As they ramp back up following some holiday downtime, the Reds are still looking at external center field candidates, president of baseball operations Dick Williams tells Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. However, Williams expresses confidence that in-house options like Scott Schebler and Phil Ervin can handle center field if needed, and he also lists top prospect Nick Senzel as a possibility there. “If this is the group we go into camp with, I think we’d be open-minded there,” said Williams of his current outfield mix. “But between now and Spring Training, we’ll continue to look at ways to address that area.” Cincinnati already has Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Schebler, Ervin and Jesse Winker as options in the outfield.
Regarding Winker, who has posted a terrific .299/.397/.460 slash through his first 136 MLB games, Williams indicated that the Reds still view him as an everyday option or, at the very least, “a very consistent regular contributor.” Winker’s playing time could be cut into by the additions of veterans Kemp and Puig, though he’s coming off surgery in his non-throwing shoulder, so perhaps some additional rest would prove beneficial.
Here’s a bit more from the NL Central…
- The Brewers “like” free-agent second baseman Brian Dozier, writes Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic in his latest notes column (subscription required), though there’s no clear indication that the two sides have had any substantial talks to this point. Bringing Dozier into the fold would give Milwaukee a potential short-term bridge to prospects Keston Hiura and Mauricio Dubon while affording the longtime Twins slugger to rebuild some value in the wake of a poor 2018 season which was hindered by knee troubles. From 2014-17, Dozier hit .254/.338/.476 and averaged 32 homers per season, but he faceplanted with a .215/.305/.391 slash between Minnesota and Los Angeles last year.
- Rosenthal also writes that one executive from a rival club feels the Cardinals are becoming decreasingly likely to move Jose Martinez in a trade this winter. The late-blooming 30-year-old has hit .309/.372/.478 with 31 homers, 44 doubles and a triple through his first 915 MLB plate appearances since debuting in 2016, though his pronounced defensive shortcomings at first base and in the outfield have made him a potential trade candidate. That, of course, hardly precludes a trade, but it seems the Cards may be more keen on keeping Martinez as a bench bat now that they don’t need to rely on him for a full slate of games following the acquisition of Paul Goldschmidt. Martinez only has two years and 27 days of Major League service time, leaving him a year shy of arbitration eligibility and giving the Cardinals another four seasons of club control before he can become a free agent. Given that Martinez isn’t likely to earn much more than $600K in 2019, the Cardinals aren’t under any sort of pressure to move him unless they receive immediate MLB-ready help at a position of greater need.
Dozier completely fell off the last 3 years. I know he was never a great hitter but the drop off is big
Dozier’s best seasons were 2016 and 2017. 2018 was awful but he is only 31. He would be a good bridge to the Brewer’s future 2nd basemen if the price is right.
How did he fall off the last three years when he was at his best in 2016, and 2017?
I actually looked at baseball reference’s stats wrong and mid read them lol. You are right
This past season was his only bad season, he hit .271 with 34 hr and 93 rbi in 2017
I’m always a little amazed at how little respect Dozier gets. I guess maybe it’s a Twins thing. Terrible team. Out of sight, out of mind. Even other MLB teams seem to overlook his value as the Twins weren’t able to get any trade biters before last season.
Dozier was pretty much a 5 WAR 2B for the 4 years prior to last year, but the usual contract expectations were in that 3/4 year $45M/$60M range before his clunker of a season last year. Dozier’s clunker of a season came at the worst possible time.
Cano was pretty much a 6 WAR 2B for the 4 years prior to his contract with the Mariners and he got 10 years and $240M at the same age as Dozier.
I’ve always been pessimistic on Dozier with his pronounced streaky hitting, but after 4 consecutive years of being solid to great, even I came around. Naturally, he then laid an egg, but Dozier has to be a big bounce back candidate this year. I suppose the way the Twins seemed completely uninterested in him did Dozier no favors in terms of other teams interest level.
Cano was a career .860 OPS guy when he signed his deal. Dozier is a career .768.
If the NL had the DH, the cardinals would have a great problem on their hands. instead they’re being almost handcuffed into a situation where they have to trade a Good hitter or ride him on the bench because of roster structure. MLB needs to even the playing field there.
The AL’s designated hitter rule is an abomination.
Keep Martinez he’s an elite bench bat.
The problem with this is not only is his defense a huge detriment, but there is also a clogged 40man/25man roster. They have to move some pieces off. Yes, they have improved, but there is still way too much clutter and redundancy on this roster.
