12-03-2023, 02:31 PM
(12-02-2023, 04:16 PM)The D.O.Z. Wrote: The more I look at Bieber and Glasnow under the hood, the less I want either. Go look at Glasnow's injury history and innings pitched per season. And he's making $25 million per?! No frickin way do I want that. Bieber..just came out saying he would sign an extension with whoever trades for him. Now go look at his injury history and steadily declining numbers (over the past 5 years most of his pitcher-important stats have steadily declined) Of course you'll sign an extension, so you still get paid if you suck! Noooooo thank you!Same here. Getting one year of a frontline starter with red flags for precious prospect capital seems less than brilliant. Bieber has elbow inflammation last year. He could be TJ surgery waiting to happen.
At first, I was okay with spending high prospects for a bonafide TOR guy. That's the price for quality TOR arms. But if this is gonna be the quality...no thank you. Build up that bullpen. Bell loves pulling starters after 4-5 anyway. Go get another Martinez type or two. I know that doesn't sound sexy but a rotation of Abbott, Greene, Williamson, Ashcraft, **long reliever(s) day** could really work. If you have two long relievers, you can spot start either of them on that fifth day depending on their recent usage or game time situation. Martinez would be LR1, maybe go get an opposite-side arm to pair with him. Or stay in-house with a Phillips or Richardson.
Now, if they want to trade an upper tier prospect in a package that gets us Dylan Cease or his equivalent..go for it.
The Reds have at least 6, maybe 7 candidates for the rotation going in to 2024. Greene, Abbot, Ashcraft is a solid 1-3. There are only 2 spots left for Lodolo, Williamson, Martinez, Phillps, etc. Lowder may or may not rise through the ranks by the end of the year.
The smart money, to me, would be spent on one more high end LH reliever and a RH power bat than can play every day in RF. Prepare the pen as if you're going to use them a lot, because you most definitely are. Take pressure off of the young staff and let them develop on cheap rookie deals. Get guys that can come in after 4 or 5 innings and steady the ship for a few innings. You use these guys every day in high leverage situations and they come at a far less steep price than frontline starters.
Developing pitching is the key to sustained success. If you can do it in house, you save a ton of money and can sustain success even in smaller markets. You avoid the risk of giving huge contracts to proven FAs.
If I unload prospects of significance, I want Arozarena. You get him to play in RF every day for the next 3 years. Huge impact on the overall roster. He makes the batting order lethal. I'd also be okay with signing Teoscar Hernandez and keeping the prospects.
One more RP and a no-doubt stud RF would be the best way forward IMO.
