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FOR THE SECOND straight offseason, the
Reds made aggressive moves to improve.
They signed a pair of power hitters to
four-year, $64 million contracts—Mike
Moustakas, who will take over at second
base, and outfielder Nick Castellanos—while
acquiring veteran lefty Wade Miley to bolster
the rotation and Pedro Strop to reinforce the
bullpen. They even went outside the country,
signing Japanese outfielder Shogo Akiyama
to a three-year, $21 million deal.
The question, though, is whether all that
talent fits together. Akiyama has primarily
played centerfield, but he turns 32 in April,
and reports from Japan are that his defense
has slipped. Moustakas, a veteran third
baseman, manned second last season inMilwaukee for the first time in his nine-year
career. Nick Senzel, the team’s top prospect
who debuted last season, started only in the
outfield but has experience at second and
third. Cincinnati has improved what was a
terrible offense (fifth-fewest runs scored in
MLB last year), but in doing so created a
potentially terrible defense.
Adding pitching coach Derek Johnson a
year ago led to a big improvement in the
Reds’ strikeout rate and ERA, and he’ll
work with the best trio of starters the team
has had since the early 1990s. Rejuvenated
righty Sonny Gray (2.87 ERA, 1.084 WHIP)and All-Star Luis Castillo (226 K’s) are up
top, followed by Trevor Bauer, a Johnson
disciple who struggled last year after a
brilliant 2018 when he finished tied for sixth
in AL Cy Young Award voting.
For most of their years in Great American
Ball Park, the Reds have been bats-forward.
Now their pitching is better than their
hitting, even after two signings that
represent their biggest splash ever in free
agency. Cincinnati will definitely be better,
which is more than you can say for any
other team in the division.The Reds already had a formidable rotation, and they went on a major spending spree
to round out their roster. The payoff could be their first playoff berth since ’13.OVER
UNDER 84.5| HUNTER GREENE | OF| The SI coverboy (May 1, 2017) was
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the potential to become a power-hitting shortstop. Injuries beset
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to ditch pitching in favor of hitting. Greene’s route to the bigs
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are anything but: That athleticism shines on the grass, and his
swing provides plenty of punch—when he makes contact.2030 PREDICTION
MOVING UP
MICHAEL
LORENZEN
2.92 ERA | 2.2 WPA
He doesn’t get
the publicity
of Shohei
Ohtani, but
last year
he threw
83 1 / 3 innings
(2.92 ERA)
and made
six starts
in center.MOVING DOWN
JOEY
VOTTO
98 OPS+ | 1.6 WAR
The six-time
All-Star nearly
won the MVP
in 2017; in
’19, he put
together his
worst season
(.411 SLG). At
36, Votto’s
best days are
behind him.NORM HALL/GETTY IMAGESCincinnati has improved
what was a terrible offense but
in doing so has created a
potentially terrible defense.