He’ll be like 34 by the time they no longer have team control….pretty old to hit the FA market.
I still think they trade him at some point in 2019….so he can play/DH most every day
They certainly can’t keep him and Gyrko both. I think J-Mart would be better in a pinch-hitter role than Gyrko.. Gyrko’s a nice backup glove to have, but he’s not needed and his spot (if they only carry 12 pitchers) would be better given to a lefty utility guy.
I wonder if the Cards can get away with only using 12 pitchers for most of the season, given that they could fill a lot of the pen with guys with starting experience. I think they would be better off having a deeper bench than a deeper pen if they have multiple guys like Hudson, maybe Waino, and possibly Reyes when he’s healthy in the bullpen throwing multiple innings per appearance.
I will loose my mind if they don’t DFA Cecil and Gregerson. A bullpen looking like Hicks, Hudson, Leone, Shreve, Miller, and Reyes would be a bullpen I could finally be comfortable with.
i think we could get away with a 12 man pen matheny is no longer here so the work load should be spread out across the board. also we won’t have the everyday guy in the pen and the guy in the glass case that just takes up a spot
@C1234: “I will loose my mind…”
Better get out the toolbox and tighten it up!
Wonder if they can get by with 12 pitchers still makes me laugh, no matter how many years it’s been since starters pitched 225+ and you only needed 4-5 relievers.
All of the conversations referring to the improvement of the team go out the window until Cecil and Fowler are wearing another uniform.
Dexter had a terrible year last year but he had very good ones 9 consecutive times before then. While he may just be done, I think it would be silly and risky to eat nearly 50 million based on that guess. I feel he still has something left in the tank and may get it together next year. Hard to imagine the Cardinals eating most of that salary with 3 years left still
They can afford to have one less bullpen pitcher next year with the Memphis shuttle and (more importantly) now that they don’t have a bumbling buffoon in charge of bullpen usage. Gyorko should be the one traded rather than Martinez anyways, but even if he’s not, keeping Jose shouldn’t be a bad thing with a smart manager in charge.
I hate the Memphis shuttle… sounds like a mediocre plan
Agree. Glad to hear it’s becoming more likely he’s staying put.
This probably means Gyrko is more likely to be dealt, though. Depending on how many pitchers they carry, the bench is going to be Munoz, O’Neill, Martinez and Backup C, with one more potential spot that would presumably go to a lefty.
Jedd is a better defender, but is a FA after 2019. Keeping him compromises the future, since they traded Wisdom. Maybe they can use J-Mart when the game is out of hand (losing badly)….and keep his bat fresh(er)
Probably J-Mart and Gyorko should be moved…..either now or by mid season.
.keep his bat fresh? I dont think that’s a concern
I really hope they go with 7 RPs and a 5 man bench that has some real pop. If your 7 RPs are rock solid there is no reason to carry 8. Three guys without options in Gant., Mayers, and Shreve they have to make decisions about soon. That, in addition to Cecil and Gregerson cannot comprise 5/7ths or 5/8ths of this BP.
I know there is plenty of time before opening day, but geez this transaction market is slow.
Rotation: Martinez, Mikolas, Flaherty, Wacha(?), Gomber(?)
Pen: Miller, Hicks, Hudson, Gant, Waino, Brebbia, Webb(?)
Bench: O’Neill, Munoz, Martinez, Backup C, Lefty Gyrko Replacement
Left out: Leone, Cecil, Gregerson, Shreve, Mayers, Poncedeleon, Reyes (when healthy), Gyrko
Webb over Shreve? You are kidding me.
I don’t really care either way. As long as it’s not Cecil.
Shreve was fine but nothing special. But you’re probably right that he’s the opening day 2nd lefty in the pen.
Agree with you that neither Cecil or Gregerson should make this roster coming out of ST. Shreve has a tiny contract so he will probably stick because he is a LHP and has high spin rate and K potential/history.
Mayers is out of options so he would have to be on the 25 man out of ST. I don`t see him beating out Miller, Hicks, Leone, Brebbia, Waino, Hudson, Gant, and Shreve. This would mean Mayers would have to be DFAd or traded.
That leaves still many others that could make the team – Webb, Cabrera, Gallegos, Ponce., and Reyes all of whom are on the 25 man with options remaining.
At most, I would think they would keep one, maybe two guys who are out of options. I know they like Gant in that long relief role. I would assume Waino could do that though.
