Cincinnati Reds Rumors – Which starting pitchers could they target?

The Cincinnati Reds could look to add a veteran starter to support their young rotation.

The Cincinnati Reds are looking for another Scott Feldman type player.  A pitcher that can throw six innings every time out and make thirty starts.  Feldman ended up injured, but that shouldn’t discourage the Reds.

One pitcher that stands out because of his age, thirty, that meets the general profile the Reds want is Chris Tillman.  Tillman injured his shoulder in 2017, but we impressive the first five years of his career.  Over that time frame he made 143 starts and was one of 53 MLB pitchers to throw 750 innings or more.  Tillman is also looking for redemption.

Another pitcher that has a slightly higher profile is Doug Fister.  He is a .500 pitcher that has made over 200 MLB starts.  He is also relatively young at 34 and appears to have little interest from his team last season.

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A similar pitcher to Fister is Anibal Sanchez who pitched for the Detroit Tigers in recent years.  Despite his recent woes, Sanchez is just four games below .500 with 262 career MLB starts.  The batting average against has spiked the past few seasons for Sanchez, but his other metrics compare to those of throughout his time with Detroit.

The Cincinnati Reds have an internal option and some lower profile pitchers that may fit the bill.

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Lefty Jason Vargas is quietly a solid pitcher.  He spent the last four years in Kansas CIty, where he overcame some injuries.  He may price out of the Reds’ budget as general managers across baseball know about Vargas.

Another low profile lefty is Hector Santiago.  He has spent his entire career as a starting pitcher in the American League.  As a free agent just about to turn thirty, he could be very attractive to the Reds.

The Reds could also choose to bring back Scott Feldman, who was their starting pitching solution from the 2016-17 off-season.  He did his job until a knee injury ended his season prematurely.  The other positive for Feldman is that he could transition to a multi-inning reliever if the starting prospects step up for the Reds.

Next: The Reds have a new ace in Luis Castillo

It’s fun to look at free agent options and envision what they could add to the team.  Unfortunately, Feldman’s price tag, flexibility and reliability likely make him the best fit on this list for the rebuilding Reds.  In any case, they need to add some veteran to lead this staff besides their current embattled veteran, Homer Bailey.