Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings January 22, 2019 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY

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1 Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings January 22, 2019 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1921-The Reds trade Jimmy Ring and Greasy Neale to the Phillies for pitcher Eppa Rixey. Rixey will spend 13 years with the Reds, collecting a record, with a 3.33 ERA in innings pitched MLB.COM Reds acquire Gray, extend RHP through 2022 Cincinnati also gets Minor League lefty for Long, Comp Draft pick By Mark Sheldon Jan. 21st, 2019 CINCINNATI -- The Reds continued the overhaul of their rotation by acquiring right-hander Sonny Gray in a trade with the Yankees on Monday. Gray signed a three-year, $30.5 million contract extension through 2022, with a $12 million club option for '23. Also going to the Reds is Minor League left-hander Reiver Sanmartin. The Yankees received second-base prospect Shed Long and a 2019 Competitive Balance Round A Draft pick from Cincinnati. New York immediately dealt Long to the Mariners for outfield prospect Josh Stowers. With Gray already signed to a one-year, $7.5 million contract that avoided arbitration for 2019, he's set to earn $38 million over the next four years. His new deal contains salary escalators and bonuses. "Conceptually, we always wanted to add three starters if we could do so economically," Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams said. "We just thought that would really improve our overall depth." In separate trades made last month, the Reds received right-hander Tanner Roark from the Nationals and left-hander Alex Wood from the Dodgers. Gray, Roark and Wood will join a rotation with holdover Luis Castillo. The fifth spot could be a battle between Anthony DeSclafani, Sal Romano, Tyler Mahle and others. Once the Reds and Yankees agreed to make their trade, the Reds were given a 72-hour window to negotiate the extension with Gray. Roark and Wood both have one-year contracts and can become free agents after the season. "Once we acquired the two guys with the one-year deals, we said that we would only acquire Sonny if we were able to extend him," Williams said. "We didn't want to be in a position where all three starters would be becoming free agents next year. That was a condition of pursuing this trade." Featuring mostly young starters in 2018, the Reds' rotation ranked 14th out of 15 National League clubs with a 5.02 ERA and a league-high 151 home runs allowed. Cincinnati is much more optimistic heading into this season. "We have a chance to go into this season with the best rotation we've had in five years," Reds general manager Nick Krall said. "It makes you feel better about where you are and looking at your club with guys that have been solid Major League starters. We've got a whole group of them." Gray went 11-9 with a 4.90 ERA in 30 games last season. In his 23 starts, he posted a 9-9 record and a 5.26 ERA. The 29-year-old began 2018 in the rotation, but he moved to the bullpen in early August and made a pair of spot starts late in the season.

2 Those numbers would not appear to be superlative on the surface, but the Reds are clearly counting on a change of scenery being beneficial for Gray. In 15 games (12 starts) away from Yankee Stadium in 2018, he compiled a 3.17 ERA compared to 6.98 in the Bronx. Gray will also be reunited with Derek Johnson, his pitching coach at Vanderbilt University. Their pairing helped make Gray a first-round Draft pick (18th overall) of the Athletics in Johnson became the Reds' pitching coach in October. It was Johnson's knowledge and connection to Gray that also helped the Reds zero in on acquiring him. "It's a guy who is really talented, a guy who I think is in the middle of his prime," Johnson said. "He's also a hungry guy. I think that's the thing that we're all counting on. I know what kind of competitor that Sonny is, and I know last year didn't sit well with him at all. He's going to be out to try and prove something, not only to other people but to himself as well." Over his six-season career with the A's and Yankees, Gray is with a 3.66 ERA. His best year came in 2015, when he finished 14-7 with a 2.73 ERA in 208 innings spanning 31 starts and made the American League All-Star team. In '14, Gray pitched a career-high 219 innings. Adding starting pitching was the Reds' top offseason priority. In acquiring Roark from the Nationals and Wood along with outfielders Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and catcher Kyle Farmer from the Dodgers, Cincinnati has parted with four prospects ranked in the organization's Top 30 list by MLB Pipeline. Coming off a 95-loss season, their fourth consecutive year with more than 90 losses during a rebuild, the Reds wanted to be aggressive and be a factor in the NL Central immediately. "You can always improve your club, but I think we have a group of guys who can hold their own with anybody in this division," Williams said. "They played great last year for a long stretch in the middle of the year when we had everybody healthy. We've added to that team. I know our guys feel a sense of confidence." Even with Spring Training fast approaching with camp set to open on Feb. 12, Williams and Krall aren't done with moves just yet. Center field is still on the agenda, as could be more pitching. "We still plan to continue to make moves to improve the club," Williams said. Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from Follow him on and Facebook and listen to his podcast. Senzel, India among MLB's Top 10 3B prospects By Jonathan Mayo Jan. 21st, 2019 MLB Pipeline will unveil its 2019 Top 100 Prospects list with a one-hour show on MLB Network and MLB.com on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. Leading up to the release, we look at baseball's top 10 prospects at each position. There is obviously a lot of turnover in the prospect world. Players graduate, they fall off lists, rankings change frequently. Yet the very top of this year's Top 10 third base propsects list is identical to last year's version. That's for good reason. Blue Jays phenom Vladimir Guerrero Jr. cemented his place atop this, and pretty much every, list with his 2018 season. And while the Reds' Nick Senzel missed time because of injury, he showed that his all-around toolset is just about big league ready. There should be change at the top soon enough, with both Guerrero and Senzel likely to graduate off the list at some point in Whether they'll prove to be as successful as the best players from previous versions of this list remains to be seen. The Rockies' Nolan Arenado, No. 1 on the list in 2012, has the highest cumulative Wins Above Replacement (33.1 bwar) of any player on this list since we began ranking the Top 10 prospects by position in

3 2011. The Cubs' Kris Bryant, who topped this Top 10 in 2015, is next at 21.6, while Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon is third (21.1). And there's continuity beyond the top of the list as well. With Michael Chavis still on the list, that makes six straight years the Red Sox have had at least one representative on this Top 10 (Garin Cecchini, ; Rafael Devers, ; Chavis, ). The Braves aren't far behind. Austin Riley is on the list for a fourth straight year, giving Atlanta five consecutive years of representation (Rio Ruiz, 2015). The Top 10 (ETA) 1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays (2019) 2. Nick Senzel, Reds (2019) 3. Austin Riley, Braves (2019) 4. Ke'Bryan Hayes, Pirates (2019) 5. Jonathan India, Reds (2021) 6. Alec Bohm, Phillies (2021) 7. Nolan Gorman, Cardinals (2022) 8. Nolan Jones, Indians (2020) 9. Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles (2019) 10. Michael Chavis, Red Sox (2019) Fastest Runner: Senzel (60) Senzel's speed has helped him to reach double-digits in steals in both 2016 and '17, and he's swiped 40 bases in 231 Minor League games through His athleticism has also allowed him to move around the field in addition to showing excellent range at the hot corner, showing an ability to play second and even a little shortstop, while trying the outfield on for size as well. Best Arm: Guerrero, Senzel, Riley, Hayes, Jones (60) All five have plus arms and may have flashed better than 60-grade at times. Riley was a pitcher in high school, one who was up to 92 mph from the mound as a senior, so we'll give him the slight edge. Best Defender: Hayes, Senzel (60) Hayes was the third baseman on this year's All-Defense Prospect team, thanks to his outstanding range, hands, instincts and arm. Senzel isn't far behind and might only be 1A to Hayes because he missed time due to injury. CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Sonny Gray headed to Cincinnati Reds in trade with Yankees, signed to an extension Bobby Nightengale, Cincinnati Enquirer Published 4:32 p.m. ET Jan. 21, 2019 Updated 10:23 p.m. ET Jan. 21, 2019 After spending days negotiating a trade with the New York Yankees and later a contract extension with Sonny Gray, the Reds finally landed their third starting pitcher of the offseason Monday. The Reds acquired the right-handed Gray after the 29-year-old pitcher agreed to a three-year contract extension that will keep him under contract through the 2022 season. Without including incentives, Gray will be paid $30.5 million over three years and there is a $12 million club option in 2023, according to sources. In addition to Gray, the Reds added left-handed minor leaguer Reiver Sanmartin. The Reds sent Shed Long and their competitive balance pick in the 2019 MLB Draft (likely No. 37 overall) to the Yankees to complete the deal. Earlier in the offseason, the Reds traded for lefty Alex Wood and right-hander Tanner Roark. "We have a chance to go into this season with the best rotation we've had in five years," Reds general manager Nick Krall said. "It makes you feel better about where you are and looking at your club with guys that have been solid major-league starters, we've got a whole group of them."

