9WzGQ2M</a></p>— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) <a href="https://twitter.com/ByRobertMurray/status/1768691234544259207?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2024</a>
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<p id="29Vdhl">Wilson, a lefty, returns to the Reds after a lost 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery and a 2023 season spent mostly rehabbing within the Milwaukee system. You may recall that the now 36 year old Wilson looked pretty solid for the Reds in 2021-2022 in limited action prior to that elbow injury, though he was banged up for a lot of the time before that, too.</p>
<p id="GDDVz6">The thing about the Reds signing Wilson, a lefty, is that Suter, Alex Young, and Big Time 2023 Trade Deadline Addition Sam Moll™ are also lefties, and that’s a lot of lefties for an eight-man bullpen. As it turns out, Young has suffered a setback and will miss the start of the season, <a href="https://twitter.com/CharlieG__/status/1768685606882902191">as Charlie Goldsmith of The Enquirer relayed</a>, while Moll - who still has an option remaining - has been banged up and has yet to feature in Cactus League play with a shoulder issue.</p>
<p id="DBO2aC">Goldsmith also noted that Martinez, who’s in the mix as both a starter and reliever, is dealing with some pain in his side and is questionable to be ready to start the season on time. This all comes as Ian Gibaut, who was second on the team with 71 appearances last year, sits sidelined with a bad forearm, too.</p>
<p id="s1hJVF">It’s not exactly the rock-solid answer to the bullpen problems the Reds had hoped to see with just under two weeks until the regular season begins. In fact, it’s a group that’s perhaps in more flux now than it was this time last year when the group barely carried any expectations.</p>
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https://www.redreporter.com/2024/3/16/24103323/cincinnati-reds-bullpen-rumors-justin-wilson-sam-moll-brent-suterWick Terrell2024-03-13T14:32:42-04:002024-03-13T14:32:42-04:00Frankie Montas toes the rubber as Reds face Giants in Scottsdale
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<figcaption>Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>And you can watch it, too! (Just kidding...you can’t.)</p> <p id="pCOxmM">The Cincinnati Reds will continue their quest to actually finish Cactus League play with an above .500 record this afternoon when they face the San Francisco Giants at their Scottsdale complex. </p>
<p id="vI5AZb">Frankie Montas will be on the bump for the Reds, his first such in-game action since being named the team’s starter for their Opening Day contest against the Washington Nationals at Great American Ball Park. Mason Black, who was tabbed the #8 prospect in the San Francisco system by MLB Pipeline earlier this spring, will get the start for the Giants on the day.</p>
<p id="thnlqI">Once again, there is no televised coverage of this professional sporting event, a sentence I’m getting pretty exhausted with typing in the year of your lord two-thousand and twenty-four. Honestly, we’re supposed to treat these things with any sort of seriousness when literally nobody but the folks in the stands are allowed to actually see it happen? <em>Bor-ing!</em></p>
<p id="Si0TWj">First pitch is slated for 4:05 PM ET. Reds lineup is listed below, and you can still follow this one on 700 WLW if your ears so choose.</p>
<h3 id="8FQgN5">Reds Lineup</h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Frankie Montas on the hill in Scottsdale! <a href="https://t.co/6GCXnBUkSC">pic.twitter.com/6GCXnBUkSC</a></p>— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) <a href="https://twitter.com/Reds/status/1767961472846475770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2024</a>
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https://www.redreporter.com/2024/3/13/24099822/frankie-montas-cincinnati-reds-cactus-league-san-francisco-giantsWick Terrell2024-03-13T13:07:43-04:002024-03-13T13:07:43-04:00The Griffey name is legendary around these parts, and you can rep it now, too
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<figcaption>Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The latest from our friends at BreakingT...</p> <p id="4tHGGf">The name <em>Griffey</em> stretched across the back of Cincinnati Reds uniforms for parts of 21 different seasons. Reds jerseys sporting that name swatted nearly 2200 hits, 281 dingers, 1068 ribbies, and swiped 173 bags in over 2100 games for the club, as both Ken, Sr. and Ken, Jr. mashed their way into the club’s Hall of Fame.</p>
<p id="oytjzu">One a Hall of Famer in Cooperstown, the other a key cog of a pair of World Series titles and an icon of the Big Red Machine. Both father and son repping the same legendary name for the same legendary ball club in the Queen City.</p>
