Doctor Gast

I saw a report earlier which they didn't know the extent of the injury. I was thinking the same thing.

Weird, Broxton probably thinks everyone should be as fast as him.I'd love to have 2 open spots on the 40 man for both Broxton and Law, especially since Law is out of options.

I really like Law, he has a shot. PIT had a lot of great under developed pitching I was hoping to plunder some of it. Strange only pitcher we picked up was only Waddle, a PIT discard. Yet he could turn out to be a pretty good pitcher. But still my vote goes to Broxton. Garlic, Rooker and Broxton are pretty close, the best depends on which hitting category you are looking at. But if we look beyond hitting to defense, speed and being a true CF to sub Buxton. Broxton should be our hands down selection for 4th OF Another great article Tom. I was able to see the video of Broxton scoring from 1st on a single by Cruz (he made it look easy) but I haven't been able see his triple. So Tom, I'd like a favor, if you have access to it, could you access it here? I'd really like to see it! Thank you!

I agree with the gang. I like Smeltzer but younger arms are going to past. He could still be valuable to a different team so pull the trigger.

Atlanta has a great team. Dobnak did a great job, I believe that run was unearned. His line yesterday is over 3.1 innings, 6 ground outs, 5 SOs and 0 fly outs. He does everything that is asked of him.

It's great to have Cruz around wether at the plate or in the dugout. He'll get his ABs in yet we have a plethora of options to take his place. What's important is we have his leadership.

I wish Carrasco well as well. The 3 best LFers are RH, Garlic, Rooker and Broxton. They seem to hit RHPs well enough so any combination of the 3 that includes Broxton because he has better glove and speed should be considered for the LF spot. Sadly, Broxton's name isn't even in the discussion which concerns me greatly.

The philosophy of the staff is transforming rejected pitchers that fit their profile into successful pitchers. That transformation takes time and we need to be patient. Some take to it pretty quick others not so quick yet some don't. That's why they select so many. Still Clippard would have given us some early comfort. I think Dobnak has shown that he belongs on the starting rotation. We need a lot of long relief this year so Thorpe and any others will get a lot of work. So I wouldn't worry yet but I see your concern.

I like speed and how they use it. Speed contributes to offense and defense. A good core. Wish Lewis a speedy and complete recovery. Expect great things from him. Can't wait for him and Celestino to come up.

I think especially in the beginning, that we need extra long relievers to help give the starters breathers. That said I still think Dobnak should be a starter.

Buck has bulked up which will help both his durability and power. He's in his prime so extend him now before his stock explodes. We are an winning elite team with him in the field which speaks volumes of his talent. On the other hand when he's not in the line up we lose a good majority of the games which speaks of the lack of ability of his subs. Of the 3 that subbed him last year, Cave is the worst and he's the main replacement. I really like Celestino, those who opposed Lewis, stating he spent very little time in AA and didn't like his high leg kick; Celestino has the same high leg kick and has only a short time in A. Broxton is our best replacement for Buxton and as 4th OF. We have needed someone like him for maybe the past 5yrs. He would have improved our winning % when Buxton was out. Let's close that gap between Buxton and his replacements, bring in Broxton and greatly improved our CF overall.

Thanks Tom for your analysis. From the beginning I've been cheering for Broxton. He's come to camp a different person. He's more relaxed and more disciplined at the plate. What sticks out most is his BB/SO ratio, except for a lapse after his HR that went to his head. Broxton is our only true CF besides Buxton but he has shown that he's more than a Buxton insurance policy. There's been doubt about him having a player's option but it sounds like from Park that he doesn't. In any case he should be on the 26 man. I'm also cheering for Lin. I'm a fan of Astudillo but I'd pick Lin over him on the basis that he can play SS. I'm impressed with Law

I can't see either team accepting this deal. It wouldn't be fair to the Reds because they need a true SS and they'd want a ton more than what you are offering. It wouldn't be fair to Polanco because if they keep over stretching him at SS, he'll continue to digress maybe to the point of no return and never accomplish his full potential at 2B which was forecast before he was fixed at SS which was MVP. It wouldn't be fair to the Twins because Polanco is grossly undervalued and the tremendous more talent they'd have to give up to obtain Castillo especially if you want to throw in more undervalued players that was thrown off because of covid. I've talked to a true Reds fan and he said that if MN wants Castillo, the talks will have to begin with Kiriloff or forget it. I'm sorry that's reality.

