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Brewers Acquire Bennett Sousa

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The Brewers have acquired left-hander Bennett Sousa from the Reds in exchange for cash considerations and international bonus pool space.  Both teams have announced the trade.  Milwaukee placed Aaron Ashby (who could miss the rest of the season due to shoulder surgery) on the 60-day injured list in order to create 40-man roster space.

The trade adds to a busy week for Sousa, who was designated for assignment by Cincinnati on Wednesday and then celebrated his 28th birthday on Thursday.  It also marks the second time in less than two months that Sousa will be changing teams, as the Reds just claimed him off DFA waivers from the White Sox back in February.

Sousa made his MLB debut last season, posting an 8.41 ERA over 20 1/3 relief innings for Chicago.  With only a 12.5% strikeout rate and an inflated 10.4% walk rate to go along with the rough ERA, there wasn’t a lot to like about Sousa’s first stint in the majors, apart from perhaps a 49.3% grounder rate.  Sousa’s ability to keep the ball on the ground has fluctuated over his five minor league seasons, but his overall grounder is over the 50 percent threshold.

He also showed a lot more aptitude for strikeouts in the minors, including a 32.24% strikeout rate over 50 1/3 Triple-A innings.  Control has been a bit more of an issue for Sousa since returning from the canceled 2020 minor league season, yet there’s enough in his skillset that it isn’t surprising why a team with a 40-man roster spot to spare might have interest.  The Brewers have had a lot of success with unheralded relief pitchers in recent years, so they might see some untapped potential in Sousa.

Reds Select Kevin Herget, Designate Bennett Sousa

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The Reds announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Kevin Herget. To open a spot on the active roster, fellow righty Joel Kuhnel was optioned to Triple-A Louisville. In a corresponding 40-man move, left-hander Bennett Sousa was designated for assignment.

Herget, 32, spent many years as a Cardinals farmhand but finally made his major league debut last year with the Rays. He posted a 7.71 ERA, but in a small sample of seven innings over three appearances. He spent the rest of the year in Triple-A, making 21 appearances, 17 of those being starts. In his 97 2/3 innings at that level, he had a 2.95 ERA, striking out 24.4% of hitters with a miniscule 3.9% walk rate.

The Rays designated him for assignment at season’s end and he landed with the Reds on a minor league deal. He tossed 5 2/3 innings this spring over four appearances, allowing three earned runs while striking out five and walking none. The club’s bullpen has been used heavily in recent days, so he’ll slot in for Kuhnel and give the club a fresh arm.

The cost of getting Herget onto the roster is cutting Sousa the day before his 28th birthday. The southpaw had spent his entire career with the White Sox until the Reds claimed him off waivers in February. He made his major league debut last year, posting an unsightly 8.41 ERA in a small sample of 20 1/3 innings. He had a much nicer 3.95 ERA in 27 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 30.2% strikeout rate, 10.3% walk rate and 51.5% ground ball rate.

The Reds will now have one week to trade Sousa or pass him through waivers. Given that left-handed pitching depth tends to always be in demand, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sousa garner interest from one of the 29 other clubs in the league. Despite his poor results in the majors last year, he could intrigue teams based on his minor league track record. He also has a couple of option years remaining, meaning he could be stashed in the minors by any club willing to give him a 40-man spot.

Latest On Joey Votto

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  • Tigers right-hander Michael Lorenzen is making fast progress as he works to return from a groin injury that left him on the IL to open the season, as noted by Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. Lorenzen threw 45 pitches to teammates off the mound yesterday, touching 95 mph with his fastball. McCosky notes that the Tigers currently plan for Lorenzen to make a rehab start on Saturday before being activated from the IL on Monday, when he’s first eligible. That would figure to leave either lefty Joey Wentz or righty Matt Manning headed to Triple-A to make room for Lorenzen in the rotation. Lorenzen, who signed with the Tigers on a one-year, $8.5MM deal this offseason, sports a career 4.10 ERA (105 ERA+) in 471 innings of work between the Reds and the Angels.
  • It appears that the Reds will be without franchise face Joey Votto for longer than the 10-day minimum as he works to get ready for the 2023 season, as manager David Bell told reporters (including Mark Sheldon of MLB.com) that thanks to a rainout on Friday and a day off on Monday for Triple-A Louisville, where Votto is on a rehab assignment, the 39 year-old slugger will need more reps before he is ready to play in the majors. Votto struggled badly in 2022, posting an OPS of just .689 before undergoing shoulder surgery that ended his season. While Votto prepares to join the club, the Reds figure to continue using Jason Vosler at first base. Vosler is off to a hot start for the Reds to open the season, having already slashed two home runs, a double, and a triple in eleven plate appearances thusfar in the young 2023 season.