4 Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams met Gray at their Spring Training facility in Goodyear, Arizona, on Monday. Gray took a physical Monday morning in anticipation of the deal. Does Williams expect any more big moves? "I don t know where to draw the line on big," Williams said. "I still think we very much plan to continue to try and improve the club. It may be in center field. It may be another position and pitching. We still plan to continue to make moves to improve the club." Gray fell out of the Yankees rotation at the end of last season and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was open about the team s desire to trade Gray during the offseason. Gray had a 4.90 ERA in 30 appearances (23 starts) last season, including a 3.17 ERA in away games and a 6.98 ERA at Yankee Stadium. It's clear the Reds believe Gray was much better than his number indicated last year and they have some familiarity with him. In college, Gray starred at Vanderbilt under Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson. Gray's college catcher for three years was Curt Casali and he was teammates for one season with assistant pitching coach Caleb Cotham. "I know what kind of competitor that Sonny is, and I know last year didn t sit well with him at all," Johnson said. "He s going to be out to try and prove something, not only to other people but to himself as well. I think that when you have that type of player on your hands, some really good things can happen." Gray had success with the Oakland A s before he was traded to the Yankees in He owns a career 3.66 ERA in six seasons, though he hasn t thrown more than 131 innings in two of the last three years. After agreeing to the framework of a trade with the Yankees, the Reds were granted an exclusive 72-hour negotiating window to talk to Gray about a contract extension, plus about three hours to account for Gray's flight to Arizona. He was previously eligible to become a free agent after the 2019 season, just like Wood and Roark. The Reds, Williams said, were only interested if they could sign Gray to a multi-year deal. Gray will make $7.5 million during the upcoming season. "We didn t want to be in a position where all three starters would be becoming free agents next year," Williams said. "That was a condition of pursuing this trade." The starting rotation, which was a weakness for the Reds last season, certainly looks more capable of competing with the top teams in the National League Central. Gray, Wood, Roark and Luis Castillo likely have their spots cemented for next year, while Anthony DeSclafani, Tyler Mahle, Sal Romano and others could compete for the final spot in the rotation. "One of the best things that happened throughout this is we've created a lot of depth," Johnson said. "The fact of the matter is, it's hard to go through a season with five guys and five guys only as your starting pitchers." Long, a second baseman, was ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the Reds organization by MLB.com. He hit.261 with 12 homers and 56 RBI at Double-A last year, but he was rated behind infield prospects Nick Senzel and Jonathan India. Immediately after the Reds trade was completed, the Yankees flipped Long in another trade to the Seattle Mariners. Sanmartin, 22, primarily played at High-A last season in the Yankees' organization and was not ranked among their Top 30 prospects. He had a 2.81 ERA in 13 appearances (10 starts) while striking out 58 in 67 1/3 innings. Analysis: Sonny Gray makes the Cincinnati Reds better, but he's not a No. 1 starter John Fay, Cincinnati Enquirer Published 6:58 p.m. ET Jan. 21, 2019 Two-sentence analysis of the Sonny Gray trade: It makes the Reds rotation better but not as much as adding Corey Kluber or Dallas Keuchel would have.

