Cincinnati Reds: Predicting the roster with Opening Day three weeks away

Starting pitchers (5)

Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo, Anthony DeSclafani, Trevor Bauer and Wade Miley

The Cincinnati Reds may have the best starting rotation in the National League. On paper, only the New York Mets rival the Reds in terms of talent. Luis Castillo and Anthony DeSclafani have been part of the Reds organization for years. Sonny Gray and Trevor Bauer found their way to the Queen City last year and Wade Miley signed a free agent this offseason. The pitching staff is loaded.

I fully expect Luis Castillo, who’s been roughed up this spring, to start Opening Day against the St. Louis Cardinals. Don’t let La Piedra’s poor showing in the Cactus League make you question his ability. Castillo’s ERA through 2.2 innings this spring is 13.50, but the right-hander’s ERA last spring was 12.46. Castillo then went on to have a dominant 2019 season. He’ll be fine.

The trio of Gray, Bauer and DeSclafani have been fantastic this spring. Between the three of them, they’ve allowed just one run all spring. Both Bauer and Disco enter 2020 with free agency on the horizon, giving them a bit of extra motivation to perform at the top of their game.

Miley finally got his first start of the spring against his former team, the Milwaukee Brewers, on Sunday. Miley went 1.1 innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out two. The runs aren’t very concerning, as a slow roller and bloop double accounted for two runners before Logan Morrison hit a three-run homer.

Miley will be fine, so hopefully Reds Country doesn’t overreact to his first outing of the spring. If any of the starters struggle or suffer an injury, Tyler Mahle is waiting in the wings. I can think of a lot worse options as your sixth starter than Mahle.