Cincinnati Reds: Austin Brice and Brandon Dixon claimed

The Cincinnati Reds lost Brandon Dixon and Austin Brice were waiver claims of two American League teams and will not be back in 2019.

Teams all over Major League Baseball are rearranging their rosters as the offseason is in full swing. In doing so, the Cincinnati Reds lost utility man Brandon Dixon and relief pitcher Austin Brice to waiver claims.

Brandon Dixon was claimed by the Detroit Tigers. Dixon, the former Dodger who came to Reds almost three years when they shipped Todd Frazier to the White Sox, spent the majority of 2018 bouncing between the big leagues and Triple-A Louisville.

Dixon played all over the diamond. He saw action at almost every infield position, occupied both corner outfield spots, and even got a relief appearance on the mound. Dixon, however, was far from productive at the dish. The rookie slashed a disappointing .178/.218/.356.

Had he not been claimed by Detroit, Dixon would’ve likely been outrighted to Triple-A Louisville just like Mason Williams and Dilson Herrera. Instead, Dixon will head to the Motor City as part of the Tigers’ 40-man roster.

The Cincinnati Reds also lost relief pitcher Austin Brice to waivers. He was claimed by the Los Angels Angels. Brice appeared in 33 games last season and spent time on four separate occasions with the big league club.

Brice was not a bright spot in the Reds relief corp. The former ninth-round pick of the then-Florida Marlins went 2-3 with a 5.79 ERA. Brice allowed 9 home runs in his 37.1 innings pitched.

Brice would’ve faced stiff competition among the relievers this season if he’d hoped to land on the Opening Day roster. Michael Lorenzen, David Hernández, Jared Hughes, Raisel Iglesias, Amir Garrett, and several other young pitchers would’ve made it difficult for Brice to find a spot in the bullpen.

The Cincinnati Reds also acquired a relief pitcher from the St. Louis Cardinals via waivers yesterday. Matt Bowman, a former 13th round selection of the New York Mets in 2012, will help fill out the Reds 40-man roster as we enter the offseason. Jesse Winker, Alex Blandino, and Keury Mella were all reinstated from the 60-day DL as well.