5 The Reds obtained right-hander Gray from the New York Yankees for Shed Long and a competitive balance pick. Long is the club s No. 7 rated prospect, but he s a second baseman the deepest position in the minors for the Reds. The competitive balance pick is the 36th overall. The Reds got No. 2 prospect Taylor Trammell with the 35th pick overall, so obviously that pick can be valuable. The Reds would have likely had to give up Trammell or top-prospect Nick Senzel to get right-hander Kluber from the Cleveland Indians. Left-hander Keuchel would be more expensive than Gray. The Reds signed Gray to a threeyear, $30.5 million extension to facilitate the deal. (The Reds would only do the deal if Gray signed an extension). Gray also pitched for Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson at Vanderbilt. Again, Gray is an upgrade. But he's not a sure bet to start on Opening Day. But Kluber and Keuchel, two other pitchers the Reds have been linked to on the rumor, would be No. 1 on the current staff.gray, 29, was 11-9 with a 4.90 ERA with the New York Yankees. That includes a 4-4 record and a 6.98 ERA in Yankee Stadium. So the Reds are hoping for better things. This guy has had a lot of success in hitter s ballparks outside of New York, said Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams said. He s had a good track record. We didn t see anything that was diminishing in terms of velocity and spin rate. From a physical standpoint, everything seems to be there. Gray was with a 3.42 ERA in five years with Oakland A s before he was traded to the Yankees at the deadline in The Reds have added three starting pitchers this offseason. They previously traded for right-hander Tanner Roark and left-hander Alex Wood. Our primary goal was to address starting pitching, Williams said. We feel like we ve made some good strides in that area Conceptually, we wanted to add three starters if we could do so economically. We just thought that would improve our overall depth. We didn t broadcast a number. Once we got the two guys in the boat, Sonny was on the list. Primarily from past performance. And what we know about him from Derek. And not just Derek, and really, others. This guy has a very good major league track record. We ve had scouts who have watched him. Our analytics guys have taken a hard look at him." Gray has some things going for him that make him a fit for Great American Ball Park. His ground-ball rate (50 percent) was eighth best among pitchers who threw more than 130 innings. His home run rate (0.97 per nine innings) was 28th lowest among pitchers who threw more than 130 innings. Gray is a four-pitch pitcher. He throws a slider, curveball and changeup in addition to the fastball. His fastball averages about 93 mph. And his familiarity with Johnson helps. That was an important piece of the puzzle, Williams said. Johnson has remained in contact with Gray. Both live in Nashville. I m incredibly excited, Johnson. said. It s a guy who I think is incredibly talented, a guy who I think is in the middle of his prime and also a hungry guy. I think that s the thing we re all counting on. I know what kind of competitor Sonny is, and I know last year didn t sit well with him at all. He s going to be out to prove something to other people and himself. When you have that type of player on your hands, good things can happen.

6 THE ATHLETIC Sizing up the Reds starting rotation after Sonny Gray addition By C. Trent Rosecrans Jan 21, 2019 Dick Williams, the Reds president of baseball operations, deferred when asked what his team s starting rotation would look like when the season begins on March 28, but this much is sure it will be different than it has been in the past and it should be better. That s a good question, I ll defer to (pitching coach) Derek (Johnson) and (manager) David (Bell) on that one. I don t want to jump the gun, Williams said. We do feel like we have more than five pitchers that are very capable of holding down a spot in a Major League rotation and that s a much better place to be in when you can create that kind of competition. Barring injuries which have impacted the team s Opening Day starter each of the last three seasons the top five starters seem pretty cut-and-dried, if not the particular order. The newcomers Sonny Gray The Reds and Johnson have bet heavily on the 29-year-old Gray, who was an All-Star and finished third in American League Cy Young voting in 2015 with the A s, to bounce back to form. Gray was terrible at Yankee Stadium last season but sported a 3.17 ERA on the road. There s been no decline in his velocity and he still had a 50-percent ground-ball rate last season, so there are indicators that show he can be successful. With Monday s extension, he s the only one of the three newcomers that are under contract past this season. Tanner Roark Roark, 32, has been a workhorse for the Nationals, throwing at least 180 innings in four of the last five seasons and in all four of his seasons in Washington s rotation. Roark was 9-15 with a 4.34 ERA last season, but two years ago was with a Alex Wood Wood was one of four players acquired in the Reds blockbuster deal with the Dodgers and the only pitcher. Wood s 3.68 ERA last season would be by far the best by any Reds starter and in 2017 he was an All-Star going 16-3 with a 2.72 ERA. Still, he was expendable for the free-spending Dodgers who moved him to the bullpen last season for the playoffs. He made 74 regular-season starts for the Dodgers over the last four seasons, but just two of his 16 playoff appearances have been starts, both in The incumbents Luis Castillo The 26-year-old Castillo has as much potential as any pitcher the Reds have, but took a step back in his sophomore season, going with a 4.30 ERA in Although his overall numbers were disappointing, he was 5-4 with a 2.63 ERA in his last 14 starts of the season. Castillo is the most likely of the group to develop into a true top-of-therotation starter. Anthony DeSclafani He missed all of 2017 with an elbow injury and began the 2018 season on the disabled list with an oblique injury (the same basic injury that delayed his 2016 season). DeSclafani was slated to start Opening Day in 2016 and 2017 before injuries got in the way. He now appears to be the No. 5 starter if he s healthy. The swingmen Amir Garrett The 26-year-old lefty inserted himself into the rotation competition last spring with a strong camp but was moved to the bullpen for the regular season. He thrived in the bullpen for the first half of the season before struggling down the stretch. There are still some who think he can start, but at the very least he can pitch multiple innings either out of the bullpen or perhaps to begin a game.

