Cincinnati Reds: Predicting the 2020 bullpen after adding Pedro Strop

1. Michael Lorenzen, Right-handed pitcher

Book it! Get out the Sharpie and write it in permanent ink. Michael Lorenzen will be part of the 2020 Cincinnati Reds bullpen. You can also be sure that Lorenzen won’t only be tethered to the bullpen. Look for Lorenzen to play a dual role in 2020 – relief pitcher and outfielder. Some fans may scoff at the idea, but Lorenzen proved last season he was up to the challenge.

Mikey Biceps was the Reds best reliever last season, but Lorenzen also showed he could help the ball club in other ways. His speed make him a threat on the base paths if David Bell wants to make a late-inning substitution. Lorenzen also has the chops to play all three outfield spots, and while 2019 wasn’t his most successful campaign, Lorenzen can also swing the bat with power.

Having Lorenzen gives Bell the ability to add an extra bullpen arm down the line – something that the second-year skipper would certainly take advantage of. According to MLB.com, as of 2020, only players designated as pitchers will be able to pitch in a game. The rule has three exceptions; if the game goes into extra innings, a player’s team is winning or losing by six or more runs, or a player has earned the “two-way” designation.

Once a player earns the two-way designation, he’ll have that status for the remainder of the season and into the following season. It’s doubtful that Lorenzen has met the requirements yet, but you can bet he will at some point during the upcoming season. Regardless, Lorenzen will be counted on to be a force late in games for the Reds in 2020.

2. Amir Garrett, Left-handed pitcher

I know fans throughout Reds Country were enamored and entertained by Amir Garrett‘s actions during the brawl against the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, that’s not the version of Amir Garrett the Reds are hoping to see in 2020. If Cincinnati is ready to “Count On AG”, then they need the version of Garrett who started the 2019 season with a 1.75 ERA through the month of June.

Garrett was snubbed of an All-Star last season, but also suffered an injury just before the Midsummer Classic. Unfortunately, Garrett’s performance suffered upon returning from the injury, and the southpaw went 0-2 with a 6.16 ERA after coming back from the injured list. Hopefully, Garrett is fully healthy heading into 2020, because he’ll be relied upon a lot this coming season.

The Reds, though they just added Pedro Strop, have yet to really address the void of left-handed relievers on the team. Last year, Cincinnati brought in Zach Duke to be the team’s primary left-handed reliever. That turned out to be a mistake and Duke was shown the door midway through the 2019 season.

A new rule implemented by MLB will require any relief pitcher to face a minimum of three batters or finish the half inning in which they’re pitching. This rule change will greatly affect the way mangers utilize their bullpen. Thankfully for Cincinnati, Garrett was effective against both left-handed and right-handed hitters, with little difference in his splits.

3. Robert Stephenson, Right-handed pitcher

At this time last winter, fans were ready to shove Robert Stephenson out the door. But after watching Stephenson dominate out of the bullpen last season, hopefully Reds Country has been busy writing their apology letters. Bob Steve emerged as one of the biggest bright spots in the Cincinnati bullpen last season. Hopefully that level of success continues.

If you’re looking for a breakout player from the Reds relief corps, take a long look at Robert Stephenson. The right-hander finally seemed to gain the control fans were hoping to see and his slider was one of the most devastating pitches on the entire Reds staff outside of Luis Castillo‘s changeup.

Stephenson was aggressive last season, attacking hitters with a combination of his fastball and slider. The soon-to-be 27-year-old was relentless, dropping his slider more than 56% of the time according to FanGraphs. Stephenson, who’d previously claimed that walks were part of his game, seemed to change his tune last season.

After putting up a walk-rate of 19.2% in 2018, Stephenson gained control of his pitches and saw that number dip to 9.2% in 2019. Bob Steve’s WHIP also fell from 2.486 in 2018 to 1.036. Our friend Jeff Carr over at Locked On Reds likes to refer to pitching coach Derek Johnson as a wizard, and Stephenson seems to be walking proof that Carr’s assertion is accurate.

4. Raisel Iglesias, Right-handed pitcher

Signing Pedro Strop could turn out to be a fantastic signing if Raisel Iglesias‘ struggles from 2019 bleed over into 2020. Last year was one that Iggy would just as soon forget. The Reds closer was utilized a bit differently by new skipper David Bell, and was brought into several games in a non-save situation. It’ll be interesting to see how Bell handles Iglesias this coming season.

The 2020 season will be a big one for Raisel Iglesias. After being the most outstanding pitcher in the Reds bullpen for the previous two seasons, Iggy fell on his face last year. Was it a product of the way Bell used Iglesias? Perhaps, but at the end of the day, as a professional baseball player, when your number is called, you have to perform. Iglesias did not do that in 2019.

Iggy was hung with a club-record 12 losses for a relief pitcher. That’s absurd and it has to change heading into 2020. Though Iglesias had a career-high 34 saves, he also had six blown saves. That number has to go down, as does the number of home runs allowed, which reached 12 last season.

As bad as 2019 was, Iglesias seemed to turn a corner as the season came to a close. Through the end of July, Iglesias’ ERA was sitting at 4.30 with opposing batters knocking him around to the tune of a .244 batting average. Over the final two months of the 2019 season, Iggy showed a glimpse of his old self, striking out 29 batters over the final 24 games and allowing just three homers.

