Cincinnati Reds sneak good players past other MLB teams

The Cincinnati Reds were sneaky when they sent down some minor league free agents to Louisville.

Maybe the Cincinnati Reds finally get it. They suddenly seem to have caught on that they need to accumulate talent to complete this turnaround. More importantly they kept offensive talent.

The Reds have outrighted outfielder Tyler Holt, pitchers Jon Moscot and Matt Magill, catcher Raffy Lopez, and infielder Patrick Kivlehan to Louisville. Doing this makes Holt, Moscot, and Magill minor league free agents at the end of the World Series. Meanwhile, Lopez and Kivlehan snuck through waivers to Louisville’s roster.

Heading into last season, Kivlehan was one of the Seattle Mariners’ top prospects. In his own right Lopez had a .355 OBP in the minors for the Chicago Cubs and the Reds. He was 0-for-7 after his September call-up this year.

More important than that is how the Reds were able to get these players past the rest of MLB. This season was mostly a season of gaining experience for the Reds, but some of it was retaining talent. The Reds didn’t keep the names that fans know, but rather kept the names that project better.

The players that the Reds are letting go, also, say something about the future.

Holt and Moscot are the names that most fans will know. Magill was an emergency arm for the bullpen down the stretch. He might be out of baseball after this.

Holt was the primary back-up outfielder most of the season. He shared the role with Scott Schebler early in the season and got some help from Jose Peraza later in the year. Letting him go means the Reds have faith in Billy Hamilton because Holt is the only player in the system besides Hamilton that plays a plus center field.

Letting Moscot go says everything you need to know about the rotation next year. Moscot looked like a solid back end of the rotation starter before injuries derailed his year. Now he is out on his own.

Next: Amir Garrett is the man for 2017

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Finally, in letting players go now the Reds were able to position them while other teams are still using their 2016 plans to manage their rosters. Kivlehan and Lopez likely would have drawn attention later in the winter, if the Reds had waited. Now they are both with the Cincinnati Reds heading into 2017, if the Reds can’t find even more talent in the meantime.

The Cincinnati Reds were sneaky when they sent down some minor league free agents to Louisville.

The players that the Reds are letting go, also, say something about the future.

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