Cincinnati Reds links - Justin Dunn hits free agency, Sonny Gray rumors

Trying to pitch without functioning shoulders is not advisable, kids. It’s the kind of idea that leads to surrendering 11 home runs in just 31.0 IP, a result that still seems unfeasible after looking at it more than five times.

That’s what the Cincinnati Reds career of Justin Dunn will look like, unfortunately. Those are the numbers he put up in limited action during the 2022 Major League Baseball season, and given that a) he was dealing with a shoulder issue then and b) said shoulder issue prevented him from pitching for the Reds at all in 2023, it now looks like that’s all the Reds will get from him in total.

That’s because he declared free agency after being outrighted off the 40-man roster, and his time with the Reds now appears to be done. Of course, he’s also just a month removed from undergoing yet another surgery on his right throwing shoulder, so his trip into free agency is going to be a frustrating one for him as well.

Best of luck to Justin in his latest recovery, and it’s a shame he was never healthy enough to show the Reds what made him a 1st round pick by the New York Mets back in 2016. Hopefully he’s got a big chunk of the nearly $2.4 million signing bonus they gave him stashed in a bank somewhere.

In other news, Sonny Gray is now on the cusp of free agency after his Minnesota Twins club was eliminated from postseason play by the Houston Astros, and he discussed said looming inevitability with the press a bit upon the end of his season. MLB Trade Rumors followed up with some speculative landing spots based upon his comments, and - you guessed it - the pitching-starved Cincinnati Reds are one of the clubs mentioned. We detailed the idea of Sonny returning to the Reds given his relationship with the team (and its staff) earlier in the week, and it’s nice to see that there’s someone else out there reading the same tea leaves, too.

Maybe, just maybe, Sonny will come back and be the anchor the staff needs for the window they refused to open in 2023. If he’s not a St. Louis Cardinal, y’know?

Carson Spiers lit up the Arizona Fall League last night, which is cool!

Over at MLB.com, Mark Sheldon took a look at the next prospects to potentially contribute to the Reds at the big league level after the cadre of newbies that emerged in 2023. It’s a fun list, albeit not quite as star-powered as the ones who carried the team this year. That’s not a problem since, y’know, now those guys are the Reds for the time being.

Finally, if you’re looking for a career in baseball, the Cincinnati Reds are looking to hire some trainees. FanGraphs has links to several openings within the organization, and pursue them if you will!