Reds Re-Sign Hunter Strickland To Minor League Contract

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The Reds recently re-signed reliever Hunter Strickland to a minor league contract. The 6’3″ righty made his first appearance of the season for their top affiliate in Louisville over the weekend, throwing a scoreless inning.

Strickland has been on and off the Cincinnati roster a few times of late. He spent the 2022 campaign with the Reds, coming out of the bullpen 66 times. Over 62 1/3 innings, he worked to a 4.91 ERA with worse than average strikeout, walk and ground-ball marks. He fanned 21.1% of opponents, walked batters at a lofty 11.6% clip and induced grounders on 38.8% of batted balls.

At season’s end, Strickland hit free agency. He re-signed with Cincinnati on a minor league deal in February. Strickland threw nine innings in as many appearances this spring. He was hit hard, surrendering ten runs (including a trio of homers). Unsurprisingly, that wasn’t enough to earn him an Opening Day roster spot. Strickland had an automatic opt-out chance on March 25, as per the collective bargaining agreement. The Reds released him, either because he triggered the opt-out or in anticipation of him doing so.

It didn’t take long for him to circle back to Cincinnati on a new minor league pact. That’s not an uncommon course of action for veterans in that situation. It’s possible the new minor league deal contained altered opt-out dates or tweaked his salary while guaranteeing the Reds some experienced bullpen depth headed into the season.

Strickland has pitched in parts of nine MLB campaigns. He owns a 3.41 ERA in 374 2/3 innings, striking out 22.2% of batters faced in his career. The Reds are one of eight teams for which he has suited up at the highest level.

NL Central Notes: Reynolds, Williams, Senzel, Santillan

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Even with three games already in the books on the Pirates’ 2023 season, Bryan Reynolds’ contract status is still the biggest story in Pittsburgh baseball, given the reports from earlier this week suggesting the two sides had made a lot of progress towards an extension.  The deal in question appears to be an eight-year, $106MM pact, yet the sticking point appears to be the Pirates’ reluctance to include an opt-out clause for Reynolds following the 2026 season.

It isn’t clear if anything has changed in talks, as Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter links) hears from both sides that, essentially, they “haven’t heard anything” about any further progress.  Mackey notes that GM Ben Cherington didn’t mention anything about Reynolds or the contract talks during his weekly radio show today, though naturally it would’ve been a little surprising to hear an executive make any significant public comment on contract negotiations that (apparently) are still ongoing.  Opening Day was reportedly viewed as a deadline to get an extension finalized, and while that deadline was completely unofficial, it begs the question or whether or not Reynolds and the Bucs can solve the impasse soon or if the matter might be tabled until the offseason…..or, if Reynolds might be traded elsewhere before the deadline.

More NL Central items….

  • Devin Williams was hit in the arm by a Dansby Swanson line drive during the ninth inning of yesterday’s game, though Williams remained on the mound to close out the Brewers’ 3-1 win over the Cubs.  Williams told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and other reporters that the liner “glanced off” his right elbow and “it didn’t feel too good,” leading to a bit of lingering soreness today.  While the injury doesn’t appear to be serious, Williams and manager Craig Counsell said that the reliever’s availability for today’s game wouldn’t be known until Williams did some pregame warmups. [UPDATE: Williams didn’t pitch in Milwaukee’s 9-5 win over Chicago, but Counsell said the reliever was available if called upon.]
  • Nick Senzel and Tony Santillan are slated to begin rehab assignments at Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, Reds manager David Bell told reporters (including Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer).  Both were hampered by injuries that pushed back their Spring Training work, as Senzel underwent toe surgery during the offseason and Santillan was still recovering from a lower back issue that plagued him during the 2022 campaign.  Barring any setbacks, however, Senzel and Santillan appear to be on pace to join the Reds by around the middle of April, with Senzel perhaps moving into a utility role and Santillan stepping back into Cincinnati’s bullpen.