5. Lucas Sims, Right-handed pitcher

Lucas Sims filled the role both starter and relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds in 2019, but it sounds as though he’ll be counted on exclusively as a reliever in 2020. A former first-round selection of the Atlanta Braves, Sims appeared in 24 games last season, 20 of which were out of the bullpen.

Look for the Reds to give Sims the Robert Stephenson treatment. What I mean by that is that Cincinnati is likely to give Sims every benefit of the doubt as spring training progresses. Sims, like Stephenson last spring, is out of options. The Reds would be required to place Sims on waivers if they didn’t put him on the active roster.

Sims was part of the 2018 trade that sent Adam Duvall to the Atlanta Braves. Sims, along with Matt Wisler and Preston Tucker were sent to Cincinnati and only the right-hander remains. Tucker returned to Atlanta during the 2018 season and Wisler was shown the door last spring after failing to beat out Stephenson for the final spot on the Reds roster.

Sims is a great option to be the Reds long reliever in 2020. While most fans hope that the group of starters can go six-plus innings, every so often, you’re going to need a pitcher that give you two-plus innings of relief. Sims, a former starter, can definitely give David Bell that kind of performance. Look for Sims to settle into a permanent spot in the bullpen.

6. Pedro Strop, Right-handed reliever

Meet your newest reliever. Reds fans had better get acquainted with Pedro Strop and his slightly crooked ball cap. Cincinnati signed the right-hander to a one-year/$1.8M deal according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Rosenthal also states that if certain performance bonuses are met, the contract could top out at $3.5M.

For his career, Strop is 28-30 with a 3.21 ERA in 555 relief appearances. He’ll definitely be a relied upon arm in the Reds bullpen. Hopefully, Strop returns to form after a dismal 2019 season. After six very successful seasons in Chicago, Strop struggled to maintain that level of consistency in 2019. The 34-year-old went just 41.2 innings and put up a 4.97 ERA.

That’s a far cry from his previous five full seasons in the Windy City when Strop averaged 59 innings of work, 67 strikeouts and put together a 2.61 ERA. The biggest difference last season was the free passes. After putting up a BB/9 of 3.2 in 2018, that number jumped to 4.3 in 2019. Strop’s HR/9 also more than doubled from 0.6 in 2018 to 1.3 in 2019.

The Cincinnati Reds are counting on a return to form from the right-hander in 2020. Pedro Strop has the makeup to have success at Great American Ball Park. For his career, according to FanGraphs, Strop has a 53.9% ground ball-rate. If Strop was able to keep the ball in the ballpark inside the Friendly Confines, then he should be able to do the same at GABP.

7. Cody Reed, Left-handed pitcher

There is going to be a battle in camp between Cody Reed and Sal Romano. Each player is a former starter now turned reliever and both are out of minor-league options. In the end, I think the nod goes to Reed. Being left-handed certainly helps his case, but Romano has also seen a downward turn in his performance since he was removed from the rotation in 2018.

Cody Reed is the last remaining piece from the trade that sent All-Star starting pitcher Johnny Cueto to the Kansas City Royals back in 2015. Now, that’s not entirely true, as fellow left-hander Brandon Finnegan is still with the club. Reed saw action in just three games last season before injuring his knee and finished the 2019 season on the injured list.

Reed has talent, and showed lsat year while the Reds brass has always been so high on him. In just 6.1 innings of work, Reed struck out seven batters ands put up a 1.42 ERA and 1.105 WHIP. Those numbers sound a lot better than Reed career-ERA (5.42) and career-WHIP (1.596). Walks have been a problem for Reed, including a walk-rate of 24.1% back in 2017.

Again, the idea behind keeping Reed on the 26-man roster boils down to minor-league options. Reed, Romano and Lucas Sims are all out of options. Sims helped cement his status on the team last season, but Reed and Romano failed to do that. Reed will need a good showing during camp to prove that he’s healthy.

8. Nate Jones, Right-handed pitcher

There are only eight spots available in the Reds bullpen, and if he’s healthy, Nate Jones will snag one of those spots. The right-hander spent his entire eight-year career with Chicago White Sox and put together quite a resumé. Earlier this offseason, Jones was signed to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training.

Born in Butler, Kentucky, Nate Jones went undrafted out of high school and went on to play college baseball at Northern Kentucky University. Jones was eventually drafted in the fifth round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the White Sox and made the 25-man roster out of spring training in 2012. Jones finished his rookie year with a flawless 8-0 record and an ERA of 2.39.

Unfortunately, Jones underwent the dreaded Tommy John surgery in 2014. Just a few months prior, Jones was sidelined by back issues. Jones returned to action late during the 2015 season, striking out 27 batters win just 19 innings of work. The following year, Jones made 71 appearances and put up a 2.29 ERA.

Jones appeared in just 13 games last season before his 2019 campaign was cut short by surgery to repair a torn right flexer mass. If Jones can return to full strength, he could serve as a very talented arm in the Reds bullpen.

Cincinnati has several other non-roster invitees who could land a spot in the bullpen as well. Brooks Raley, Tyler Thornburg and Jesse Biddle will all be bidding for that final spot among the other in the relief corp. Pitching performances during spring training will be crucial in finding the final couple arms for the Reds pen.