Reds 2018 - We got what we got, now come to the park and get a bobblehead.

Funko pops are pretty weird collectibles, some people are mad about them.

I've ended up with a couple Reds bobbleheads (Sean Casey & George Foster).

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/16df25209ea90a65bf63d028ad6e4fc155e9953c/c=129-0-895-576/local/-/media/2018/02/12/Cincinnati/Cincinnati/636540261575819599-vottofunko.jpg?width=534&height=401&fit=crop

Morbs I’m truly dismayed that you have to learn about Funko Pops now, I’m real sorry

does the head pop off? then i'd like a Marty Brenneman

"Harvey, 29, is making $5.625 million this season, though the Mets assumed the remainder of Harvey's salary when they traded him for Devin Mesoraco in early May."

Aha...I did not catch this point when the trade was made before. Basically, the Reds got to save Mesoraco's salary and get a starting pitcher for free.

Even if they don't get much for Harvey, still pretty good deal. It's not like pretty much any of the AAA prospects the Reds have like Robert Stephenson, Cody Reed, Brandon Finnegan, etc can throw strikes with any regularity.

I'm kinda thinking the Reds really might truly want to consider giving Lorenzen some time in the outfield and just start using him as a sub when it's his off day.

The dude has got some power.

Michael Lorenzen was also a CF in college at Cal Fullerton and was considered a prospect that could have gone either way as an outfielder or pitcher.

I think Lorenzen has game and the Reds might as well use him that way. They have been using him as a pinch hitter quite a bit.

gotta say it's pretty amusing how the Reds keep ending up with these weirdo outlier players like Billy Hamilton and Aroldis Chapman, and now Lorenzen. what do they have to lose by giving him time in the outfield?

Seems the Reds manager's job is going into the second round of interviews. These appear to be the last three.

Brad Ausmus -- don't know much about him, but I got to think this would be the 'old school' type hire,no?
Rocco Baldelli -- local press said his interview went very well and the idea of someone who came up in the Tampa setup would work well for the Reds being a similar market club. I'd say this is the 'new school' type hire.
David Bell -- this one has the added bonus of being a legacy hire for the club since his grandfather and dad played for the Reds. These kind of historical lines things have been a big part of the 'story of the franchise'. I think kinda likely, except I think other clubs are going to want to hire him and the Reds probably don't want to pay big dollar.

I really wish Eddie Pérez would get a shot somewhere, but he seems to have vanished in the last year.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DqN7G41WsAAV6F_.jpg:small

no goggles, no credibility

We might have the next weirdo outlier player for the Reds here...too bad they cannot go together like Voltron to make some super player.

https://redlegnation.com/2018/11/14/tj-friedl-the-bunt-king/

Looking at the Reds 40 man, this looks like a possible roster prediction for opening day.

1 1b Joey Votto
2 2b Scooter Gennette
3 ss Jose Peraza
4 3b Eugenio Suarez
5 lf Matt Kemp
6 cf Yasiel Puig
7 rf Scott Schebler
8 c Tucker Barnhart
9 util Alex Blandino
10 c Curt Casali
11 of Jesse Winker
12 of Philip Ervin
13 ? ?
13 1 Anthony DeSclafani
14 2 Alex Wood
15 3 Tanner Roark
16 4 Luis Castillo
17 5 Tyler Mahle

18 6 Raisel Iglesias
19 7 Michael Lorenzen
20 8 Jared Hughes
21 9 David Hernandez
22 10 Amir Garrett
23 11 Sal Romano
24 12 Brandon Finnegan / Wandy Peralta

they could be really good if the pitching is decent. the hitting looks fearsome

I guess if you plug in Wood and Roark's numbers from last year in place for the bottom of the Reds rotation from last year (like Homer etc.) - you would expect to see a 10 game improvement.

That's a .500 ball club...

If Garrett and Romano take a step up while in the pen and the others can stay healthy and productive, that could be a wicked good bullpen.

They don't have a true CF. Ervin plays there but he is sloppy in the field. Schebler has played a bit there and some speculate that Puig could do ok out there.

I think the thing with Kemp is to be judicious in using him. I think to maximize what they got, I wouldn't play him every day and I would use him as a split player at times. The more he plays, especially in the field, he will get hurt.

I still could see the Reds making another deal. They got the pitching depth that they could flip Iglesias for a center fielder. They could possibly add in Kemp for a AL DH setup.

Nick Senzel is the X factor player, some have speculated he could be in the CF mix too. I don't know, I'm leary of a player that has issues with vertigo. Hopefully he can stay healthy.

I think for Senzel to get to the bigs, it would be good if Scooter was moved on, so he could play a more natural position.

Got to go with good news when you can get it.

https://www.mlb.com/news/inbox-ranking-nl-central-teams-top-prospects/c-302315802

Jonathan Mayo

I've listed the top five for each organization, ranked by how I would line them up.

1. Reds: Nick Senzel, Taylor Trammell, Hunter Greene, Jonathan India, Tony Santillan
2. Pirates: Mitch Keller, Ke'Bryan Hayes, Travis Swaggerty, Oneil Cruz, Cole Tucker
3. Cardinals: Alex Reyes, Nolan Gorman, Dakota Hudson, Ryan Helsley, Andrew Knizner
4. Brewers: Keston Hiura, Corey Ray, Brice Turang, Lucas Erceg, Tristen Lutz
5. Cubs: Miguel Amaya, Adbert Alzolay, Alex Lange, Brailyn Marquez, Aramis Ademan

It's close at the top for me, but the Reds currently have four guys on the Top 100, while the Pirates have just three. The Senzel-Trammell-Greene trio, all in the top 25 overall, is tough to beat, as good as Keller and Hayes are at the top of the Pirates' list. If Reyes comes back healthy in 2019, he and Gorman make for a formidable 1-2 punch on the Cardinals' list, though Reyes will also graduate the second he records a big league out. (He is at 50 IP for his career, and we graduate prospects once they get past that rookie-eligible threshold.)