09-20-2024, 04:19 PM
(09-19-2024, 07:25 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Cleveland is the same size city, in the same state as us, and they have been to 3 World Series since we last won a single postseason series. They've been to the postseason 6 of the last 10 years including as division champs 5 times.
We have been to the postseason 1 time in the last 10 years, and that was at 31-29 in the COVID year where the majority of the teams in the league were allowed in. That's not because of economics, that's just an absolute trash tier ownership and FO.
I agree.
I think that your point has been exposed more than ever in the last 3 years.
The giant payroll dump before the rebuild was an embarrassment. They unloaded 2 legit stud arms and in all honesty don't have a great deal to show for them. Can you imagine these young pitchers getting worked into a rotation with Gray and Castillo holding down the top of the rotation?
The average MLB payroll is almost twice what the Reds have on the books going into 2025. It's 130-140 mil. The Reds are paying out around 75. I mean, can we at least get it to 110 or 120? We're not asking for Yankees-Mets type spending. Just average. This is allegedly the opening of a window. The young talent is mostly with the MLB club. The skeleton is sound. Time to add the rest in FA.
What really kills me is that modern free agency isn't exactly about 12 year Votto-ish deals. Guys that could help us take 3-4 year deals all the time, hoping to cash in again later. The pay flex is embarrassingly good and the commitment would be relatively short.
Outside of pay, you just saw some galactically dumb shit out there this year. Reckless base running, dumb defense, stupid lineups, on and on. I firmly believe that the staff exacerbated both Ashcraft and Williamson's injuries. They had known issues before the plug was pulled on either. Don't understand how a pro sports organization operates like that.
Minus some serious work in FA and a new manager, I'm not mega-confident about this group of youngsters seeing success in Cincinnati. The staff has huge potential, but they haven't done a lot to prove that any of them can endure the rigors of a full MLB season.
