The Reds Report: February 19

Yep, we need to get the games going. 1. Last week, the Reds sent Brandon Phillips to the Atlanta Braves for two minor-league pitchers in the team's biggest move of the offseason. Cincinnati was also required to eat $13 million in the deal. Phillips had been on the Reds roster since 2006, and he played a prominent role on three playoff teams. However, Phillips wasn't going to be on the team the next time they were competitive, and it was clear that his best years were behind him. It was time for the Reds to turn their attention to some long-term solutions at the position. 2. Speaking of long term solutions at second, Bryan Price announced this week that Jose Peraza would be the team's starting second baseman in 2017.Did Adam Lind fart while batting 💀😂 pic.twitter.com/j1u0yxIdSN
– Baseball Lifestyleâ„¢ (@BsbLifestyle__) February 17, 2017
The Reds acquired Peraza as part of the three-team deal that sent Todd Frazier to the White Sox. Peraza played in 72 games for Cincinnati last season, and started to see more regular playing time following an injury to Billy Hamilton. From August 20 to October 2, Peraza hit .366/.387/.484 with 11 stolen bases. The front office is hopeful that Peraza can be a foundational piece on the roster for years to come. In 2017, the front office and fans alike will get a long look at the 22 year-old.Bryan Price has Jose Peraza as the team's 2B. Says Cozart will not be a part-time player.
– C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) February 13, 2017
3. The other big news from Reds camps thus far is not what fans were hoping to hear. Homer Bailey was placed on the 60-day DL before throwing a pitch this season. He recently had bone spurs removed from his pitching elbow, and stated this week he hopes to return to the big league roster by June 1. As Mark Sheldon notes, this was Bailey's third surgery to this area in his career. Prior to the 2014 season, the Reds signed Bailey to a six-year, $105 million extension. Since then, he's only pitched in 31 games. He's slated to make $19 million this season, followed by $21 million, $23 million, and $25 million from 2018-2020. Cincinnati signed Bailey hoping he could be the ace at the top of their rotation, but with each subsequent injury that hope seems a little less likely. 4. Several prominent projection systems released their pre-season win totals for each MLB team. FanGraphs projects the Reds to finish the season with a 70-92 record. Baseball Prospectus is a little more optimistic with their 75-87 projection for Cincinnati. Both records would be an improvement on last season's 68-94 finish. It's unlikely the Reds will compete for a playoff spot in 2017, but at least these systems think the team is heading in the right direction. 5. Some photos were released from spring training this week, and it appears that Joey Votto is channeling his inner Sting.Jose Peraza set to be second baseman for #Reds.
🔗: https://t.co/vSrdEWRlm6 pic.twitter.com/oGfYeWZ9Bi – Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) February 14, 2017


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