The Reds have been busy this offseason, but pitching still remains weak at best. According to the Reds website, the official rotation has six men (2018 ERA):
Anthony DeSclafani (4.93)
Luis Castillo (4.30)
Tanner Roark (4.34)
Alex Wood (3.68)
Tyler Mahle (4.98)
Cody Reed (3.98)
It’s reasonable to assume that one of Mahle/ Reed will not make the rotation out of Spring Traning, but assuming all stays the same the Reds rotation would have an average ERA of 4.36.
With the Reds averaging 4.3 runs scored per game last year, starting pitching with a 4.36 will keep them in some ball games.
That said, President of Baseball Operations Dick Williams still has his foot on the gas when it comes to adding arms to the rotation. Names like Corey Kluber, Dallas Keuchel, and Sonny Gray would all be great and welcome additions to the rotation, but all have trade-offs.
Kluber and Gray are solid but would be expensive in terms of prospects, while Keuchel seems to be dead set on getting a 5-year deal as he prepares to enter his age 31 season, something the Reds will likely shy away from.
A more likely addition has come about in recent rumors, Derek Holland. Holland had a comeback year in 2018 with the Giants finishing the year with seven wins to just nine losses with a 3.57 ERA and a war of 1.8 in 30 starts. The 32-year-old left-hander seems to be an overlooked candidate on the pitching market and would likely agree to an economical short-term deal, something the Reds seem very interested in.
For more Reds updates follow me on twitter @Andrew_LMFS.
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