On Wednesday, April 18, the Cincinnati Reds announced the firing of manager Bryan Price. He was fired after only 18 games in the 2018 season. This is a sign for Reds fans that they are in for a long season. The Reds were a dreadful 3-15 at the time of the firing, which puts them at a meager 0.167 winning percentage. This is the worst start in franchise history since 1931, when the Reds started 2-16. Now, how would this impact the Red Sox? Aren’t the Reds in a different league and division?
This firing sends a message to the rest of league. The message reads, “We are giving up. We are throwing in the towel, and we are ready to start tanking”. Well, this strategy of roster management is becoming popular in the MLB. This strategy is also proven to work. There is no need to look back too far, for the 2017 Astros and 2016 Cubs are prime examples.
The Astros sold off many of their assets at the 2010 trade deadline, therefore starting the tanking. Because of their poor records, they were able to get high draft picks, which they used to draft George Springer in 2011, Carlos Correa in 2012, and Lance McCullers Jr. in 2012. The Cubs also were sellers at the 2012 deadline, and again, because of bad performance, they were able to draft Kris Bryant in 2013 and Kyle Schwarber in 2014.
We could see the Cincinnati Reds as major sellers at the trade deadline this year.
Trade Targets
One of the main criticisms of the offseason for the Red Sox was the inability to acquire another quality reliever. Well, look no further than 28-year old right-hander Raisel Iglesias. Iglesias is a bit of a late bloomer, but he is becoming an elite closer for the Reds.
In 2017, Raisel Iglesias had a 2.49 ERA in 76 innings pitched, while recording 28 saves in 30 save opportunities. We wouldn’t be looking for him to close games, since we already have Craig Kimbrel, but he would be a quality 8th inning man. Iglesias is already off to a great start in 2018, posting a 1.08 ERA in 8.1 innings pitched. The Red Sox would probably have to give up close to what they gave up for Addison Reed in 2018, so we’re looking at 3 or 4 mid-level prospects.
A minor transaction the Sox could look at possibly doing is a trade for 26-year old left-hander Wandy Peralta. One of the main criticisms of the offseason was not acquiring a left-handed reliever, and this deal would correct that.
While the Red Sox are already getting acceptable performances out of Bobby Poyner, it would be great to have two left handers in the bullpen. Peralta recorded a 3.75 ERA in 81.2 innings for the Reds last season. So far this year, has not given up a run in 9.2 innings pitched. The value for Wandy Peralta would be very low, for the Red Sox would only have to give up no more than one low-level prospect or just cash.
One Other Firing to Think About
One thing that has been talked about endlessly on MLB Network is who would replace Bryan Price. Well, since he’s already a scout in their organization, it would not be surprising if the Reds hired former Red Sox manager, John Farrell. We may have bad memories of Farrell, but he was not a bad manager record-wise. John Farrell had a record of 432-378 in 5 years as the skipper for the Red Sox, and won a World Series in 2013 with the team. To other teams, that resume doesn’t look too bad.