I read recently that the Reds ownership intends to spend to the level that they did this season in 2020. That puts the total likely spend around 133 million if it holds true. With expiring contracts, the Reds total payroll will start at 57 million before any signings or extensions take place. That, my friends, is a shitload of money to spend.

I personally feel like Iglesias needs to be extended. Not sure what he'd command, possibly in the 8-10 mil per neighborhood? I'd also consider Scooter if he comes back cheap after an injury-riddled 2019. Puig is becoming a guy that fans are getting attached to, and if they actually manage to get to the postseason, there will be pressure to bring him back. 12-15 mil per seems like a probable range for him, but you never know how teams view his antics. He might come cheaper than expected. So let's say you get those guys back for a total of 35 mil. You're at 92 mil with 41 mil left to spend.

What do you do? Castillo is under contract for 4 more years, I think, but perhaps an extension is in order. I'd personally look to sign anther ace like Gerritt Cole. Get a hammer to pair with Castillo. This team sucks at developing pitching, so buy one. Have a rotation of Castillo, Cole, and Grey as your front line and let the offense roll.

(07-04-2019, 06:35 PM)samhain Wrote: I read recently that the Reds ownership intends to spend to the level that they did this season in 2020.  That puts the total likely spend around 133 million if it holds true.  With expiring contracts, the Reds total payroll will start at 57 million before any signings or extensions take place.  That, my friends, is a shitload of money to spend.

I personally feel like Iglesias needs to be extended.  Not sure what he'd command, possibly in the 8-10 mil per neighborhood?  I'd also consider Scooter if he comes back cheap after an injury-riddled 2019.  Puig is becoming a guy that fans are getting attached to, and if they actually manage to get to the postseason, there will be pressure to bring him back.  12-15 mil per seems like a probable range for him, but you never know how teams view his antics.  He might come cheaper than expected.  So let's say you get those guys back for a total of 35 mil.  You're at 92 mil with 41 mil left to spend.

What do you do?  Castillo is under contract for 4 more years, I think, but perhaps an extension is in order.  I'd personally look to sign anther ace like Gerritt Cole.  Get a hammer to pair with Castillo.  This team sucks at developing pitching, so buy one.  Have a rotation of Castillo, Cole, and Grey as your front line and let the offense roll.

Cole cannot seem to beat the Reds so he just join the  team!

Top end pitcher to pair up with Castillo

That’s not exactly how the payroll works. There’s deferred money of about 5 million still going to Griff and Bronson. There’s bonus and injury reserve money, there’s the rest of the 40 that counts too. The 25 only accounts for under a hundred million and not the full 133 million. I’m guessing that after arbitration raises and contracts ending that they’ll be like 60 million available. That’s still a lot though.

(07-04-2019, 10:59 PM)Circleville Guy Wrote: That’s not exactly how the payroll works. There’s deferred money of about 5 million still going to Griff and Bronson. There’s bonus and injury reserve money, there’s the rest of the 40 that counts too. The  25 only accounts for under a hundred million and not the full 133 million. I’m guessing that after arbitration raises and contracts ending that they’ll be like 60 million available. That’s still a lot though.

It' a ton compared to recent years.  Not many guys are getting crazy high long-term deals anymore.  You can do a hell of a lot with 60 million.

The Reds are around 3 games out of FIRST PLACE on 4th of July, so they are right in this thing. I do NOT want to see payroll dumping at Trade Deadline with Reds in the thick of things. I'm into 2019, not 2020. The heck with 2020 right now. The Reds have a good team now and if they stay in the race all year, I'm for keeping THIS team together. Keeping THIS team together will take money, but I'm all for it. I would like to see Roark and shortstop Iglesias back. Anybody that is contributing in 2019 to Reds as a starter or off the bench. So far that would leave off Wood, Scherber, but most would be back. I don't want to see any stupid Tony Perez trades at this point, Keep This Team Together in 2020. The hell with saving as much money as possible. Reds have STUNK last 4 or 5 years and now that they are getting good, get some wins for a change.

(07-04-2019, 11:54 PM)samhain Wrote: It' a ton compared to recent years.  Not many guys are getting crazy high long-term deals anymore.  You can do a hell of a lot with 60 million.

Very true! It will be interesting to see how they spend it.

(07-05-2019, 02:15 AM)kevin Wrote: The Reds are around 3 games out of FIRST PLACE on 4th of July, so they are right in this thing. I do NOT want to see payroll dumping at Trade Deadline with Reds in the thick of things. I'm into 2019, not 2020. The heck with 2020 right now. The Reds have a good team now and if they stay in the race all year, I'm for keeping THIS team together. Keeping THIS team together will take money, but I'm all for it. I would like to see Roark and shortstop Iglesias back. Anybody that is contributing in 2019 to Reds as a starter or off the bench. So far that would leave off Wood, Scherber, but most would be back. I don't want to see any stupid Tony Perez trades at this point, Keep This Team Together in 2020. The hell with saving as much money as possible. Reds have STUNK last 4 or 5 years and now that they are getting good, get some wins for a change.

I don’t think they will trade pieces away unless they go on a big losing streak. They will probably try to add bullpen help for this year.

What cointracts are up to free up all of this money?

Got to replace whoever we lose before we add other pieces.

(07-05-2019, 11:29 AM)fredtoast Wrote: What cointracts are up to free up all of this money?

Got to replace whoever we lose before we add other pieces.

Well, two will be Wood and Kemp, so we won't have to replace much there.  Others are Gennnett, Roark, Iglesias, and Puig.  I'd keep Iglesias and maybe Puig, upgrade Roark with a TOR arm and see if Gennett's injury-riddled year brings him back at a discount.  If not, he can kick rocks. He plays awful defense. He needs one-hops to make throws from second to first. No way I'd overpay a guy like that.

I'd like to see Bob Howsam style of team building, but with a bit less of his ultra conservative approach. As good as Howsam was he was well behind the times when it came to free agency and let the BRM disintegrate because of it. Howsam wanted baseball to stay the same to back in the days when teams all but owned players lives to the team's detriment toward the end of his long baseball career. But he was a master of team building back when they could still control players the way they used to.. He believed in speed, youth, strong defense and loathes the idea of hanging onto players well beyond their prime. Every Reds fan should read the chapter about Howsam in the book "The Great Eight". It explains what he did right and what he did wrong especially towards the end. https://books.google.com/books?id=Nv4oDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ViewAPI&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false
Of course team owners at the time had the foresight to give him near total control of the team acquisitions, trades and day to day operations and were willing to spend the money to achieve it..