3 Reds front office decisions that doomed the 2022 team from the start

2. The Reds waived Wade Miley and traded for Mike Minor.

Allowing Nick Castellanos to sign elsewhere without even trying was negligent. But at least Cincinnati Reds received a compensatory pick (Sal Stewart) in the 2022 MLB Draft. Waiving Wade Miley and replacing him with Mike Minor is akin to malpractice.

After the season, Nick Krall claimed that he could find no trade partners for Wade Miley. So what did the Reds GM do? He released him! Wait, what? Wasn't this the same Wade Miley who emerged as Cincinnati's best starting pitcher in 2021 and threw a no-hitter against Cleveland? Yes.

Not only did the Reds waive Miley, but in doing so it allowed the veteran to sign with Cincinnati's division rival, the Chicago Cubs. The Reds waived Miley because the ownership did not want to pick up the $10M team-option in order to keep the left-hander in Cincinnati for the 2022 season.

Okay, that's somewhat understandable, right? With young pitchers like Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene on the cusp of the major leagues, and a stable of Tyler Mahle, Sonny Gray, and Luis Castillo, perhaps it makes sense not to hang on to an aging veteran who struggled down the stretch. But don't just give him away for nothing!

Furthermore, don't trade one of young relievers in exchange for the exact same type of pitcher, who's making the exact same salary, and put up worse numbers during the 2021 season. But that's exactly what the Cincinnati Reds did when they traded Amir Garrett to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Mike Minor.

Cincinnati could have held on to both Wade Miley and Amir Garrett, probably traded both prior to the 2022 season for a couple mid-level prospects, and entered the season with an extra $10M to spend. This move was next-level baboonery on the part of Nick Krall and the Cincinnati Reds front office.