7 Michael Lorenzen What can t Lorenzen do? He can start, relieve, play the outfield, pinch hit, pinch run the only question is where he s most valuable. The team could use him in a variety of ways and he s said he s open to almost all of them. Lorenzen has never shied from his desire to return to the rotation he was put in the bullpen out of necessity in 2017 and at times has dominated in that role. His versatility as a hitter (and abilities in the outfield) make him an intriguing player one who could defy labels. In waiting Tyler Mahle Mahle, 24, at times looked like a future ace in his first full season, but other times looked overmatched. It s still way too early to give up on his future. He s one of the prime candidates to take over a rotation spot at its first opening. There is plenty of reason for optimism despite his struggles at times. He also has two option years remaining, so no decision has to be made yet. Cody Reed Reed has the talent to be a dominant starter but hasn t put it all together yet. The lefty will be 26 in April and could also find himself in the big-league bullpen. He was 1-3 last season with a 3.98 ERA in 17 appearances, seven starts. Reed has an option year remaining. Sal Romano Romano, 25, has also shown promise in his time in the big leagues. He was 8-11 with a 5.31 ERA last season but has the frame and stuff to be a workhorse-type starter. Like Reed, he has an option remaining. Lucas Sims Acquired from Atlanta in the deal that sent Adam Duvall to the Braves, the 24-year-old former first-rounder was called up in September. The right-hander went 4-5 with a 3.11 ERA in Triple-A but didn t fare as well in the big leagues. He also has an option remaining. In limbo Brandon Finnegan The Reds demoted Finnegan to Triple-A after acquiring Matt Harvey. Finnegan was 0-3 with a 7.40 ERA in five starts for the Reds before being sent to Louisville, where he was eventually sent to the bullpen. He was 2-10 with a 7.05 ERA for the Bats. The 25-year-old made 31 starts for the Reds in 2016 before getting hurt early in 2017, making just four starts before his injury. Before coming to the Reds, the Royals saw him as a reliever, but the pitching-starved Reds gave him a shot to start. He went with a 3.98 ERA in 2016 but hasn t come close to that since. He does have an option remaining and could be a left-handed specialist out of the bullpen. Robert Stephenson Stephenson, ranked as the team s top prospect by Baseball American for three straight seasons, has battled with consistency throughout his career. His stuff is still good, he s just never put it together. Stephenson is out of options, so he ll either have to make the club out of spring or be subject to waivers. The bullpen could be his best shot to make the team. Sonny days ahead: Reds ensure Gray won t be one and done By C. Trent Rosecrans Jan 21, 2019 The Reds first two big moves of the offseason helped improve the team for With the third, Monday s trade with the Yankees for right-hander Sonny Gray, the Reds hope they have helped themselves beyond a single season. Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said his team was moving on from Gray after the 2018 season. The Reds appeared to be a logical landing spot after the team hired away Gray s college pitching coach, Derek Johnson, from the Brewers on Halloween.

