Cincinnati Reds' Leader Discusses Team's Pursuit of Starting Pitching

Cincinnati Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall said the team is looking to blend "quality and quantity" when it comes to pitching additions this offseason.

The Cincinnati Reds were one of the best baseball stories in 2023. Though they missed the playoffs on the final weekend of the season, the youth of the roster brought excitement back to the Queen City and re-invigorated the fan base.

Young infield phenom Elly De La Cruz electrified baseball with his speed and prodigious power and Matt McLain, Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Andrew Abbott, Brandon Williamson and Noelvi Marte were all highly-touted rookies who contributed to some degree.

If Cincinnati is going to take a step forward in 2024 and get to the playoffs for the first time since 2020, they'll need to go out and acquire some reliable starting pitching.

While they have young pitchers with upside like Abbott, Williamson, Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene, the Reds got the 23rd-most innings out of starters this past season.

President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall discussed the team's pursuit of pitching with the Cincinnati Enquirer:

“For us, can we (add) some sort of blend of quality and quantity (of innings)?” Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said. “It’s not like, ‘Hey, I want to take a shot on this guy because he could be nothing, but he could be a huge upside play.’ We need to make sure we’re bringing in quality innings to help our younger players with that upside.”

“I don’t think we are the team that necessarily needs the upside guy,” Krall said. “Look at Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, Brandon Williamson. All of those guys were first or second-round picks. They’ve got a lot of upside. Graham Ashcraft has come in and given us stable innings and has upside as well. Connor Phillips is a top prospect and has some upside. You’ve got upside in a lot of these guys.”

In the free agent market, Yoshinobu Yamamoto out of Japan is the most coveted pitcher, with Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell also up there. Mid-tier options include guys like Lucas Giolito and Michael Wacha, while Dylan Cease could be available via trade.

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