Reds: Abandoned offseason moves that could’ve saved 2021 roster

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CINCINNATI, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 16: Archie Bradley #23 of the Cincinnati Reds throws a pitch. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

The Cincinnati Reds made one major league signing over the offseason, inking left-handed reliever Sean Doolittle to a one-year deal. However, the Reds were rumored to be after some of the hottest names on the market. What signings or potential trades that could’ve been made that would have really helped Cincinnati’s outlook this season?

The Cincinnati Reds non-tendered Curt Casali which paved the way for Tyler Stephenson to serve as Tucker Barnhart’s running mate behind the dish. While Casali was beloved by his teammates in Cincinnati, the current backup to Buster Posey in San Francisco is hitting just .104 and has an OPS+ of 10 on the season.

Moving on from Casali seems to have worked out well for the Reds. However, there were several potential moves that Cincinnati’s front office could have made this past winter, and David Bell’s squad would’ve been in much better shape. Let’s look at a few of those moves, shall we?

1. Reds should have tendered a contract to Archie Bradley.

The Cincinnati Reds made a deadline deal last summer with the Arizona Diamondbacks in order to secure Archie Bradley. Bradley had a nice track record as the D-backs closer, and after moving on from Raisel Iglesias, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Bradley would supplant Iggy as Cincinnati’s closer in 2021.

However, the Reds front office chose instead to non-tender the right-hander and allow Bradley to sign a one-year/$6M deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. It was likely the Cincinnati Reds could’ve tendered Bradley a contract for even less than what he signed for in Philly.

The Reds bullpen is a disaster. Were it not for the heroics of Tejay Antone, who should actually be in the starting rotation, there’s no telling how bad the Cincinnati relief corps would be. Even with Antone anchoring the mix of relievers, the Reds bullpen has the worst ERA in baseball.

The Cincinnati Reds dealt a Top 10 prospect in Stuart Fairchild, along with utility player Josh VanMeter in order to snag Archie Bradley last summer. After non-tendering Bradley in December, the Reds essentially forfeited their former second-round pick and a serviceable infielder for 7.2 innings of Archie Bradley. Ouch!

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JUNE 01: Jonathan Villar #1 of the New York Mets gets ready in the batters box. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

2. The Reds should have signed Jonathan Villar to a major league contract.

The Cincinnati Reds spent the majority of the offseason searching for a shortstop to replace Freddy Galvis. Galvis eventually signed a one-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles, and he’s enjoying a nice season offensively. While names like Didi Gregorius and Marcus Semien were floated around, the Reds should have signed Jonathan Villar to a major league contract.

Gregorius is slashing just .229/.266/.364, so it’s a good thing Cincinnati avoided a deal for their former farmhand. Semien is playing quite well, but there was no way the Reds were going to match his salary demands. Andrelton Simmons, another hot commodity this past winter, is playing about as well as you’d expect; fantastic defense and mediocre offensive production.

While the big three found homes outside of Cincinnati, the Reds were said to be very likely to sign Jonathan Villar this offseason. Apparently, the Reds became quite cheap and were only willing to offer Villar a minor-league deal. The former Miami Marlins infielder decided instead to take the one-year/$3.55M contract offered by the New York Mets.

Villar has been playing very well, hitting .239/.329/.403 with five home runs and 13 RBIs. Instead, Cincinnati decided they’d try their luck with Dee Strange-Gordon at shortstop. That experiment failed miserably, and eventually the team cut their losses, moved on from Strange-Gordon, and moved Eugenio Suarez to shortstop.

ST LOUIS, MO – JUNE 04: Luis Castillo #58 of the Cincinnati Reds delivers a pitch. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

3. The Reds should have dealt Luis Castillo to the Yankees.

It seemed like the Cincinnati Reds would’ve been throwing in the towel on the 2021 season before it began had the team dealt its Opening Day starter to the New York Yankees this offseason. However, after seeing how poorly Luis Castillo has performed this season, Nick Krall and the Reds front office are probably wishing they’d made that trade.

The rumors this offseason suggested that both Castillo and Sonny Gray were on the trade block. Though nothing ever materialized, we were led to believe that Cincinnati and New York had preliminary discussions about a potential deal, but both parties seemed to overvalue their own players.

The Redlegs were said to be asking for Yankees’ shortstop Gleyber Torres in exchange for Castillo. Now, it seems as though both teams would’ve preferred to make that trade. Torres has rebounded after a slow start and his 99 OPS+, while below his career average, is trending in the right direction. Castillo, much like Torres, struggled early, but he seems to be returning to form.

However, even if you take Gleyber Torres out of the equation, there’s every reason to believe Cincinnati could have secured several minor league prospects, including Deivi Garcia, Oswald Peraza, and Clarke Schmidt.

Luis Castillo’s trade value has taken a major hit, and should the Yankees come looking to acquire La Piedra’s services before the July 30th trade deadline, Cincinnati’s bargaining power has certainly weakened.

Next. 3 Reds prospects who should debut in '21, but won't

Had Cincinnati parted ways with Luis Castillo this past winter, perhaps Tejay Antone, Tony Santillan, or even Nick Lodolo may already be in the team’s starting rotation. As it sits now, it’s questionable if Castillo will be back in the Queen City next season, as a potential July deal or offseason trade seems increasingly likely.

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