8 The Reds and Yankees started formulating the deal at December s Winter Meetings in Las Vegas, but after trades brought in starters Tanner Roark and Alex Wood (among others), Reds President of Baseball Operations Dick Williams wanted a starter who, unlike Wood or Roark, was under contract beyond the 2019 season. That didn t apply to Gray until Monday when he agreed to a three-year extension through 2022 with a team option for We didn t want to be in a position where all three starters would be becoming free agents next year, Williams said on a conference call Monday. That was a condition of pursuing this trade. That was also a condition for the price the Reds paid, not just in Gray s salary, but also second base prospect Shed Long and this year s Competitive Balance Round A pick in the draft. The Reds also received minor-league lefthander Reiver Sanmartin in the deal. The Yankees immediately traded Long to Seattle for outfielder Josh Stowers, the Mariners second-round pick out of the University of Louisville in Long was the Reds seventh-rated prospect according to Baseball America, but he was probably third at his position, behind Nick Senzel and Jonathan India. Both are listed as third basemen but could play second base with current third baseman Eugenio Suárez under contract through the 2024 season. The competitive balance pick is the 36th overall in next year s draft and the money for that pick is added to the overall signing pool. That draft pick can become an important piece Taylor Trammell, the Reds No. 3 prospect, was taken with a competitive balance pick at No. 35 in 2016 but that pick likely wouldn t help the Reds in The Reds are gambling that Gray s reunion with Johnson will make their investment a guaranteed $38 million over the next four seasons pay off. Johnson, like Gray, lives in Nashville in the offseason. The two have kept up since their time at Vanderbilt and have talked this offseason. The Reds front office consulted Johnson before making the trade and extension. I am incredibly excited. It s a guy who is really talented, a guy who I think is in the middle of his prime. He s also a hungry guy. I think that s the thing that we re all counting on, Johnson said. I know what kind of competitor that Sonny is, and I know last year didn t sit well with him at all. He s going to be out to try and prove something, not only to other people but to himself as well. I think that when you have that type of player on your hands, some really good things can happen. I m really excited to see how that goes about. Reds catcher Curt Casali was also with Johnson and Gray at Vanderbilt. Casali said he was excited about the reunion as well. He s shown many times, whether it was in college or in the big leagues, that he can be an impact pitcher, Casali wrote in a text. I m excited to get the chance to play with him again. Like the other pitchers acquired this offseason, Gray has his warts. He was seen in 2017 as an impact addition to the Yankees at the trade deadline. He struggled in New York since then, even though he put up great numbers away from Yankee Stadium. He was 4-4 with a 6.98 ERA last year at Yankee Stadium and 7-5 with a 3.17 ERA elsewhere. Overall he was 11-9 with a 4.90 ERA, but had a 4.10 xfip, indicating some bad luck. A further dip into the numbers shows little change in his average velocity (93.8 mph on his fastball, the same as it was in 2017 and a tick above 2016 and a tick below 2015), a 50 percent ground-ball rate and the second-best swinging strike rate of his career (10.1 percent). This guy has got a really solid Major League track record and we ve got a lot of scouts that have watched him, Williams said. Our analytic guys have taken a hard look at him. We had him on a shortlist of people we d be

9 interested in talking to. Once we acquired the two guys with the one-year deals, we said that we would only acquire Sonny if we were able to extend him. Gray and Williams were in Goodyear, Arizona, on Monday where Gray went through a physical exam while General Manager Nick Krall negotiated the contract extension. The trade had been agreed upon Friday and the Reds were allowed a 72-hour window to negotiate the extension with Gray. The addition certainly makes the Reds better even though Gray s ERA was seen as ghastly in New York, it would have been the third-best among Reds starters last season, only bested by Luis Castillo (4.30) and Matt Harvey (4.50). Wood (3.68) and Roark (4.34) would have slated first and third among Reds starters with their ERAs. Williams noted the team is still not set on its roster and could look to add to the bullpen or find a center fielder and could even add another starter if the right deal is there. I still think we very much plan to continue to try and improve the club, Williams said. It may be in center field. It may be another position and pitching. We still plan to continue to make moves to improve the club. And the team is undoubtedly better than the one that finished with and its rotation is as good as it s been since 2014 when the team s starters put up an ERA of The question now becomes if the Reds are improved enough to do anything but challenge to stay out of last place in what could be the game s most competitive division. I think we have a group of guys who can hold their own with anybody in this division, Williams said. They played great last year for a long stretch in the middle of the year when we had everybody healthy. We ve added to that team. I know our guys feel a sense of confidence, I definitely heard it from the guys who came in for the caravan. We ve got high expectations for them. For the first time in a while, they re not alone. C. Trent Rosecrans is a senior MLB writer for The Athletic. He previously covered the Reds for the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Cincinnati Post and also covered Major League Baseball for CBSSports.com. Follow C. Trent on Sonny Gray heads closer to home as disappointing stint with Yankees ends with trade to the Reds By Lindsey Adler Jan 21, 2019 A few hours after being booed off the mound in New York after giving up six runs in 2 1/3 innings to the Red Sox in late June, Sonny Gray faced at least 25 reporters surrounding him on all sides at his locker. I feel like we re the best team in baseball four out of five days and then I come out and do that, Gray told the crowd with a deep weight of disappointment. It just sucks. For a full year, the Yankees searched for the Sonny Gray who would allow them that fifth day as the best team in baseball. To Brian Cashman s great and clear disappointment, he never appeared at least not consistently. It appeared in flashes as he pitched well in 2017 after he was traded from Oakland, and again in 2018, though mostly on the road. The boos he heard that night after imploding against the Red Sox had to have been the loudest of his career. There were 47,000 people who d simply had enough of watching him take the team out of a game early. I get it, he said of the vitriol from his team s home fans. If I was out there I probably would have booed me louder.

