Cincinnati Reds: Predicting the 30-man roster to begin 2020 season

Reds starting rotation (5)

Luis Castillo (RHP), Sonny Gray (RHP), Trevor Bauer (RHP), Wade Miley (LHP), Anthony DeSclafani (RHP)

This is, perhaps, the easiest prediction on the planet. The Cincinnati Reds starting rotation has been set since Wade Miley signed his two-year contract during the offseason. The only question will be whether or not the Reds decide to employ a six-man starting rotation.

If all five starters are healthy to begin the season, Castillo will take ball when the Reds begin play in late-July. Gray will follow and then Bauer with Miley and DeSclafani bringing up the rear. That’s a formidable starting rotation, and we haven’t even included the potential of Tyler Mahle joining the fray.

With the coronavirus pandemic interrupting spring training and team’s summer camps limited to just three weeks, the health of each team’s starting rotation will be called into question. Some teams, like the Los Angeles Angels, plan to implement at six-man rotation. The Reds have the pitching depth to do the same.

Adding Mahle to the rotation is a possibility, or Cincinnati could choose to carry him as a long reliever who could easily go multiple innings. Either way, the Reds are sitting pretty heading into summer camps in terms of their starting rotation. If everyone stays healthy, this will be the strength of the team, and the best rotation in the NL aside from the Washington Nationals.