<p id="5EA21V">Our friends at BreakingT saw fit to honor the Griffey name with their latest release, <a href="http://breakingt.com/RedReporter" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">and you can rep it yourself now, too</a>.</p>
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<p id="ZAe0FW"><a href="http://breakingt.com/RedReporter" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">A portion of the proceeds of each sale of this, or any of the other shirts you can find here</a> goes towards me keeping the lights on here at Red Reporter dot com, a place that has seen the overlords strip our budget to the barest of bones over the last several seasons. I don’t know if that makes me mentioning it a plea, a disclaimer, or both, but there it is!</p>
<p id="8nKVlC">What I do know is that it’s good merch among a sea of questionable merch, and that’s always worth celebrating. I know first hand the Elly La Cocoa shirt they’ve got is cool as can be since I wear it just about every four days.</p>
<p id="BS9DMd">Rep the Griffey name and some Cincinnati Reds history. You know you want to!</p>
https://www.redreporter.com/2024/3/13/24099704/ken-griffey-junior-cincinnati-reds-ken-griffey-senior-shirtWick Terrell2024-03-12T19:42:09-04:002024-03-12T19:42:09-04:00You’ve waited two days for Reds baseball yet still you cannot watch it
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<figcaption>Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Reds play host to the White Sox under the lights tonight.</p> <p id="SiMiWp">Two things were distinctly obvious as the Major League Baseball hot stove season began this winter.</p>
<p id="wDA72x">First, the Cincinnati Reds desperately needed some pitching upgrades. Their starting rotation, while talented, was still incredibly young and inexperienced - with much of that inexperience due to their inability to stay healthy.</p>
<p id="xulnLs">Second, the Chicago White Sox were entering a rebuild. They finished the 2023 season some 40 games under .500, waived goodbye to longtime SS Tim Anderson, dealt the likes of Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, and Lance Lynn at the trade deadline, dealt Gregory Santos to the Mariners, and have been flirting with the idea of trading Dylan Cease since November. </p>
<p id="6sa1tG">For the longest time, Cease to the Reds was the talk of the baseball rumor mill, with the Reds robust farm system looking like it could be a quick fix as the Reds potentially acquired a top of the rotation arm. The Reds balked at the asking price, though, instead opting to splash cash in free agency to land Frankie Montas, Nick Martinez, & Co.</p>
<p id="coBnXE">Cease’s name is still in the rumor mill, this time with the New York Yankees circling. For now, though, he’s still atop the depth chart for Chicago, and he’ll start against the Reds tonight in Goodyear Ballpark under the lights. First pitch between the two clubs is slated for 9:05 PM ET, and thanks to the wonders of technology you won’t be able to watch a single pitch of it anywhere.</p>
<p id="1pcDNZ">Your ears, though, can tune in to 700 WLW for the broadcast.</p>
<h3 id="C5JX5Q">Reds Lineup</h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Under the lights in Goodyear tonight <a href="https://t.co/Z29xbET21l">pic.twitter.com/Z29xbET21l</a></p>— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) <a href="https://twitter.com/Reds/status/1767665679006937257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2024</a>
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<h3 id="gfVJUx">White Sox Lineup</h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Evening baseball in Goodyear <a href="https://t.co/eF2pu2bVtP">pic.twitter.com/eF2pu2bVtP</a></p>— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) <a href="https://twitter.com/whitesox/status/1767643376277495924?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2024</a>
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https://www.redreporter.com/2024/3/12/24099093/cincinnati-reds-spring-training-dylan-cease-rumorsWick Terrell2024-03-11T11:02:01-04:002024-03-11T11:02:01-04:00Frankie Montas will start Opening Day for the Reds, and that’s just fine
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<img alt="Cincinnati Reds Photo Day" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/p9Edp6VHWlXGo_VjPZqU5dgJ9Mo=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73197978/2026146063.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Manager David Bell made the call on Sunday afternoon.</p> <p id="cKo6kC">There are no images in the Getty folder of Frankie Montas throwing pitches while wearing a Cincinnati Reds uniform. He seemingly signed just a couple of minutes ago, and while he’s made a pair of starts for the Reds in Cactus League play, apparently there wasn’t an image captured in his 4.2 IP on the mound.</p>
