MLB Power Rankings: Post Winter Meetings

27. Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds have done exactly nothing notable to date this offseason, and it will probably stay that way as their rebuild drags on into a fifth year. They have already lost All-Star shortstop Zack Cozart and are dangling center fielder Billy Hamilton on the trade block. The goal in moving Hamilton is to create more room for top prospect Jesse Winker to take over as a full-time starter next year. Scott Schebler could also be marketed as a platoon bat to clear a spot for Winker.

The Reds won’t do much the rest of the winter, and that’s perfectly fine. Just don’t expect to see considerable improvement next year from this 94-loss bunch. Right-handed starter Luis Castillo showed promise in his debut, pitching to a 3.12 ERA in 15 starts with strong strikeout numbers. Castillo held opponents to a .202/.279/.360 line and struck out 9.9 per nine. He features a fastball at 98 mph and a nasty changeup and slider.

Castillo looks like the real deal, but the rest of the rotation for the Reds was ugly last season. They will need to see growth from another top prospect, Amir Garrett, who had a 7.39 ERA in 16 appearances and 14 starts. Command was the big issue for Garrett, as he walked 5.1 per nine.

There has not been much chatter about the Reds trading closer Raisel Iglesias. The Cuban right-hander has a 2.51 ERA in 154.1 innings the last two seasons after transitioning to the bullpen. He is striking out 10.2 per nine in that time period and has shown an ability to log more than one inning at a time. Last season, Iglesias threw 76 innings in 63 games. In 2016, he gave the Reds 50 innings in only 32 relief outings. There is not much evidence of progress in the rebuilding effort in Cincinnati, and Iglesias is one of their last real trade chips. There aren’t many closers on the open market this winter, so the Reds should think strongly about moving him now.