Mariners Acquire Nick Solak From Reds

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The Reds have traded corner outfielder/second baseman Nick Solak to the Mariners for cash, both teams announced. Seattle had an opening on the 40-man roster and immediately optioned Solak to Triple-A Tacoma. No additional move was necessary.

Solak never played a regular season game as a Red. Cincinnati acquired the right-handed hitter from the Rangers at the beginning of the offseason. It was a cash transaction that saw the Reds add a player who was a few years removed from being a well-regarded prospect. Cincinnati gave Solak a look as part of a wide-open outfield mix in Spring Training, but he collected just two hits in 20 at-bats.

That lackluster exhibition showing pushed Solak down the outfield depth chart. Cincinnati designated him for assignment yesterday as they set their Opening Day roster, clearing a 40-man spot to add a pair of relievers and infielder Jason Vosler to the big league group. Solak’s stay in DFA limbo lasted only a little more than 24 hours, as Seattle stepped in to jump the waiver order.

A second-round pick of the Yankees in 2016, Solak has now been a part of five different organizations as a professional. He’s only ever played in an MLB game with Texas, tallying 974 plate appearances as a Ranger between 2019-22. Solak broke into the majors with an impressive .293/.393/.491 showing over 33 contests as a rookie, showing the offensive promise which prospect evaluators had long noted.

The Louisville product hasn’t managed to build off that strong debut. He’s been a below-average hitter in each of the three seasons since then, combining for a .246/.317/.354 line in 839 plate appearances dating back to 2020. He’s shown decent contact skills but not drawn many walks or hit for a significant amount of power.

That tepid offense has come as Solak has increasingly moved down the defensive spectrum. Drafted as a second baseman, he’s long been regarded by scouts as a below-average defender there. Defensive Runs Saved graded him six runs worse than par in a little more than 1000 innings in 2021. Texas pushed him to left field with the Marcus Semien signing in 2022.

In spite of his lackluster big league showings of late, the 28-year-0ld has continued to perform well in the minors. He spent most of last season with the Rangers’ top affiliate in Round Rock, where he hit .278/.371/.489 with 10 longballs, a strong 11.6% walk rate and a 19.7% strikeout percentage over 57 games. He’s now a .293/.370/.510 hitter over parts of three Triple-A campaigns.

Solak has one minor league option year remaining. The M’s can keep him in Tacoma as needed for the rest of this season if he holds a spot on the 40-man roster. He adds a right-handed bat who could potentially join Sam Haggerty and, when healthy, Dylan Moore as complements to Kolten Wong at second base. Seattle also has a left field platoon of Jarred Kelenic and AJ Pollock, with Solak stepping in behind them and Cooper Hummel in that regard.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Central Notes: Senzel, Stephenson, Nevin

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Reds outfielder Nick Senzel is starting the 2023 season on the injured list as offseason toe surgery delayed his start to Spring Training. It was expected that he would be taking over the regular center field job in Cincinnati once healthy but he might transition into more of a utility role. Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the club is preparing him to serve in such a role and he could play third base and the corner outfield positions during his rehab.

Senzel, 28 in June, has a very small amount of third base experience in the big leagues, 32 innings over the past two seasons. He has a slightly largely tally of 49 innings at second base but then over 2,000 innings in center field. Switching things up while also trying to get ready for the season will be a challenge, but it’s understandable why the club would want him to try. He’s hit just .240/.303/.360 in his career so far for a wRC+ of 74. That production isn’t great for a lineup regular but would be more palatable for a multi-positional role player.

