It’s time to get real in Cincinnati. The front office has done everything it can to take the dive in 2016. They are attempting to be the Philadelphia 76ers of MLB. With that in mind, the Cincinnati Reds should make the decision of who should close based on who they will be able to trade for the largest return in July.
The first person thought to get the shot would be J.J. Hoover. He was acquired for Juan Francisco just prior to the 2012 season and has just over three years of experience, so he will remain under team control through 2018. Hoover may bring some value there, but he has been somewhat inconsistent in his career.
Another option is recently traded for Caleb Cotham. He is the same age as Aroldis Chapman, the player for whom he was traded. Cotham just ended his first year as a reliever after being a starter for his entire career. His minor league WHIP was 1.02 with a 2.21 ERA. Playing in his age 29 season, the Reds would be wise to decide quickly what they have in him. He would likely bring less as he could be viewed as a one year wonder.
A third option would be Brandon Finnegan who came over in the Johnny Cueto deal. He has had success in a relief role, but he has been getting trained to be a big league starter. Finnegan could bring the most, but it may be because of talent, not because of current success. Finnegan is the type of player the Reds want to have on opening day 2018.
Homer Bailey could be an option that may be beneficial. A low end reliever like Blake Wood (pictured) or Ryan Mattheus could start the season as the closer. When Bailey returns in June he could be slotted into the role. He has a splitter and a plus fastball which would be devastating in a one inning situation. It also could show teams that he would be healthy heading into 2017.
Of course, Wood could just remain the closer for the entire season, but he hasn’t pitched a full MLB campaign since 2011. If he could be productive in high leverage situations, he could be traded for a prospect.
The Reds have a great chance to turn Bailey into a tradable commodity by making him a closer and should see if his arm can get loose in the ‘pen. In the meantime, the Reds can check out Wood, Cotham and Rule 5 draftee Chris O’Grady. Getting an upgrade for any of them would help them get even more high-end prospects, just like the 76ers.
