Photo: Doug Gray
Doug Gray 17
The 2022 season is one of changes and differences for the Cincinnati Reds. They won’t open up at home for the first time in over 30 years. And now the game’s first pitch will be thrown an hour later than originally expected, too. The first game of the regular season for the Reds as they take on the Atlanta Braves will now we at 8:00 PM ET and the game will be on ESPN2 for the entire world to see, as first reported by C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic.
Tyler Mahle is going to get the nod as the starting pitcher for the Reds next Thursday night against the defending World Series champions. Exactly what the rotation looks like after that is still up in the air. Vladimir Gutierrez will be in the rotation, somewhere, but the other three spots are still seemingly up for grabs. It seems that Hunter Greene, Reiver Sanmartin, Tony Santillan, Nick Lodolo, and perhaps Jeff Hoffman all remain options to start the season in the rotation while the team waits for Luis Castillo and Mike Minor to catch up after some shoulder soreness slowed down their building up for the season (both are throwing now).
Get out of the way or sell the team, Bob
The Riverfront is trying to get up a billboard asking the Reds ownership group to sell the team. That one, you are probably aware of at this point. This morning it was Richard Skinner of Local 12 in Cincinnati who took a shot at Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini. His take is one that we’ve seen before, several times – Castellini is getting in the way of the baseball people.
It’s almost as if Castellini told general manager Nick Krall to cut payroll to start the rebuild, then got wind of the fans’ ire at the decision and demanded Krall to go get players. That’s where Castellini’s reign as owner continues to be confusing.
He doesn’t have the patience nor does he understand the proper timing to trade players to maximize value in a rebuild.
Later on in the piece, Skinner really gets to the point with these three sentences at the end.
What needs to happen is to get out of the way of his baseball operations people and give them time to put a real plan in place. He needs to be more transparent about taking money that was saved during that rebuild and using it to re-sign key players or invest in free agents when the pieces are in place to win big.
If not, then he needs give someone else a chance to bring championship baseball back to Cincinnati.
17 Responses
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See AlsoPredicting the Reds' Opening Day rosterOpening Day FAQ: Reds vs. BravesReds Opening Day 2022: Everything you need to knowEverything you need to know about Reds Opening Day 2021Klugo Yay. So that means the game will probably be blacked out for many of us?
I love (where’s the sarcasm font?) how Skinner sneaks the “transparent” part in there. What, so journalists and fans can tell him how to do it? We don’t need transparency. We just need to win. Do what it takes to win, Bob. Or sell the team. Transparency may be nice, but it really has nothing to do with winning.
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Ken Bravo to Mr. Skinner for taking a stance. Reds fans deserve much better than the brutal treatment we’ve gotten from Castellani and Company. Total greed, with no remorse for the innocent, civic-minded, benevolent fans who they’re laughingly asking to pay the freight.
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CFD3000 I’m unhappy about opening night in Atlanta for several reasons – even though I live in Atlanta! 8 pm start on a Thursday night is rough – I’d be home we’ll after midnight. But I can’t get (or really, afford) tickets so that doesn’t matter. I’ll be there Friday night and either Saturday or Sunday. So it’s not worth it to me for Cincinnati to miss out on Opening Day and the parade. And I’m bummed that the Reds only trip through Atlanta will be done and over before the season barely gets started. On the plus side – baseball in 9 days. Go Reds!
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VaRedsFan At least you’ll see them when they are still only 1-3 games out of first.
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JayTheRed I’m a bit sad about the Reds not playing at home thing too. I think they should honor the first team again like they used to, and have it be the first game. Plus it should always be at home every season.
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Steve Schoenbaechler That Krall statement where he said something like, “The Reds are in a better place now”, that sounded like a Bob C comment, in my opinion.
As well as, in a better place “for what”? Winning baseball? Or, to save him money?
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve said before and will still stand up for it, I had no problem letting Gray go. I believe I would have kept Gray or Miley, though, at least 1 of the 2. Why? For, I could take having Vlad or Tony step into the rotation.
And, I believe Nick or Winker at minimum should have stayed. But, both? It just didn’t make sense. Not for “winning baseball”.
For, I know we aren’t going to have the 70’s Big Red Machine back, never again. So, I can definitely understand not spending like the Dodgers are. But, I don’t understand setting the club up for at least a “good chance” at making it to the playoffs. Not this team. It was too good last year to do what was done this off season.
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realist You know, Bob Castellini , you’re what the French call les incompetents. So sell the team, to another rich guy who maybe doesn’t meddle and knows what he/she is doing and doesn’t suffer from the dunning-kruger effect.
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realist What is worse than watching Jesse Winker in Seattle yesterday, part of the original rebuild is reading anything about Bob Castellini, it is clear we have the very worst owner in all of pro sports. This line from the article “..added roughly $20 million in payroll to retreads like Minor, Pham, Solano and Colin Moran — a castoff not worthy of making the Pittsburgh Pirates roster” from Richard Skinner is sickening whey would any body to watch those guys play baseball that is even worse than watching the rookies play.
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SultanofSwaff Really? Just in baseball, I bet you can name a half dozen worse owners.
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Allan Chandler Name them then.
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JayTheRed The reason they signed these guys is that there literally was hardly anyone left on the free agent market once Bob decided he should spend some money instead of looking bad for selling off a contending team.
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BK Skinner did a great job of chronicling the Red’s years-long inability to follow a coherent strategy. The one thing I wish he had done was call the Reds and ask for an interview to get their perspective. I suspect they would have declined, but that fact alone would have been newsworthy.
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Pablo And Bob (aka Mr. Potter) is 80 years old. Do the city a favor and sell. Go enjoy retirement.
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Daytonnati The most mysterious thing about moving Gray and Miley was the timing? Why not at least start the season with them, and move them to a contender at the trade deadline? Granted, you are paying two guys substantial salaries in the interim, but it would seem that the harvest would be much more plentiful than one 18-year old prospect? And if salary mattered, would we have Minor, Moran, Solano and Pham?
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SOQ I guess when they say “Sustainability” they are referring to sustaining the level of play (and decision making) of the 2014-2019 Reds. At this point, I’m so used to mediocrity from this team that I just don’t care anymore. 2020 and 2021 were just aberrations
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VaRedsFan Moving Gray for a #1 draft pick just last year was a good move. Gray is a max effort guy on every pitch and his body started to break down. I’m fine with that move.
Getting Mike Minor was a big head scratcher. I’d rather see the rookies given that opportunity. Getting Moran was also bad. Old, slow, corner infielder, that is redundant on this team as he is also left handed (Moose/Votto). Pham makes this year’s team better, but does nothing for the future. -
Gonzo Reds Since I cancelled my baseball package and live out of the Reds local viewing area down in FL I’m kinda happy about it being on ESPN2. We won’t be in the race long with this roster so won’t be many more times on national tv in 2022.
And if some of you wonder why I still have a mask on in my picture… not because of covid at this point, it’s because I don’t want anyone to know who I am and identify me as a Reds fan. 😉
