The Cincinnati Reds may be headed for a major off-field shakeup, and it could be the kind that changes the whole direction of the franchise.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, rival MLB owners are predicting that Cincinnati will be the next team sold. Nightengale wrote, "Rival owners predict that the Cincinnati Reds could be the next MLB team sold," adding, "Certainly, Bob Castellini will make a cool profit if he does put them on the block, purchasing the franchise for $270 million in 2006. It's now worth about $1.6 billion."
For Reds fans, that would be a seismic development. A new owner would bring the possibility of a bigger payroll and a different approach to building the roster, something Cincinnati has lacked for years as it has stayed away from major free-agent spending.
That restraint has already left its mark. The Reds passed on hometown slugger Kyle Schwarber this past offseason, instead watching him return to the Philadelphia Phillies. A five-year, $150 million deal for a designated hitter was a steep price, but Schwarber leads the National League in home runs, which makes the missed opportunity sting even more.
And it’s not just Schwarber. The broader issue has been Cincinnati’s reluctance to go big either in free agency or, at times, even with its own players. That has kept the roster from getting the kind of infusion it needs to make a real jump.
Sal Stewart developing into a superstar certainly helps, but the Reds still need more investment to climb back into the playoff mix and beyond. If a sale does happen and the next owner is willing to spend, the outlook could look a lot different than it does now.
For now, the idea is just a prediction from rival owners. But if it turns into reality, it could give Cincinnati something it has been missing for a while: real long-term hope.
In Other News...
Masyn Winn Return Still Leaves Cardinals With One Infield Concern
Masyn Winns return has been trending in the right direction for the Cardinals, but it is not happening yet. He is still on the injured list and will not be activated for Mondays game because he is still feeling pain when swinging, even after a recent full workout suggested he was getting close. Winn fractured his left thumb sliding into a base last month, and his absence has been felt with the Cardinals already missing both starting middle infielders.
The encouraging part for St. Louis is that Winn appears to be nearing a comeback, and his return would give the club more flexibility in the lineup. For now, though, the Cardinals are still waiting on a healthier infield picture to take shape, and Winns bat has one more hurdle to clear before he can give them that boost. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Just Made Cooper Hjerpes Role A Lot More Interesting
Cooper Hjerpes first big league appearance gave the Cardinals exactly the kind of look they hoped for when they called him up. In relief against the Rockies, the left-hander spun four hitless innings with six strikeouts, showing enough poise and swing-and-miss stuff to make his debut feel more like a statement than a stopgap.
What makes his role especially intriguing now is the way St. Louis plans to handle him going forward. Oliver Marmol said Hjerpe wont fit neatly into either the traditional starter or reliever bucket the rest of the season, instead working in a piggyback setup while staying on a starters schedule. Hjerpe arrived after Hancel Rincon was optioned following a rough start to his own stint on the roster, so the Cardinals are already making one adjustment while trying to figure out how best to use the new arm they just saw flash. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Fans May Need To Rethink What Counts As A Starter's Workload
The old benchmark for a starters season has been slipping away across the sport, and the Cardinals are managing their pitching with that reality in mind. Around Major League Baseball, fewer arms are getting anywhere near 200 innings, and St. Louis is following the same industry-wide trend by watching workloads closely instead of treating volume alone as proof a pitcher is being properly developed.
For Cardinals fans, that can take some getting used to, especially when a young arm is handled in shorter bursts or asked to build up gradually over the course of a season. Leahy and Tanner Franklin are both examples of that careful approach, with the organization balancing present usage against future durability, and the bigger question is no longer whether the Cardinals are being conservative but how much of the modern starters job description has changed for everyone. [Read more 🡒]