10 Throughout the course of the Yankees 100-win season, the storyline of Sonny Gray s success, or lack thereof, was often one of its biggest. The Yankees demonstrated admirable commitment to the 29-year-old right-hander as he ricocheted through the season, accommodating his discomfort in throwing to Gary Sanchez and giving him ample time and patience to turn it around. But the commitment the team showed to Gray read to fans as lunacy, and as a bizarre experiment into the depths of the sunk-cost fallacy. In 2018, Gray pitched to a 4.90 ERA, though his home and road splits were stunning: An 6.98 ERA in the Bronx, and a 3.17 ERA anywhere else. Two days after the end of the Yankees season, Cashman told reporters Gray would be moved off the roster before spring training. Someone, if they trade for him, is gonna get the player we wanted, the exasperated GM said. Now, three months after Cashman made it quite clear he was going to trade Gray ahead of the 2019 season, the Yankees have finally officially moved on. Gray was traded to the Reds Monday in exchange for second baseman Shed Long, who was then immediately traded to Seattle in exchange for outfield prospect Josh Stowers. As a condition of the trade, Gray received a contract extension running through the 2022 season. He ll be paid $30.5 million for three seasons (with $500,000 innings bonuses) per The Athletic s Ken Rosenthal. He was already under contract for Gray will go to another hitter-friendly ballpark in Cincinnati, but he will be reunited with his pitching coach at Vanderbilt, Derek Johnson. At Vanderbilt, Johnson instilled in Gray a mindset of throwing his pitches with conviction, just letting it go. Most recently, Johnson was the pitching coach for the Milwaukee Brewers, and either club would have made obvious trade partners for the Yankees. Cashman said, after demoting Gray to the bullpen before a series in Boston in August that, I know that if he winds up somewhere else pitching he s gonna be pitching extremely well because the equipment s still there. The stuff s still there, he continued, but the consistency that s not playing out right here just hasn t happened yet and the odds are probably it won t play out the way we hoped it would. Cincinnati is four hours from Nashville, near where Gray grew up and where he lives with his wife and two sons in the offseason. He will be with a familiar coach, closer to home, and in a smaller market. It may be there, in Ohio, that he returns to the pitcher the Cashman thought he was getting when the Yankees acquired him. Finally, though, it will no longer be the Yankees who are waiting. Lindsey Adler is a staff writer at The Athletic New York. Previously, she wrote for Deadspin and BuzzFeed News. Follow Lindsey on DAYTON DAILY NEWS Reds complete trade with Yankees, adding another starting pitcher Sonny Gray was 11-9 last season with 4.90 ERA Jan. 21, 2019 By David Jablonski CINCINNATI The Cincinnati Reds completed a trade with the New York Yankees for right-handed pitcher Sonny Gray on Monday. Rumors of the deal first leaked Saturday. Gray also signed a three-year contract extension with the Reds through It s worth $30.5 million, according to The Athletic s Ken Rosenthal. There s a club option for 2023 for $12 million. The Reds also received left-handed pitcher Reiver Sanmartin in the deal, while sending minor league second baseman Shed Long and a 2019 Competitive Balance A draft pick to the Yankees in the deal. The Yankees then dealt Long to the Seattle Mariners for center field prospect Jeff Stowers.

