Reds offseason list w/Danny Graves

00:00:03
Speaker 1: All right, we are gonna talk a little bit of Cincinnati Reds right now and they're off season, a little bit about their to do list. Guys, I'm gonna pose the first question to you about Ace Hunter Green. He has three years and forty two million left on his contract.

00:00:20
Speaker 2: There have been.

00:00:21
Speaker 1: Rumors that the Reds, if I have to say this phrase one more time today, I'm gonna die, but like, have listened, but don't have any intention of trading Hunter Green. Eric, what's your reaction to that.

00:00:35
Speaker 3: And thought to to your visceral hate for listening. Let's do both.

00:00:40
Speaker 1: Let's do both, my viscral.

00:00:42
Speaker 3: Have you ever told somebody I wish you were a better listener? Like, maybe that's a good thing that somebody says, you know what, we are listening. You know why they're listening because their teams that don't want to spend money and they have the most capital ever. It's like they have this big like coupon that just is sitting there like, ooh, I'm gonna cash this in for something, well, you know what, like they don't need to. Maybe the Reds should have looked at themselves and been like, you know what, we didn't really build the entire roster, and we you know, our hitters weren't quite who they thought we thought they were going to be. We have an ace at the number one. He's not an ace a number one at the top of our rotation that you know what, It's okay to say, we're gonna listen, but it's also okay to not go anywhere because he's got three more years on his deal and he is below market value. No, they're not going to trade him because I think it's still in this winning window.

00:01:41
Speaker 1: All right, I've heard we have a guest ready for us to talk a little Red.

00:01:45
Speaker 3: He knows he's not a spell.

00:01:51
Speaker 2: I don't know how to spell. I'm still trying to learn. And I think it's the wrong sport too.

00:01:56
Speaker 4: So yeah, maybe we welcome in Danny Graves, who knows a lot more than we do about the Reds.

00:02:06
Speaker 1: So, Danny, we need to know what are your top three to do lists? To do things on your to do list for the Reds this offseason.

00:02:14
Speaker 2: I'll explain the hat real quick for you, Cratzy. So it's hockey weekend. I have to travel for travel hockey for my ten year old son. Soon as I get off this I'm going to pick them up from school and we're going to Dallas big tournament this weekend. So that's the reason I have the hockey attire.

00:02:29
Speaker 3: Soop Speed got speech and coming on with us. We love it. Yeah, I hope you got no traffic.

00:02:36
Speaker 2: No traffic, that's so I'll driving through Austin is awful, So it'll take me like seventeen hours. But here's the thing. What I got for the Reds, what I wish the Reds could do. I really think they need to solidify their bullpen. Emilio Pegan was great for them last year at the back end thirty two saves, one of eight in all of Major League Baseball that had thirty plus saves. It's hard to fight that guy at the back end that could shut down games for you. He is a free agent. Whether they'll try to sign him back, I'm not sure. I know he's going to be demanding a lot more money than probably the Reds want to pay for a closer, So they need to go out and find somebody. Tony Santia did a great job eighty games last year a sub three era. Could he close possibly, But I do feel like they need some kind of veteran leadership in the bullpen. Also a power bat. We need some pop at great American small park. Guys twenty two home runs led the team last year, and Elie de la Cruz. I believe it's twenty two. That's not enough for that kind of ballpark. You need guys that can drive the ball out of the ballpark. You know that one swinging the back can change the game. And also I think they need to solidify the outfield.

00:03:49
Speaker 3: TJ.

00:03:49
Speaker 2: Friedel's been really good. Noel Vie Marte has been awesome the transition from third base to right field. But they need somebody else. They need a guy like maybe Kevin. I don't know if he's gonna come out of retirement, but you need a guy that can run him down and catch the ball and know where to throw it every single time. I'm not trying to talk you into anything, Kevin. I'm just saying no.

00:04:10
Speaker 5: When I was reading this list, when I was reading this list, I'm like power baton, I don't feel it sounds like me. If twenty two homers, If twenty two homers is like the barometer of power, I think I got twenty two left.

00:04:21
Speaker 2: Although right now, so right handed I would prefer and there you are.

