NEW YORK –– On Wednesday, after Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos learned of the three additions the team had made to its bullpen, he started reaching out to some of the other players.
As the trades became official, Castellanos began asking his teammates whether they had heard the news. There was an energy building around the team in the middle of the week, and it carried through Friday’s trade deadline.
On Wednesday, the Reds traded for three relief pitchers: Luis Cessa, Justin Wilson and Mychal Givens. Even though Cincinnati didn’t make another move before Friday’s 4 p.m. deadline, Castellanos stressed that he felt “very, very good” about the moves the Reds had made.
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“This sends such a good message to everybody,” Castellanos said. “To the fan base, to the players. We really see that and we appreciate the front office and ownership for that.”
At the trade deadline, the Reds were seven games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and five games behind the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card race. According to Baseball Reference, the Reds have a 15.5% chance to make the playoffs.
On top of that, the Brewers traded for All-Star infielder Eduardo Escobar this week, and the Padres added All-Star infielder Adam Frazier as well as a reliever in Daniel Hudson who has a 2.20 ERA.
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Even after those moves, the Reds have a few reasons to be optimistic. The biggest reason is how much they improved their bullpen.
“It’s cool, we have an outstanding team here and it’s definitely very exciting,” Reds left fielder Jesse Winker said. “Getting to meet all the new guys, they all seem like outstanding guys. I’m happy that they’re here.”
According to Reds GM Nick Krall, the Reds were clearly positioned as buyers at the trade deadline. Krall said he was making calls to improve the team throughout Friday.
“We knew we had to add some bullpen help, we did it,” Krall said. “Then everything else was trying to be as opportunistic as possible. We didn't, obviously, find the opportunity (on Friday). So I was excited with the players that we ended up with. With keeping our best prospects, I'm excited to work and see where this team can go.”
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Even though the Reds are five games out of a playoff spot, they have a softer schedule in front of them as well as several key players on the verge of returning from the injured list. On Friday, the Reds activated relief pitcher Michael Lorenzen several weeks earlier than they expected to after Lorenzen injured his hamstring on July 17.
Also on Friday, Nick Senzel (knee) and Mike Moustakas (heel) began their rehab assignments in Triple-A.
“I'm excited to see where we play up the last two months,” Krall said. “I think this team is a solid team. I think we've got a chance to make a run at this.”
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The Reds didn’t trade any of their top prospects to chase a 2021 postseason run. Krall said there were teams that wanted more of the Reds farm system than Cincinnati’s front office was willing to give up or wanted players off the Reds 26-man roster that he wasn’t comfortable trading.
“I think that we've got a really good clubhouse, really good chemistry and culture,” Krall said. “You want to see that keep going and we're excited to have the guys we have.”
Despite the Reds not making a trade on Friday, Cincinnati still had a more aggressive trade deadline week than the team usually has. Even though the Reds added only three middle relievers, they addressed their biggest weakness.
According to Baseball Reference, there have been seven games this season where the Reds have had a 75% or greater chance to win with the bullpen in the game and then went on to lose. The Reds are seven games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central standings.
With a better bullpen, the Reds will have fewer of those games.
Castellanos’ progress was another reason for the Reds’ confidence. Recently, he has taken a significant step in his recovery from a small fracture in his wrist.
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As he spoke on the field on Friday, he no longer had a cast on his hand. During pregame warmups, Castellanos played catch on the field.
When Castellanos returns, he anticipates being in the hunt for a playoff berth.
“This is what we want,” Castellanos said. “We want a challenge. It’s not going to be as fun if it’s easy.”
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