Cincinnati Reds: Derek Holland provides an inexpensive option

Derek Holland, whom the Cincinnati Reds pursued during the offseason, was designated for assignment. Should the Reds roll the dice on the southpaw?

Being a small market team, the Cincinnati Reds are always on the lookout for a good deal. They may have one with the recent transaction involving left-handed pitcher Derek Holland. The San Francisco Giants designated Holland for assignment. It’s unlikely another team will claim Holland. If he becomes a free agent, the Reds could make a shrewd pick up with little risk.

One look at Derek Holland’s numbers and most Reds fans will shake their heads. They’re not very good. Holland has a 2-4 record and 5.90 ERA with a WHIP of 1.500. Whew, that’s not the type of stat line that’s going to endear you to the fanbase.

However, we’ve seen the magic that Derek Johnson, the Reds pitching coach, has been able to perform on several players this season. Sonny Gray, Anthony DeScalfani, and Robert Stephenson come to mind. Perhaps Johnson could have similar success with Holland.

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Now, I’m not advocating that Holland be placed in the starting rotation. In fact, I think he should occupy the same role that the Reds had in mind when the team brought in Zach Duke. At this stage of his career, Holland could fill the role of a LOOGY, providing another left-handed arm out of the bullpen.

Currently, with Cody Reed on the shelf and Duke having been released, David Bell has relied heavily on Amir Garrett. Wandy Peralta had a nice outing his last time to the hill, but for the most part this season, the native of the Dominican Republic has been anything but consistent. Peralta is currently sitting on a 4.94 ERA.

While Holland’s first seven appearances this season saw his manager give him the ball to start the game, his early season struggles relegated him to the bullpen. Holland went 1-4 in those first 7 games and owned a 6.75 ERA while allowing 10 home runs and 20 walks in 34.2 innings pitched.

Holland was switched to the bullpen where his ERA didn’t improve much. The southpaw has an ERA of 6.38 in 24 relief appearances this season. Opponents were hitting .284 off him during the 36.2 innings of work out of the pen.

So why even bring Holland to Cincinnati you may ask? Well, again, I’d use him primarily as left-handed reliever when opposing a left-handed batter. Lefties are only hitting .182 off Holland this season and every home run he’s allowed this season has come at the expense of a right-handed hitter.

Bringing Holland on a minor league deal could add another arm to the Cincinnati Reds bullpen. This is a low-risk move and one that could pay dividends if Holland harkens back to what he did last season. In 2018, Holland had a 3.57 ERA while striking out 169 batters. That kind of production can’t be ignored and is why the Reds showed interest in Holland this past offseason.