00:04:30
Speaker 3: I mean, I think KP could hit KP could hit Dingers, although something happened with the human door and in Great American small park. I don't know. That's another discussion. We're going to stick to your to do list and I'm gonna hit the first topic, the bullpen. Yeah, I think every team is going to have that is on their to do list, you know, add to the bullpen. Everybody wants to do that. Do you feel like it's an easier job because of the fact what Derek Johnson has done with this, with this starting rotation with Terry Francona feels comfortable letting this starter rotation go deeper because some teams we just talked about the Mets, those dudes are out of there in the fourth inning, like you got to build you got to build an entire new bullpen because you killed them all this year. Do you feel like it's an easier job? And I know it's a small market, so they're not gonna spend a ton of money, but is it easier to find guys that can fill in because you don't have to have such a deep bullpen?

00:05:26
Speaker 2: So I don't know if it's easier Cratzy. I do think they're gonna have more options because they have starters that can go deeper and they're younger guys that still have a lot of bullets left in the tank. So I do feel like they want to go out and look for somebody. Like last year they brought in Pegan. I don't think they were expecting him to be their guy that has thirty plus saves, But you bring in a veteran guy who has a little bit of experience and then you see what happens. Maybe let Santiain start it the season as a closer and then have somebody to back him up just in case. But it does make a big difference. I think if your starter goes deeper the way that the game is nowadays, when starters do go four and two thirds, why is it four and two thirds? I have no idea that they go four and two thirds. Then they got to try to make some match the rest of the game. Well, you kind of need that bullpen, especially come playoff time, right, So if you're burning them out, your toast. So hopefully they can find somebody that's not going to cost them too much money where they can go out and have a bullpen to compete.

00:06:28
Speaker 5: All right, My question, since I'm no longer available to fill the needs of the Cincinnati Reds, give me the dream scenario of that power bat that you're thinking of. Give me who you think they end up with. Yeah, because I think who they kind of dream of getting and who they probably end up with are probably two different people. And do you think they have a little bit of hesitancy because the last two kind of big deals they gave the power Bats didn't work out.

00:06:53
Speaker 2: So I think my dream deal would Pete A. Lonzo would be that guy that's not to happen. I think that's everybody's dream. He would be perfect, a perfect fit for that ballpark, but obviously just cannot afford to have him. I do like Auhanio Suarez reunite. I know they were talking about reuniting with him at the trade deadline last year, but they couldn't get a deal done. I don't know how much he's going to be worth it. They're saying like possibly three years, sixty million. I don't know if the Reds are going to want to do that for a guy that's thirty five years old. Why not go out on a Limb and get somebody like Paul Goldschmidt. But you know, I know he didn't have a ton of homers last year. He only hit ten, I believe. But the guy can hit the ball out of the ballpark, and his career numbers a great American are pretty good. I think it's two eighty plus with twenty homers and sixty something games, so he's familiar with the place. It's a veteran guy who can just flat out hit still, so I think there's options there. But again, you got salth Stewart that's going to be plugged into the you have at third base, keep Brian Hayes, who's going to be plugged in. So where do you put that power bat? I have no idea. Your guess is good as mine. I don't think they ever listened to me Kevin anyway, So but why don't they go out and try to get Pete or Suarez?

00:08:15
Speaker 3: All Right, Danny, I got a way that you can cross off two pieces on your to do list. Anytime I have a to do list, sometimes I write something down that I just did and I cross it off just to make me feel like I accomplished a lot. So I'm going to give you your our bat and your outpha one and it's not going to cost you what free agent market costs. The outfield needs that guy, and I think this team needs an alpha. Do the Reds have enough to go and trade for Byron Buxton to solidify that outfield because it's under market value? Or are the Reds not built as an organization that you know better than I do to do something like that.

00:08:59
Speaker 2: Ooh, that man you just got. You gave me chills when you said that. I don't know if you saw my reaction. That's pretty intense. That would be pretty amazing. I agree with you there. They do need an alpha and Buxton, oh my gosh, he would fit perfectly. But what would they have to give up? You know, I heard you right before I came on and talks about Hunter Green. I know that there were kind of talks about that previously through the media. Will they do it because he's under he's under market value right now, they're getting him for pretty cheap. I don't know if they would, but if it was a chance to get Byron Buxton, maybe maybe they would.

00:09:38
Speaker 3: I don't know. I like that though.

00:09:39
Speaker 2: Maybe I'll send that to some of the upper people see if they as an anonymous caller or something, see if they can throw that out there.

00:09:47
Speaker 3: I love that.

00:09:50
Speaker 2: Get it done, and then you're getting credit for it.

00:09:54
Speaker 3: Okay, I don't need credit for it. I'm fine. I don't calling me.

