3 worst Reds free agent signings since Nick Krall became GM

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Nick Krall joined the Cincinnati Reds organization in 2003 as an advanced scout. The Reds' top executive has worked his way up through the ranks of the front office and was tabbed as Cincinnati's General Manager in May of 2018.

While Krall's title hasn't really changed since 2018, his responsibilities sure have. Dick Williams stepped down as Reds' President of Baseball Operations in October of 2020 and Krall has assumed the role of chief baseball operations officer since then.

Free agency has rarely been a friend to the Cincinnati Reds. In fact, it's rare that the Redlegs actually do more than sign veterans to minor league contracts. But there are a few occasions when Bob Castellini cracks open his wallet. What are the three worst free agent signings fans have witnessed since Krall took over the baseball operations department in 2020?

1. Reds GM Nick Krall made a mistake signing Colin Moran.

The Cincinnati Reds made more trades than free agent signings prior to the start of the 2022 season. After all, Nick Krall needed to align the team's payroll to their resources - which is GM-speak for cut payroll.

The Reds traded away Jesse Winker, Tucker Barnhart, Eugenio Suarez, Sonny Gray, and Amir Garrett before the season ever began. Cincinnati also waived Wade Miley and made zero effort to pursue Nick Castellanos in free agency.

But that's okay so long as Colin Moran is part of your Opening Day roster, right? The former Pittsburgh Pirates infielder was non-tendered during the offseason and became a free agent. Cincinnati signed Moran to a one-year/$1M contract.

Moran spent a handful of days in the big leagues with the Reds and had about a week's worth of games where the left-handed slugger played meaningful baseball. All together, Moran played a little over 40 games with the Reds in 2022 and posted an OPS of .681. The Reds designated Moran for assignment in September.

2. Reds GM Nick Krall swung and missed with the deal for Sean Doolittle.

The Cincinnati Reds non-tendered Archie Bradley after the team's playoff appearance in 2020. Cincinnati had just traded two of their younger players to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Bradley's services only a few months prior. The $5M-plus that Bradley was slated to make in 2021 was too high for the Reds liking.

Cincinnati also dismissed closer Raisel Iglesias. The right-hander was dealt to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for reliever Noe Ramirez, a pitcher whom the Reds would release prior to the 2021 season.

Instead of Bradley or Iglesias, the Reds decided to sign longtime Washington Nationals' closer Sean Doolittle to a one-year/$1.5M contract. Doolittle did, well, very little in 2021. The left-hander made 45 appearances out of the Cincinnati bullpen and seemed to cough up a lead nearly every time he toed the rubber.

Doolittle earned just one save in 2021 and blew a save on four different occasions. Doolittle was eventually designated for assignment in August and was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners. The southpaw pitched in 11 games for the M's and became a free agent once again during the offseason.

Sean Doolittle returned to the Washington Nationals in 2022, but after landing on the IL in April, the lefty never returned to the Nats' bullpen. Doolittle pitched in just six games for the Nationals last season.

3. Reds GM Nick Krall got very little after signing Hunter Strickland.

Hunter Strickland's best days were behind him by the time Nick Krall signed him to a one-year contract this past offseason. While the right-hander may have been a highly-regarded closer in the past, Strickland actually appeared for three different teams in 2021.

Strickland's 2.61 ERA in 2021 was rather impressive, but his two previous seasons yielded an ERA of 5.86. The Reds took a gamble that the player who pitched in 2021 was the one they'd be signing to work out of the bullpen in 2022. It turns out they got the pitcher who played for the New York Mets, Washington Nationals, and Seattle Mariners from 2109-2020.

Strickland was a mistake waiting to happen almost every time that David Bell called upon him to pitch out of the Reds bullpen. It reached the point in August where Strickland's poor performances were so common that he was replaced in the backend of the Cincinnati bullpen by rookie right-hander Alexis Diaz.

Strickland ended his 2022 season with a 4.91 ERA and four blown saves in 11 chances. Strickland walked 33 batters in 62-plus innings of work last season. The right-hander will enter free agency again heading into theh 2023 season.

In baseball, you fail more often than you succeed. If a veteran can make it through 10 years and hit .300, he usually finds his way to the Hall of Fame. These three moves illustrate Nick Krall's failures in free agency during his first two years as the head of the Cincinnati Reds front office.

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