I like Marquez also, he's my #2. He should be more attainable.

I always thought Castillo would be untouchable. So when the Reds put him out there I instantly began to come up with trade options. But come right down to it, I think this would become a futile exercise, because some get excited about the possibilities and others anxious about losing their favorite players or combination of both. I don't see FO making this trade unless they really want him and I mean really want him and in that case I wouldn't trust them making the right trade. I'm a firm believer of trading. Trading helps us to balance our 40 man roster and bolster area where we are weak at the same time thinning areas where we are overstocked. I believe every player have locked potential. If you are fortunate the team that draft a player has the key to unlock that potential. But many times they don't so trading that player, gives him the opportunity to find the right team that pocess the key to unlock that potential. Johan Santana is case in point. He came to the Twins as a good pitcher but when he found the key of the circle change up, he became an elite ace. How did the Reds come across Castillo? Castillo bounced around as a young prospect. Miami saw potential in him and had 2 opportunities at him, they all gave up on him. Reds picked him up for almost nothing and the rest is history. What's my point? My point is all prospects have potential and many can't see it and give up on prospects. Even if we can't unlock a prospect another team might. Also keep an eye open for players that we can unlock. I think this is the road that FO likes to take in FA. But still I'd like them to be more active in trading.

If the Reds want a true SS. We can be creative like LAD and try a 3 way trade. I believe Castillo is our best target to advance to to the big show and worth the risk

I too have thought about this for a long time. About going all out to get Castillo so we can better compete for the World Series. Going all out I don't mean trading a valuable player at a depleted crucial position or a player that is very under valued due to 2020. It would have to be a player who is close to his maximum value and at a position where it's noncrucial and have an abundant simular substitutes; that would marquee a trade. Any trade would be very expensive but is doable without really radically effecting other areas too much. To begin this discussion, is that I like all our players and hate give up any of them. The 1st player that comes to mind that fits my criteria is Larnach. But I believe that the Reds won't consider a trade for Castillo that doesn't include Kiriloff. Trading Kiriloff will hurt but we have Larnach which is simular to Kiriloff and some argue that he could be better without having to deal with Kiriloff's agent. Reds would want much more therefore my 2nd offering that fits my criteria is Arraez. Losing our IMO top pure hitters would hurt a lot but we have others that can admirably substitutes them,these 2 would marquee the trade. Reds more than likely would want a pitcher most likely a prospect. The rest is negotiable. You may want to debate, why don't we substitute Lewis for Kiriloff. I don't think that would work for 2 reasons. #1 Lewis is hurt and #2 we are depleted at the crucial positions he plays SS and CF. This is the trade that I believe that the Reds would consider. It's a bold action that I believe it is worth it to obtain Castillo. I'm not sure the FO would do it.

This full season without distractions, we should see Berrios the Ace, extend him.

I love what I see from Shoemaker. We all know what Kiriloff can do, he's just adjusting to LF but he'll come around. I was great to see Balazovic pitching well out there, hope to see Duran soon. I think that the HR that Broxton hit probably went to his head. I believe he knows that he needs to focus more, we really need his glove and speed. I think it was a good idea to give Sano time at 3B. Still I'd like to see Arraez at 1B, a position where he's more suited for and would give him more ABs. Baldelli has faith in Smeltzer so he should eventually will come around. ExTwins always seem to turn around and bite us!

I expected Lewis to be #3. His last competitive level was AFL (the cream of the minors), he was MVP. I'm sure a good part of that was his hitting. Last year we didn't hear much from St Paul but what we heard was that Lewis was one of the best if not best hitters there. I know a lot of so called experts don't like high leg kicks but many of the great hitters have it. I believe he needs to quiet his hands to hit in the majors, I believe he has been working on that the last couple of years. It doesn't surprise me that he's not on the list but he should be.

I like your analysis of Polanco's progress.

My opinion is we need Arraez's bat in there as much as possible. But Baldelli will put anyone that he thinks analytically fits.

Wives are a big part of the player's success. Their support is essential, I remember Dozier's wife response to his retirement. Like she knew how important baseball was in his life and she was 100% behind him. That impressed me

I expect Big Mike to be consistent by putting up steady numbers. This year I don't expect anyone pitching 190 innings, even Berrios. Pineda pitched 123 innings in 2019,if he pitches close to 150 innings I'd be very happy.

Thank you for sharing that