Luis Cessa should receive every opportunity to be part of the Reds 2023 starting rotation

Luis Cessa has been quite impressive since joining the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation. After allowing five runs on eight hits to the Pittsburgh Pirates last week, Cessa righted the ship and took down one of the National League's best hitting teams on Sunday afternoon.

The St. Louis Cardinals rank third in the NL in hits, OPS, and runs scored, but Cessa didn't allow Oliver Marmol's crew to even dent the plate. Cessa allowed just one hit over five innings pitched while striking out Yadier Molina for his only punch out. Cessa allowed two walks as well.

Looking ahead, there's no reason that Luis Cessa should begin next season in the bullpen. A former reliever, Cessa has pitched more than 27 innings over the past six games as a starter and should be given every opportunity to earn a spot in the Cincinnati Reds 2023 starting rotation.

Luis Cessa should be in the Reds 2023 starting rotation.

Heading into 2023, one would assume that Hunter Greene, Graham Ashcraft, and Nick Lodolo are locks to be part of the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation. But fans of the Cincinnati Reds should go ahead and add Luis Cessa's name to that list.

Mike Minor is a free agent after the season, and nobody in their right mind would be excited to bring the veteran left-hander back anyway. Justin Dunn has struggled just to stay healthy. After spending over a year out of action due to a should injury, Dunn is back on the IL with soreness in that same shoulder. One would have to think that the Reds will be very cautious with Dunn moving forward.

The Reds do have two young pitchers at Triple-A who'll likely be in the mix for the starting rotation as well in right-hander Levi Stoudt and left-hander Brandon Williamson. However, neither has had tremendous success at Triple-A this season and could use more seasoning in the minors next year before making their major league debuts.

That points the Reds back to Luis Cessa. The right-hander, who'll turn 31 years old shortly after Opening Day next season, has had previous experience as a starter while with the New York Yankees. Entering his final year of arbitration eligibility, it's unlikely that Cessa will earn more than double his contract ($1.8M) for 2022. An experienced starter for $3M-$4M is a bargain.

No, Luis Cessa is not going to put up huge strikeout numbers, but the right-hander has a ground ball-rate over 50% this season. That, combined with walk-rate of just 7.8%, should earn Cessa an extended look as a potential starter next spring.