They have a lot of decisions to make.
all this concern with a lefty batter. just get someone who hits right/left handed pitchers well, or a switch hitter. bingo
I would think it’s
Rotation
1. Martinez
2. Mikolas
3. Flaherty
4. Wacha
5. Gant
Pen
Long – Wainwright
R – Leone
R – Brebbia
R – Gregerson
L – Shreve
L – Miller
4 man fight for setup and closer slots: Hicks, Reyes, Hudson, Helsley
Out of options and DFA’d – Mayers
AAA
Gomber
Cabrera
Poncedeleon
Webb
And
The other two relievers who didn’t win the setup/closer jobs out of Hudson, Reyes, Hicks, and Helsley
Two minor league free agent signings for added depth
I forgot to add that I believe Cecil won’t be on the OD roster. I am guessing they’ll cut him in the spring
Forgot about Brebbia, very underrated.
I like your list but you have to have Hudson and Hicks in there no matter what.
Troll, you are absolutely correct, they shouldn’t be so concerned about a lefty bat. Jose Martinez hits righties as well as any lefty option they have or could get (excluding Harper). He would be a legitimate “lefty” bat for the reason they want a lefty bat.
Jfactor I like the rotation because I always argue that Gant should be in the rotation…he proved that in the second half last year…I know people like Hudson in the bullpen but I think he should be put in reserve at triple A for starting…but really it doesn’t matter…and I don’t like Shreve at all…would rather have Gomber in the pen…plus people are saying Cabrera just might break camp as the other lefty reliever…simple enough just to release Webb for a roster spot
Can he produce in a non regular roll, though.
It’s something not every good hitter csn do.
He went to valuable trade chip to bench bat…finally reality is setting in
Mozeliak found out real quick back in July that nobody values Martinez except STL.
And Mozeliak will continue to reap the rewards of a near-league minimum bench bat that can hit the crap out of the ball.
Dave just go away…you make no sense
How does what I said make no sense? They have tried to shop Martinez with no luck. I’m sorry that my statement doesn’t agree with you, but since you aren’t God, I think I will stay here and keep posting what I know and think.
lol you keep looking like the fool you are bud..be my guest..the down votes prove my point
Poll: Which is greater? Daved insecurity or delusion?
It’s hard to keep a bat-only guy on the bench in the NL. Without the option to DH he’s just a way-overqualified pinch-hitter. He’s also, as others have pointed out, old for a second-year player and not sure he has much value to anyone; it’s hard to find an AL team that needs a DH-only guy.
Agreed and at a salary of 600,000… that’s a deal you don’t trade away .
His all star season in 2015 was actually the of the three
Worst
Normally good hitting DH’s don’t have much trade value but Martinez is cost controlled and has 3-4 years of team control. I wonder what the max return on him could be. He is 30 isn’t he ?
To be honest, probably only one top 80 to 100 prospect at absolute best. Very few teams need an extremely limited defensive bat first player that would pony up for them with prospects.
I see his market somewhat similar to Encarnacion and Cruz. And considering no one is tripping over each other for them, well, that’s probably about as much value as he has on the trade market. Keeping him is the better option most likely.
His bat will play, especially if Fowler’s doesn’t show up. Quite honestly, he deserves to be the player to beat out of that spot, not Fowler.
Cruz signed a $14.5M one year deal with Minnesota. Encarnacion is with Seattle.
I think they would have trouble getting a team’s top 10 Prospect. maybe someone like a exprospect that had yet to prove at like 25 or 26 years old. he’s really only had one good season not part time and he’s like 30. He did not put up strong minors # I think he just benefited from being new and he’s most likely going to get figured out. now the problem is they cant get him time to see if he was real or just another guy who gets figured out.
I’m honestly surprised dipoto isnt all over Jose Martinez. 4 years of control and definitely a better hitter than vogelbach and Healy
He’s have to work some magic to move encarnarcion though but paying some of his 1 year deal would help..
He has limited trade value, that’s why they haven’t traded him, typically dh..only players are not valuable, unless you Papi or Edgar
Martinez showed a 20% decline in his BB rate and 30% in his ISO last year vs. 2017. So there are concerns that opponents have figured him out as his plate appearances increased or he’s in major decline already. Now at age 30, teams are going to have to see a major rebound. In the AL Martinez could be a DH, but only adequate with last year’s wRC+ of 125.
Adequate DH’s with burgeoning salaries in arbitration aren’t worth a lot. Cruz is a much better hitter than Martinez with an elite track record and while older, he only got $14M and a 1 year deal
14m vs 600k…
Putting Martinez on the bench this year depresses his arbitration salaries for the next 3 years, saving the Cardinals millions. It’s a similar financial strategy to keeping a young reliever out of the 9th inning.