2023 is seen by some as a make-or-break year for Senzel, as he’s now into his arbitration years and is making a $1.95MM salary. Despite his tepid production so far, he’s continued to get chances based on the fact that he was once one of the top prospects in the league. Baseball America had him in the top 10 of all MLB prospects in three straight years beginning in 2017. He could be retained via arbitration through 2025, though he’ll have to show the club he’s worth the continued investment. Taking a step forward at the plate would be great but he may also add more defensive versatility this year.

More notes from the central divisions…

  • The Pirates have informed reporters, including Justice delos Santos of MLB.com, that right-hander Robert Stephenson is beginning a rehab assignment tonight with Triple-A Indianapolis. The righty had been slowed by some arm discomfort this spring and was placed on the 15-day injured list yesterday, with the club describing his ailment as elbow inflammation. Stephenson had a lopsided season in 2022, posting a 6.04 ERA with the Rockies but a 3.38 mark after the Bucs claimed him off waivers. His strikeout rate went from 18.8% with Colorado to 36% with Pittsburgh. The Pirates were bullish enough to give him a $1.75MM salary for 2023, his last arbitration year before he’s slated for free agency. IL placements on Opening Day can be backdated to March 27, meaning Stephenson could be activated April 11 if all goes well between now and then.
  • The Tigers announced that infielder Tyler Nevin is beginning a rehab assignment today. Acquired from the Orioles in an offseason trade, Nevin suffered an oblique strain three weeks ago and was placed on the injured list yesterday. He hit just .197/.299/.261 with the O’s last year but had a strong .291/.382/.479 line in Triple-A. Prior to the injury, he was in the mix for a third base job alongside Nick Maton and Ryan Kreidler, and the club also recently acquired Zach McKinstry. Nevin still has an option and could potentially stick in Triple-A Toledo when his rehab is done. With his IL placement backdated to March 27, he’ll be eligible to be reinstated on April 6.

Reds Designate Nick Solak For Assignment

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The Reds announced a series of roster moves prior to today’s season opener. They have selected the contracts of right-hander Derek Law, left-hander Alex Young and infielder Jason Vosler. To open places on the 40-man roster, right-handers Tejay Antone and Justin Dunn were placed on the 60-day injured list, while infielder/outfielder Nick Solak was designated for assignment. Additionally, infielder/outfielder Nick Senzel and first baseman Joey Votto were placed on the 10-day injured list while right-handers Tony Santillan, Lucas Sims and Luke Weaver were placed on the 15-day injured list.

Solak, 28, was once a highly-touted prospect who had a strong debut with the Rangers in 2019. He hit .293/.393/.491 that year in 33 games but has struggled since and now carries a career batting line of .252/.327/.372. That amounts to a wRC+ of 93, indicating he’s been about 7% below league average. Concerns about his second base defense also pushed him into the outfield corners, putting more pressure on his bat to provide value. He was traded to the Reds in November but had a rough spring, getting just two hits in 24 plate appearances. Despite his rough showing of late, he might get a shot elsewhere based on his prospect pedigree. He also still has an option remaining and can be stashed in the minors by any team willing to give him a 40-man roster spot.

Young, 29, spent most of last year with the Giants, posting a 2.36 ERA over 25 appearances with an 18.1% strikeout rate, 9.5% walk rate and 54.2% ground ball rate. Despite that solid campaign, he was non-tendered at season’s end and landed a minor league deal with the Reds. He’ll give the club a second lefty in the bullpen alongside Reiver Sanmartin. The right-handed Law will also join that bullpen, which was reported earlier this week.

Vosler, 29, got into 77 games with the Giants over the past two seasons, hitting .228/.306/.421 for a wRC+ of 100. Like Young, he was also non-tendered by the Giants and got a minor league deal from the Reds. He’s played all four infield positions in his career, as well as the outfield corners, giving Cincinnati a versatile player to plug in around their younger players as needed.

