Cincinnati Reds bring back Bryan Price, continuing the rebuild

The Cincinnati Reds announce the continuation of the rebuild by action, not words.

When the Cincinnati Reds confirmed that manager Bryan Price was coming back for another season, it announced that the Reds were still in the rebuilding mode.  This came after an off-season in which Price sounded confused.  Price has a .429 winning percentage over four MLB seasons.  He is currently one loss away from hitting that number for this season.

As a franchise, you do not put a .429 winning percentage manager in charge of a playoff contending team.  You do put someone who has experience actually winning.  No team has a won a World Series with a manager in his first MLB position since the Los Angeles Angels of 2002.

This is not a critique of Price.  He was one of a handful of cost saving moves that the Reds undertook following the 2013 season.  In addition to getting a less expensive manager, the Reds also traded catch Ryan Hanigan and let Bronson Arroyo walk in free agency.

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This isn’t even a critique of the Reds.  If they believe that the team will be bad once again next season, then there is no reason to upgrade to a playoff caliber manager.  The Reds play hard for Price and he appears to continue to be a good mentor for young relievers.

The Cincinnati Reds are having trouble getting out of a rebuild that they were slow to get into at first.

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The Reds clearly want their Joey Votto and the prospects that he would bring in a trade.  Votto, along with Zack Cozart and Drew Storen, was in a great place to move on this August.  Votto may have said that he would block a deal, but that doesn’t defend the presence of Storen and Cozart.

There is some misplaced ideology that you cannot trade a popular player during a good season.  Winning is more popular than just about any player.  That is what the Reds must remember as they decide who to keep.

2018 is the last chance for the Reds’ organization.  A rebuild that takes more than five years is not a rebuild.  It is a disaster.

When the Reds moved Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake for prospects within weeks of each other in 2015, it looked like the rebuild was getting close to turning the corner.  Adding big league ready outfielder Adam Duvall and pitcher Brandon Finnegan seemed like the perfect move.

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Since then the Reds have continued to move mid-career players like Todd Frazier and Dan Straily, while holding onto movable pieces like Cozart and Storen.  Hopefully, this is the last time this discussion is had.  If not, 2019 will  be even worse.