Reds: Plenty of minor league arms could help gassed bullpen

Cincinnati Reds Manager David Bell claimed that his bullpen is gassed after the road trip. If that’s the case, there are plenty of capable arms at Triple-A Louisville. While none are likely to be backend options, promoting a few pitchers could provide rest for some of the team’s weary relievers.

None of these minor leaguers are what fans would consider elite arms. In fact, most are journeymen. But, if the front office is unwilling at this time to make a trade or two in order to improve the bullpen, then calling up some help from Triple-A might be the prudent, short-term solution.

The Reds minor leagues are not devoid of adequate relievers.

No, you’re not going to find the Reds’ closer among the group of pitchers at Triple-A Louisville; unless you’re someone who’s advocating for Hunter Greene to pitch out of the bullpen this season. I would, however, advise against that.

But, there’s a couple relievers who are pitching well enough that they’d likely be a welcome replacement for the likes of Art Warren, Sean Doolittle, and Josh Osich. Perhaps the front office should make a call to bring up Reiver Sanmartin, R.J. Alaniz, and Phillip Diehl.

No, none of those players are on the 40-man roster, so corresponding moves would have to be made. But do the Reds need the likes of Warren, Ashton Goudeau, and Cionel Perez on the 40-man roster? Perez, by the way, has an 8.31 ERA and 2.02 WHIP in 18 games for the Louisville Bats. At this point in time, Perez is just taking up space on the Reds 40-man roster.

Goudeau proved that he’s not big league-ready. The 28-year-old right-hander owns a 4.00 ERA in the majors this season, and only punched out five batters in nine innings of work. Goudeau has started three games for Triple-A Louisville this season and posted a 4.97 ERA with only nine strikeouts in 12.2 innings on the bump.

Reiver Sanmartin has the look of major league reliever.

With Sonny Gray and Jeff Hoffman likely to return form the injured list in the coming week, the Cincinnati Reds are unlikely to give the green light to Sanmartin, Alaniz, or Diehl. Out of the three names mentioned, Sanmartin looks like the most likely pitcher to stick in the majors and not be a frequent passenger along I-71 between Louisville and Cincinnati.

Sanmartin haș starter seven games this season, but has seen his last two appearances come in relief. The 25-year-old has a 2.88 ERA and 49 Ks over 40.2 innings worked. Sanmartin is also a southpaw, something that would be of great benefit if Cincinnati decides to do the right thing and designated Sean Doolittle for assignment.

If the Reds’ front office is unwilling to make a deal or two in order to fix the bullpen from the outside, then Nick Krall needs to make some moves internally. According to MLB.com, David Bell referred to his bullpen as “gassed”. If that’s the the case, it’s time for the Reds to fill up the tank and promote a couple capable pitchers from Triple-A Louisville.