Turning to the IL placements, none of them are particularly surprising. Dunn has a shoulder injury that will keep him out of action for a couple of months. Antone has a flexor strain in his forearm that may keep him out until the All-Star break. Votto is still recovering from last year’s shoulder surgery, Weaver is battling forearm discomfort, while Santillan and Sims are dealing with lingering back issues.

Joey Votto To Begin Season On Injured List

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March 27: Votto will indeed begin the season on the injured list, Nightengale tweets.

March 25: Longtime Reds first baseman Joey Votto could begin the season on the injured list, as Votto himself told reporters including Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer. The Reds plan to defer to Votto’s judgment on whether or not he’s ready for Opening Day, according to Nightengale, with a decision possibly waiting until Opening Day rosters are due Thursday morning.

Votto, 39, is coming off the worst season of his career, where he slashed just .205/.319/.370 in 91 games before his season ended with surgery to repair his rotator cuff and bicep in August. Still, the future Hall of Famer is confident he can return to form in 2023 with those injuries behind him.

“I’ve done really well with my offensive work,” Votto told reporters. “I mean this, seriously, I think I’m going to play well. I think I’m going to perform well offensively. If not, I’m going to retire. End of story.”

That Votto, who is entering the final guaranteed year of his contract and will celebrate his 40th birthday before season’s end, would consider retirement at this stage of his career is no surprise, but it’s worth noting that his performance in 2023 will seemingly play a major role as he contemplates continuing his career. Should Votto decide to continue playing beyond 2023, the Reds hold a $20MM club option for the 2024 season with a $7MM buyout.

Regardless of Votto dons a Reds uniform for the seventeenth straight season on Opening Day or later on in the season, the Reds are sure to count on a return to form from their former MVP and six time All Star if they’re to have any hope of competing in 2023 coming off a 100 loss season in 2022. Despite his struggles in 2022, one needs to only look back to the 2021 season for proof of Votto’s impact when healthy and effective: even in his age-37 season, Votto slashed .266/.375/.563 with 36 home runs, good for a wRC+ of 139 en route to earning MVP votes for the first time since 2017, when he finished just two points behind winner Giancarlo Stanton in MVP balloting.

Votto went on to note that he wasn’t planning on rushing himself in order to be ready in time for Opening Day, noting that it’s his “responsibility” to be fully ready for the season before joining the team and returning to the lineup on a daily basis. Should Votto miss time, lefty infielder Jason Vosler seems poised to make the team in his stead, with Vosler, Wil Myers, and Tyler Stephenson all likely to contribute to the first base and DH mix while Votto is on the shelf.

Reds To Select Derek Law

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Right-hander Derek Law has been told that he’s made the Reds’ Opening Day roster, reports Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Law was in camp on a minor league deal and will need to be added to the club’s 40-man roster.

Law, 32, has pitched in each of the past six full MLB seasons, suiting up for the Giants, Blue Jays, Twins, Tigers and Reds in that time. He’s made 193 appearances in that time, posting a 4.21 ERA with a 21.9% strikeout rate, 9.8% walk rate and 46.3% ground ball rate.

Last year, Law signed a minors deal with Detroit and got selected to the big league roster in June, but he was designated for assignment after just two appearances. The Reds scooped him up by signing him to another minor league deal and added him to the roster shortly thereafter. He made 15 appearances for them down the stretch and finished the year with a 4.12 ERA. The Reds could have retained Law via arbitration but non-tendered him instead, though they re-signed him on another minors deal in January.

The righty has earned his way back onto the roster for this season’s opener with an excellent spring. Through 7 1/3 innings, he has a 1.23 ERA, striking out 10 opponents while walking just one. Manager David Bell says that Law is in line for high leverage work, alongside Buck Farmer, Ian Gibaut and Fernando Cruz, with Alexis Díaz in the closing role.

Since Law is not yet on the 40-man roster, the club will need to open a spot for him between now and Opening Day. They could do so by placing a player on the 60-day injured list, with right-hander Justin Dunn perhaps the most likely since he’s been shut down for a few months due to a shoulder injury.

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