Cards should keep Martinez due to his defensive liabilities but still potent cheap bat.
Rays who were mentioned as a landing spot for him have B. Lowe, Diaz, Zunino, KK, Pham etc as DH options & Martinez & his liabilities does not give the Rays a better utility option. JT Realmuto is the one bat the Rays should still keep a interest in going forward.
How did Winker have a negative WAR with that slash line?
His defense was very poor in the eyes of baseball reference. His fangraphs WAR was 0.9, but neither version sees him great with the glove despite his solid bat.
because war is stupid! how can they be serious he might not play every day? wtf. guy that hit 300 and get in base 400 dont come along every day
In today’s game, bench players have to be versatile. J. Martinez is not versatile. Gyorko can play all 4 IF spots and has more HR pop in his bat.
Agree with that comment, however Gyorko is an 8 million dollar bench bat with the Cardinals and has an option on 2020 available to be picked up. I would think he could be a starter on some clubs considering he was a 2 war player with a .260 average and 47 rbi in only 350 plate appearances. Munoz is a cheaper option but his defense was a little suspect. To me I would keep both Martinez and Gyorko and if the club insists that a left handed bat is a must have, then they could option Munoz to Memphis. Trading either Martinez or Gyorko would have more to do with the 40 man roster than anything else and should only be done if the return is worth more than a bag of baseballs.
I’ve said all along that J. Martinez’s value is low because of his bat only nature. It’ll be even less valuable as time goes by.
Yes, Gyorko could start on a few clubs, but they’ll be second division clubs.
Munoz is scary at 2nd, 3rd and the OF. He’s young, so there’s still hope for improvement.
We have better options than J. Martinez for the bench.
Given the emergence of Paddack as possibly a true ace for the padres I wonder if the reds and padres would be interested in trading Gore and someone like Esteury Ruiz, can also include jankowski as a MLB ready throw in for their need in CF, to the Reds for Senzel. Both Gore and Senzel are elite prospects and fill need for reds and padres respectively. Padres need a 3B and Gore would pair nicely with Green in that rotation, but is a few years away.
Padres have a plethora of pitching in quantril lucchesi Lauer Nix Paddack allen lamet that trading gore especially in a deal for senzel wouldnt hurt as bad.
Reds have shed long working his way up the system as a possible replacement to gennett in the event they do decide to move senzel.
Senzel has that vertigo thing, just randomly pops up. Big reason why he didn’t play much last year. IMO I would stay away
Vertigo is very treatable…
no its not…sometimes they don’t even know what causing it. Like in Senzel’s case they still don’t know why…
You’re on the internet, use it.
I’ve been trying to treatment for 3 years. it’s not always reliable treatment. it would scare me away but I do think another player might fit in the trade.
I did…read what you google.
He missed a few weeks for vertigo, but the majority of the time he missed was due to a torn finger ligament after a grounder skipped up and caught his throwing hand in late June.
I could see that being a legit reason. I’ve had vertigo for like 3 years now and there’s really no Rhyme or Reason to it. it’s very hard to predict. as a matter of fact in the middle of the sentence I felt like I was going to pass out and fall over.
In the land where everybody over values prospects, I still can’t imagine Padre fans who want to move Gore; he’s one of about 10 prospects throughout baseball I would NEVER trade. Intensely high ceiling (as in Kershaw-type ceiling), with a reasonable floor (Paxton).
Hold onto the guy, Padre faithful. You’re beginning to remind me of Rays fans who wanted to trade a young lefty because of maturity issues….kid named Snell. Sometimes ya just gotta wait…..
The problem in calling Senzel and Gore both elite prospects is that there are immensely different reasons that each is considered elite…Senzel is considered elite because he’s dominated every level and is ready for the MLB now…Gore is considered elite because of his upside, but he’s still in A-ball and iirc he didn’t exactly dominate last year.
The value of these two prospects is nowhere close. That’s not saying a trade is impossible, but it’s hard to match up Senzel and Gore
that’s a great point I did not realize he was so far off. a trade would not make sense at all
I can see the injury thing keeping them away however I love your idea. it boggles the mind you don’t see teams doing more of these kind of Trades more often you could even do Gore for like Trammell or Hunter green. I move like this might also left the Reds retain scooter gennett because I won’t have to spend as much on pitching.
Winker should be an everyday OF. His bat-to-ball skills are too good to be a part time player.
