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

The Cincinnati Reds' 2022 season was over before it began. The front office made several moves heading into the season that doomed the campaign before the first pitch was thrown on Opening Day.

Nick Krall made it apparent even as early as the day after the 2021 World Series, that Cincinnati would be "aligning their payroll to their resources". In short, the Castellini family was uninterested in competing this past season because of lost revenue in 2020 and 2021.

But, as we all know, it was the fans who suffered. And with the Reds now squarely in the middle of another "rebuild", the Cincinnati faithful have little hope fr much success in 2023 as well. Which three front office decisions doomed the 2022 Cincinnati Reds from the start?

1. The Reds did not pursuing Nick Castellanos in free agency.

The Cincinnati Reds made a lot of mistakes prior to the start of the 2022 season, but this may have been one of the most egregious. After watching Nick Castellanos transform into an All-Star level player and lead the team in RBIs during the 2021 season, the Reds made absolutely no effort to retain his services.

Castellanos spoke about the Reds' lack of interest during an interview with Jomboy's Chris Rose back in April. Castellanos said that he never even received a phone call from the Reds. That's utterly shameful on the part of the Cincinnati front office.

Castellanos eventually signed a five-year/$100M contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, and while he had a down-year, most pundits expect the slugger to rebound during his second season in the Citty of Brotherly Love. Make no mistake, that contract was one the Reds could have afforded, especially with the contracts of Joey Votto and Mike Moustakas coming off the books after the 2023 season.

The Reds outfield was a disaster this season. Cincinnati trotted out the likes of Stuart Fairchild, TJ Friedl, Jake Fraley, and Aristides Aquino. All four are serviceable, but not one is a major league-caliber starting outfielder. The Reds will be hoping that one of their young prospects (Jay Allen II, Rece Hinds, or Austin Hendrick) develop into some semblance of quality outfielder.

This was a swing-and-miss on the part of Nick Krall and the Reds front office. The team's lack of interest in retaining Nick Castellanos was one of their biggest failures that set the stage for a 100-loss season.

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.