00:10:03
Speaker 1: You mentioned Hunter Green. We've talked about the Reds rotation a little bit. It's one of the deepest in baseball. But the Reds have said, you know that they have listened, but don't have any intention of trading Hunter Green, who has three years and forty two million left on his contract. I guess what are you hearing from that front or what do you happen?

00:10:25
Speaker 3: Yeah?

00:10:26
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think honestly, it was just something that was thrown out there to see if it would stick. And I'm sure they're listening to anything, because at this point there's really nobody on this team that you would say is untouchable. If there's the right deal and the right players offered for somebody, and it's a no brainer, I think you take it. But I also think Trish, you've been in this game long enough too, Like things get thrown out there like randomly, and do they really mean anything. Is there any like headway behind it?

00:11:00
Speaker 1: No?

00:11:00
Speaker 3: Probably not.

00:11:01
Speaker 2: I don't think Nick Kral had any intention going into this offseason talking about Hunter Green trades because of the fact that he's making so little amount of money compared to other number one starters. So I think it's just something that was thrown out there, and they kind of talked about it a little bit at the at the GM meetings, and I think that's it unless the Twins say, here's Byron Buxton and so and so for Hunter Green and so and so.

00:11:31
Speaker 1: So. Let's talk a little bit about the man in charge, Tito Terry Francona, and just the confidence in him to manage this team and give it the level of consistency that they want and see those regular postseason berths if they just add a few more pieces to that roster, Danny, Is that kind of what we're feeling from the Reds camp a little bit?

00:11:58
Speaker 3: Yes, I do.

00:11:59
Speaker 2: I don't feel like they're going to go out and spend a ton of money, because when was the last time they ever did. Probably never. So I think that they're gonna go out and Tito's gonna try to convince them what pieces they need to get over the hump. Tito didn't come here just to help rebuild or just to get to a one game playoff or a wild card playoff. Tito came to Cincinnati to win. He came out of retirement to win. So I think he's going to have a lot of say in who they go after and who they want to sign, and hopefully the owners there and you know Nick Krawl decides, hey, this is what we need. Let's give it a run and see what we can do because the city of Cincinnati is begging for a winner.

00:12:46
Speaker 5: Yeah, to follow up on that, when they hired Tito to come out of retirement to do this, well, obviously it was to win. Was this a lot quicker than they kind of saw it happening? You know? Would you consider this year a success? Them getting the playoffs? They lost, you know, in the first round of the Dodgers, but which is a little bit quicker than most people kind of anticipated Tito taking over and being able to lead his team with the playoffs.

00:13:10
Speaker 2: I see, anytime you have a Tito Francona running your team, you automatically think he's going to get to the playoffs.

00:13:17
Speaker 3: Was it a little bit quick?

00:13:18
Speaker 2: I think if you look at the roster that the Reds have had the last couple of years with David Bell, They've had the pieces, but they just couldn't figure out how to get over that hump. They couldn't figure out how to just work through the dog days of September.

00:13:33
Speaker 3: You know.

00:13:35
Speaker 2: I think with Tito, he brings that little extra confidence and that where guys feel like they're really playing better than what they should. So I don't think they were surprised. I don't necessarily think I was surprised because Tito. Whatever Tito does is not a shock to me. The guy's a winner.

00:13:53
Speaker 3: All right. Last question, you watched this team the whole year. Did the Reds make the play else or did the Mets lose it?

00:14:05
Speaker 2: B Yeah, so yeah, I think the Mets kind of like gave it away. They were so good for most of the year and then they just buckled under the pressure.

00:14:22
Speaker 3: The Reds.

00:14:24
Speaker 2: I think if you watched them a lot, you saw that they were at times really good and then at times they were like, oh my gosh, this team's terrible, and then again, oh my gosh, they're really good, and then wait, what is this team's identity? So I think they were trying to get steady towards the end. Of the year, and they played well the last couple of weeks, obviously to put that pressure on the Mets. But I do, at the end of the day think that the Mets kind of choked.

00:14:52
Speaker 1: I would have to agree with that take, Danny. I think that, Thank you, thank.

00:14:57
Speaker 3: You, I was hoping for somebody to agree.

00:14:59
Speaker 2: Thanks to I very much agree with that take.

00:15:02
Speaker 1: And I got a soft spot for the Reds in my heart because I grew up in southern Indiana, so I grew up watching them. But I agree with that take. The Mets lost that chance, all right, Danny. Thank you so much, and don't forget to catch Riverfront Territory with Danny on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.