The Reds announced Monday that infielder/outfielder Derek Dietrich, infielder Christian Colon, right-hander Jackson Stephens and right-hander Keury Mella all went unclaimed on waivers and were set outright to Triple Louisville.
Dietrich, 30, is the most notable name of the group and will surely reject the assignment to once again become a free agent. The former Marlin parlayed a minor league deal in Cincinnati this offseason into an Opening Day roster spot and went on one of the more memorable power surges in recent memory midway through the year. Dietrich launched a dozen homers over a span of just 68 plate appearances in May and carried a 1.000 OPS into June. However, he fell into a slump that was perhaps even more remarkable than that home-run binge; in his final 71 plate appearances, he hit just .071/.257/.179.
Mella, 26, was acquired from the Giants alongside Adam Duvall in the 2015 trade that shipped righty Mike Leake to the Giants. He was considered to be among the more promising pitching prospects in Cincinnati in the couple of years following that trade but has seen his stock dip considerably. The righty yielded 15 runs in 17 Major League innings across parts of three seasons, posting an uninspiring 13-to-12 K/BB ratio during those stints. At the time of his acquisition, Mella was averaging better than a strikeout per inning against older competition in Class-A Advanced, but in parts of three Triple-A seasons he has a 4.59 ERA with 6.4 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9 in 172 2/3 innings.
The 25-year-old Stephens had a big year with Double-A Pensacola back in 2016 but has limped to an ERA north of 5.00 in three trips through Triple-A Louisville while struggling to a 4.83 ERA through multiple MLB auditions. He spent the 2019 season in Triple-A, where he logged a 5.14 ERA with an 80-to-37 K/BB ratio in 84 innings, mostly as a reliever.
Colon, once the fourth overall pick in the draft and a top prospect with the Royals, appeared in just eight games with the Reds and made eight plate appearances. He’s a career .256/.321/.218 hitter in the Majors and batted .300/.372/.443 in Triple-A with the Reds this past season.
incredible that he posted a career best in slugging and a career worst in average in the same year
Really is.
How is that incredible? He sold out for power…
it makes sense from the perspective of what happened, but just objectively looking at the numbers is curious.
I would love to have Dietrich back, but mostly for the antics.
No surprises here. Mella possibly the biggest disappointment considering the hype surrounding him when the Reds brought him over. Much higher expectations that never materialized. Jackson Stevens needed to go 2 seasons ago when he couldn’t throw a breaking ball without turning his glove downward during his delivery. Fastball glove thumb up, breaking ball glove thumb down. Saw it from 3 rows behind the dugout at a couple of Louisville games so I know the guys who get paid to see those things were well aware. Scoreboard was also a pretty good indicator that he’s an excellent tipper! …….lol.
Dietrich NEEDS to spend more time on baseball than on Social Media …
Chris Archer doesn’t have a lot to hang his hat on these days, but…he’s got a job and Dietrich doesn’t.
But cincy still has Garrett, so my money is on the entire Pittsburgh franchise rolling in to town with their heads down and mouths shut!
Plus, they still have David Bell. No one can push over an obese geriatric man with two artificial hips as hard as him.
Very intimidating.
Pedro Martinez” “hold my beer”
Hahaa!!
Speaking of having no job, Clint…..
Face it. The state of baseball in Pittsburgh makes all your comments sound like teardrops
Dietrich impressed me more than Archer did
But cincy still has Garrett, so my money is on the entire Pittsburgh franchise rolling in to town with their heads down and mouths shut!
Balls…
Check out the jomboy breakdown on YouTube. Funniest 10 minutes you’ll spend on the internet today!
I’d like to see Colon get a decent shot somewhere in the majors as a bench man if not as a Red. Good skill set, good teammate
Oh god Dietrich is gonna be the versatile first baseman the Jays bring in.
Poor Derek Dietrich.
Dietrich had a nagging shoulder injury that caused a lot of his problems. Even if healed, do they need yet another .250 BA utility player? Nah.
Is Dietrich a product of “The Ballpark”? Could he be the next Justin Turner? Launch angle and a healthy shoulder and Dietrich may be a steal for someone.
Bucs oughta sign Dietrich, locker him next to Archer… clubhouse karma keeps rolling along…
Crick in the middle