<p id="xuajqx">Nevertheless, Reds manager David Bell made the call on Sunday that Montas, who signed a contract that will guarantee him $16 million before he and the team get to almost certainly decline a mutual option for 2025, will start for the Reds against the Washington Nationals on Opening Day. MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince, among others, <a href="https://x.com/castrovince/status/1766952681304952926?s=20">relayed the news</a>.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Frankie Montas is the <a href="https://twitter.com/Reds?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Reds</a>’ Opening Day starter. Hunter Greene day two.</p>— Anthony Castrovince (@castrovince) <a href="https://twitter.com/castrovince/status/1766952681304952926?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2024</a>
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<p id="DUeq2h">There are several hundred images in the Getty folder of Hunter Greene throwing pitches while wearing a Cincinnati Reds uniform. The former 2nd overall draft pick has been within the franchise since his selection in 2017, he’s made 46 starts for the big league club over the last two years, and the 6-year, $53 million extension he signed (that will take him at least through 2028) means he’s the player to whom the Reds have ‘most’ committed in length and dollar amount.</p>
<p id="ffjcQ3">Greene was named the Opening Day starter for the Reds on March 9th of last spring training, earning that honor after he tossed 125.2 IP of 98 ERA+ ball for the Reds in 2022. You may recall that the Reds culled their pitching staff severely over the course of 2022, and by 2023 it was down to Greene to step into the role of the next frontman of the pitching staff. 112.0 IP of 95 ERA+ ball later, the Reds made splash after splash in the pitching market around their young core, adding the likes of Montas, Nick Martinez, and each of Emilio Pagan, Brent Suter, and Buck Farmer in free agency to fill the bullpen.</p>
<p id="bdjLgu">There seemed to be something of a collective surprise that it wasn’t Greene who got the nod again this year. Montas, for all his quality, did spend almost the entire year on the 60-day IL in 2023 after a serious shoulder injury, and Greene has been the ‘incumbent’ ace-in-waiting for years now. Still, Montas pitched to an impressive 117 ERA+ from the start of the 2018 season through the end of his tenure with Oakland at the 2022 trade deadline, piling up 505.2 IP of impressive experience along the way. And while his tenure with the Yankees was frought with injury and disappointment after that (much more the former than the latter), we need not look too far into the annals of Reds history to read how a 30 year old moved from the Yankees to Derek Johnson and the Reds to resurrect his career, do we?</p>
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<img alt="Chicago Cubs v Cincinnati Reds" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qw7ruC9Qp4dcYAXftUNXhBAfZEg=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25329725/1326722246.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="A5n3ml">Yes, Montas spent a lot of the 2023 season on the 60-day IL, but he looks great now.</p>
<p id="6l0VQ3">Yes, Greene spent a lot of the 2023 season on the 60-day IL, and he looks great now, too.</p>
<p id="JPjoTL">Greene and Montas were going to start the first two games for the 2024 Reds one way or another, and now the order is set. For what it’s worth, Greene - who is working on both a new curveball and a new splitter - might well get the chance to squeeze in one more start of ‘practice’ with the new pitches while in Arizona now that he’s got two additional days before his first big league start (since there’s a scheduled day-off after Opening Day again). </p>
<p id="lElDiP">I’m not trying to diminish the honor of pitching on Opening Day in Cincinnati. It’s a big deal, has been, and always will be. It’s just that the reaction by many almost seemed to suggest they thought the honor had been <em>taken away</em> from Greene, when despite his immense talent he’s not exactly seized that job and run with it. Montas will get that honor now, and maybe he’ll file that away so that when he buzzes his way through 32 starts of 3.24 ERA ball this year and can sign with someone again as a free agent, the city of Cincinnati and what the Reds have to offer resonates with him that much more.</p>
<p id="hNKHrP">Congrats to Frankie. I’m betting on a huge game from Hunter in game two now, too.</p>
https://www.redreporter.com/2024/3/11/24097209/frankie-montas-cincinnati-reds-opening-day-starter-hunter-greeneWick Terrell