The Cincinnati Reds started unloading players at last year’s trade deadline and continued to clean house this offseason. They are now building toward the future and still have some pieces to move.
The Reds had rookies start nearly every game from the trade deadline until the end of last season. They gained experience and they overall pitched well above expectations. They won’t have a solid bullpen backing them up this year.
Will Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips both find new homes this season?
Here is the 2016 MLB season preview for the Cincinnati Reds.
2015 Win/Loss Record: 64-98
Key Additions: SS Jose Peraza, OF Jake Cave, OF Scott Schebler, RP A.J. Morris, SP Jonathan Sanchez, C Jordan Pacheco & SP JC Ramirez
Key Losses: OF Todd Frazier, RP Aroldis Chapman, C Brayan Pena, RP Burke Badenhop, RP Manny Parra, 2B Skip Schumaker, RP Sam LeCure, OF Jason Bourgeois, SS Kris Negron, & OF Brennan Boesch
Interleague Schedule: AL West
Projected Starters: Devin Mesoraco, Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Eugenio Suarez, Zack Cozart, Adam Duvall, Billy Hamilton & Jay Bruce
Projected Starting Rotation: Anthony DeSclafani, Raisel Iglesias, John Lamb, Brandon Finnegan & Michael Lorenzen
Closer: Jumbo Diaz
Fantasy Sleeper: SS Eugenio Suarez – Suarez could be worth a late-round pick just due to his power potential. He will most likely hit around 20 homers this season. He will play mostly at third, but he has shortstop eligibility, and power in the middle infield is getting hard to get cheap.
Prospect To Keep Your Eye On: OF Jesse Winker – Winker spent the entire 2015 season in Double-A. He hit .282 and hit 13 homers in 443 at-bats. They think he will eventually have a nice power stroke, especially since he will be playing 81 games at GABP. He could sneak onto the Reds roster late in the year.
Team Analysis: The Reds are going into full-blown rebuilding mode. They traded Todd Frazier and Aroldis Chapman for decent haul of prospects. They tried to trade Brandon Phillips to Washington as well, but he vetoed the trade. Jay Bruce will probably be the next player dealt.
Cincinnati’s record will be pretty ugly the next couple seasons. The NL Central is really good right now and they will get knocked around pretty good. They have some decent arms in the minors and I really like Jesse Winker. The Reds will be dealing veterans all season.
The Reds relied heavily on rookie starting pitchers last season. I liked their approach to let the young guns learn on the job. They didn’t do nearly as bad as expected. They lost a few irreplaceable bullpen pitchers this offseason. It will put even more pressure on their young starters. If you’re a Reds fan, you just want see slight progress at some point in the year.
2016 Wins Over/Under Betting Line: 70 (Prediction: UNDER)
2016 Projected Win/Loss Record: 68-94 (5th in NL Central)
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.