09-24-2023, 11:12 AM
(09-24-2023, 01:34 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Same thing they said at the end of the 2021 collapse when they finished the season 12-20 to miss the playoffs.
Then lost 100 in '22.
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The Reds had a 1.5 game lead in the division heading into August this year. Now they're not even guaranteed a non-losing season.
True, but it's not exactly apples and oranges.
Ownership began selling off the roster immediately after the lockout was resolved in 22. That won't happen this year, and there's a lot of controllable talent on the rise. Almost every one of the current players is dirt cheap, so there's not a lot of motivation to sell.
I think the major question when it comes to this team's direction, however unfortunate, is which path management will elect to take in the offseason.
They won't sell off wholesale chunks, but some guys could be on the block. More importantly, with the promise shown in June and July, will they add the pieces that the team obviously needs to maintain success over a full season? It's not hard. Bullpen arms are not exactly the most expensive free agents. Middle of rotation innings eaters are easily affordable for teams with the kind of cap space the Reds will have. Realistically, they could probably even afford a legit power bat for the middle of the order, although they almost certainly won't pay for one.
They can't put everything on their young rotation over the course of a full year. All of those guys have been hurt to varying degrees. Abbott hasn't, but they put a shit ton of innings on him when he was the defacto ace, so it's something to watch. They need their Arroyo/Miley to eat innings and steady the ship when the young guys have their ups and downs.
After this week, I feel like another late inning arm is on the list as well. Diaz showed fatigue late. They need another guy they can give the ball to late to lock in leads. Ian Gibaut and Alex Young had some contributions, but they ain't it. Not in high-leverage situations.
Ownership needs to take note of the Bengals situation over the last few years. Build a team and the city will fill seats and buy tons of merchandise. It's not the other way around. Spend money to make money. Win and be the only thing that matters in Cincinnati for 5 months. Be good enough that we aren't even paying attention to Zac's non-preseason when it begins.