Where do the Reds play him full time? I ask this because it seems like the Reds have a roster filled with players best suited for RF, and at this point no legitimate CF option.
He’ll be the regular LF unless he’s dealt for pitching. He’s Joey Votto with a bit less power at this stage. More walks than whiffs? As a rookie? Yes please. I’m confident the outfield situation will become clearer before pitchers and catchers report
The Reds offense really kind of stalled somewhatvafter Winker was injured last year. He proved to be to be an important cog.
well said
Either LF or RF everyday. Puig could play CF with Winker in RF.
I bet they platoon Kemp and Schebler.
he’s absolutely a everyday left fielder. he has an elite bat. they can mix puig and schebler in center. kemp is a bench bat and insurance. winker and schebler tend to be injury prone. worst case scenario you play senzel. if Eric Davis says he looked great in center then he can do it.
I would play Puig in RF over Winker because of his arm. Both are questionable defensively. Winker in LF, and Schebler would be serviceable in CF. Kemp and Ervin as 4th OF/bench type players. Ervin actually looked good last year, and I would keep him in the mix.
Marty B on Reds Hot Stove last night said that Puig would be in CF as the team is currently constituted.
Makes sense…
Puig is great defensively in right. should be fine in center in gabp. choo did it. besides with launch angles going up more easy balls hit all the time. the offensive is going to be the best or close to in in the nl
it’s going to be fun to watch!
How about Inciarte and Bryce Wilson for Winkler and Iglesias.
If the Braves proposed that trade, the Reds wouldn’t even return their call.
It’s not enough coming from the Braves but it isn’t as far off as you’re pretending.
Yes, it’s pretty close. Take out everyone but Inciarte and add Schebler and Garrett.
Iggy isn’t going anywhere.
As long as it Winkler and not Winker, I think you’ll have a deal
We’re not trading Henry either…
Cardinals still have to redundancy on the roster. I would keep JMartinez for now. Jedd is more expensive, yes his D is better but Carp is playing 3rd it’s hard to justify a bench player making that much. Another reason for the cards to have a quick hook on Dexter.
Martinez on the bench
O’Neil
Munoz
Robinson (can play 3rd)
Backup catcher
That’s my bench …trade gyrko if you can get a good deal
How about trading lob arm Carpenter while he still has some value???
Jed is due 26 million dollars over the next two seasons so if you’re not going to pay 90% of that, I don’t foresee any deal IMO
Well that’s just not true. The Padres are on the hook for 5 million of his 13 million this year, and then he has a 1 million dollar buyout. So now that we’ve stepped back into reality, he’s actually only owed $9 million guaranteed for 1 year with the possibility of a second year at 12 million of the team wants it.
Your analysis of the money that a team trading for him would owe is very misleading.
Winkler must be pretty bad defensively, if he hits .299/.405/.431 and still gets a -0.1 WAR.
He is. In just 76 games, he had a -14 DRS in the OF.
Although they are great additions, Goldschmidt and Andrew Miller aren’t enough strong additions to catch the Cubs and the Brewers in 2019. The way the Cardinals front office started off and the way they talked the talk early, they could have slammed the door with a Bryce Harper or Manny Machado pick up.
Finally, a rational Cards fan
I do not think Harper or Machado will sign with the Cardinals. If one of them does it will be Bryce.
Explain why they are not cardinals17…who by the way is not a cardinals fan…but go ahead why is it not enough? Last I checked the season hasn’t even started…go ahead I’m listening…you see he won’t respond because he is nothing but a troll
I agree the cardinals should do more however I disagree that they haven’t caught at least the brewers by now. You forget that they will be without Matheny for the entire year so that will help their record. On top of that the cards bullpen greatly improved once Matheny was gone and the Memphis players were called up. If they utilize those pitchers, and for the love of God DFA Cecil and Gregerson (I wish Shreve also but that won’t happen) then I think barring injuries they have caught up in the central. The problem is that the cubs and brewers might do something that push the cardinals back a little. Even if they don’t do something and the cards did catch them is just making the playoffs the goal? They still have work to do to be a World Series contender so that is why I agree with you to an extent even though I disagree about us still being behind the cubs and brewers.
Oh and our new hitting coach should also really help improve our offense. So, it is just more than Miller and Goldy to consider.
Let’s not forget a healthy Reyes
They were never gonna trade him anyway.
The Cardinals are “decreasingly likely to move Jose Martinez in a trade” because they can’t get anything for him.
Have to wonder if we’d accept Voit if the Yankees offered him.