Scathing Reds' report lets Nick Krall off the hook (but can't absolve him completely)

A recent article published by The Athletic paints a pretty grim picture about the relationship between the Cincinnati Reds' ownership group and the front office. According to a joint report from C. Trent Rosecrans and Ken Rosenthal, Nick Krall and Bob Castellini had a rather tense exchange earlier this season.

According to the report — which cites multiple unnamed sources — during a meeting earlier this season, Castellini wanted to know why the Reds lacked the ability to have sustained success like the Milwaukee Brewers. Krall reportedly unveiled a 'laundry list' of trades Cincinnati's owner did not approve.

The report goes on to suggest that Krall had visions of building a strong base of young talent, but doing so would've required the Reds to sacrifice some of their more established players. One can assume that Castellini balked at the idea of trading the likes of Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Spencer Steer, Graham Ashcraft, and others.

Reds fans have seen this movie before. Prior to hitting the reset button in 2014, Cincinnati failed to offload some of their most productive players while they still had value. Todd Frazier, Jay Bruce, Aroldis Chapman, and others all remained well past their prime, and when the Reds finally traded those players, their value had dropped off dramatically.

If Krall has truly come to ownership with competent, well-thought out, forward-thinking plans for the organization, only to be dismissed in favor of clinging to some fan-favorites and established veterans, then he can't be held ultimately responsible for the Reds' lack of success over the past decade. But that doesn't get him off the hook completely.

Nick Krall doesn't get a free pass because of the Reds' ownership

While the reporting suggests that Castellini has vetoed a number of potential trades, nowhere is it revealed that some of the exchanges Krall did oversee were at the behest of ownership. In other words, it's unlikely Castellini burst into Krall's office and said, "Bring me Ke'Bryan Hayes!"

Krall still needs to own up to the baffling trades he did make. This would include shipping Mike Sirota to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Gavin Lux, swapping Luis Castillo for the now defunct package of Edwin Arroyo, Noelvi Marte, Levi Stoudt, and Andrew Moore, and of course, last year's deal that brought Hayes to Cincinnati in exchange for shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura.

So while Castellini may in fact serve as a blockade for impactful trades, Krall is culpable for the deals he oversees. Regardless of who's telling the truth in this whole ordeal, it's ultimately the Reds fans who are left holding the bag. This latest report just adds yet another layer to already uninspiring mess.

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