Cincinnati Reds Rumors – Finding Devin Mesoraco a new home

The Cincinnati Reds have moved on from Devin Mesoraco as the starting catcher.

Devin Mesoraco was supposed to be the next Johnny Bench for the Cincinnati Reds.  Instead, Mesoraco made one All Star team and has seen one injury after another since then.  Now Tucker Barnhart has a brand new extension and Mesoraco is looking for a new home.

Barnhart is deserving of this transition.  He was solid offensively all season long and improved as a signal caller.  He also won the National League Gold Glove for catcher.

Meanwhile, Mesoraco is entering the last year of his contract extension.  He will make more than the Reds can really afford and more than another team is likely willing to pay,  Essentially, the Reds will be paying for talent when they trade Mesoraco making moving him their top off-season priority.

The Reds have several other catchers ready to contribute at the big league level.  Rule 5 draftee Stuart Turner will likely spend 2018 at Triple-A working on hitting.  Chad Wallach could have been the back-up catcher for the Reds once Mesoraco moves on to another team, but they lost him via waivers.

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The Reds also have another next big thing catcher coming up through the minors.  Tyler Stephenson will be in Triple-A as the everyday starter.  His defense is equal to that of Barnhart’s, but he has had trouble staying offensively consistently.

The Cincinnati Reds will call the World Series champion Houston Astros as soon as the party ends.

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Mesoraco is the perfect catching partner for veteran Brian McCann.  Mesoraco is nearly as effective offensively as McCann, when healthy enough to play.  He is also a right-handed batter in opposition of McCann’s left-handed bat.

In the Houston Astros analytical set-up they have too much pitching.  Meaning that they are spending too much money on pitching and due to spend money on Dallas Kuechel this off-season.  The Reds want to add more pitching.

The pitcher that the Astros will likely look to move is Tony Sipp.  

He is a lefty specialist that had a rough 2017 season.  The Astros have him for $6-million through next season.

$2-million and Mesoraco should get Sipp and a low end prospect.  The Reds haven’t had a true lefty specialist in several years.  That would help both teams move forward in 2018.

Next: How are the Reds' prospects stacking up now?

Even if Mesoraco doesn’t end up in Houston, he will be elsewhere in 2018 if he can pass a physical.  The Reds are ready to move on to another era.  Youth will build that era and return the Reds to a competitive place in the National League Central.