11 Gray, 29, was 11-9 with a 4.90 ERA last season in 23 starts. In 30 appearances, the right-hander struck out 123 and walked 57 in 130 1/3 innings. Gray is the third new starter acquired by the Reds in the offseason. They also picked up right-hander Tanner Roark from the Nationals and left-hander Alex Wood from the Dodgers in offseason trades. New pitching coach Derek Johnson was Gray s pitching coach 2009 to 2011 while they were both at Vanderbilt University. Sanmartin, 22, is from Colombia. He s with a 2.68 ERA in 33 starts and 12 relief appearances in the minor leagues. He signed with the Texas Rangers as a non-drafted free agent in He spent most of last season in Single-A but made one start at Double-A. Long was the seventh-ranked prospect in the Reds system. Last season at Double-A Pensacola he hit.262 with 12 home runs and 56 RBIs. He spent the 2015 season and part of 2016 with the Dayton Dragons. Cincinnati Reds: Pitchers eager to work with new coach Jan 20, 2019 By Jeff Gilbert, Contributing Writer Cincinnati Reds pitchers will work out for the first time with new pitching coach Derek Johnson on Feb. 13. But it will be far from the first time he s communicated with them. There s an ongoing group text. He s sending them videos to watch. The coaching has begun. At Saturday s Reds Caravan stop at the Air Force Museum, Sal Romano and Cody Reed said they spoke with Johnson on the phone soon after he was hired away from the Milwaukee Brewers by new manager David Bell. He s a great guy, Romano said. For him to leave Milwaukee and come here, I think that speaks a lot about the manager that we have now. Johnson s reputation as a pitching coach grew last year with the Brewers. He took a staff without a No. 1 starter and helped the Brewers win 96 games and the NL Central. I m really, really excited to be able to pick his brain and make my game better, Reed said. The Reds have a similar staff to what the Brewers had last year. They ve added experienced starters Alex Wood and Tanner Roark and presumably Sonny Gray in a pending trade with the New York Yankees. Luis Castillo is expected to be in the rotation again. But who will be the No. 5 starter? The obvious candidates in no particular order are Romano, Reed, Tyler Mahle and Anthony DeSclafani. How that all works itself out in spring training will be watched closely. Reed and Romano got experience as relievers last year and could well be in those roles when the Reds break camp. They both think of themselves as starters, but they both said whatever it takes to make the team and help the team win is primary. This is a comeback year for me, said Romano, who opened last season in the rotation before moving to the bullpen. I m really motivated to be in the best shape I ve ever been in. I want to be there, be happy with it and also pitch well. Reed has been up and down between Cincinnati and AAA Louisville since June of He has one minor-league option left. He appeared in 17 games for the Reds last year, including seven starts. The two he made late in the season have given him confidence heading to Arizona.

12 I think it s going to be a good fresh start for all of us, he said. In the offseason I always go in to be a starter, so that s what I ve been doing this offseason. Whatever pitching staff decisions are made, the Reds enter this season with actual depth. If a starter or two goes on the disabled list or has to skip a start, there are pitchers like Reed and Romano to step in. The Reds won t have to sign a free agent nobody else wants or bring up a AAA pitcher who isn t ready or isn t seen as a true prospect. And Romano said he s not worried about his future because of the additions to the starting rotation. I m going to pick their minds, he said. They ve got experience and a lot of success in the major leagues, so that s going to be huge for me. The pitching additions are reason for the players to be optimistic, but they are also happy about the organizational shift toward analytics. Bell s hiring signaled that shift along with the additions of Johnson and hitting coach Turner Ward. They ve also created the roles of game-planning coach, which will be handled by Jeff Pickler, and hitting assessment and run production coach. That position went to 30-year-old Cody Atkinson. He will work with majorand minor-league players. With the analytics it s a part of this game now, Romano said. It s kind of got away from the old-school stuff. Stats don t lie is basically what they re saying. Everyone s open to listening. These guys have a lot knowledge in this game and lot of experience. ESPN.COM Reds strike deal for Yanks' Sonny Gray after pitcher inks extension Jan. 21, 2019 Jeff Passan ESPN The Yankees have traded starting pitcher Sonny Gray to the Cincinnati Reds, the teams announced Monday, finalizing a days-in-the-making deal that ends Gray's topsy-turvy stint with New York. Both sides completed a deal that was contingent upon the Reds reaching a contract extension with Gray, who agreed to a three-year, $30.5 million extension that includes a $12 million club option for 2023, a source familiar with the deal told ESPN. Combined with his $7.5 million salary this season, Gray's deal can max out at five years and $50 million. New York dealt Gray and minor league left-hander Reiver Sanmartin to Cincinnati for second-base prospect Shed Long and a high draft pick, then flipped Long to the Seattle Mariners for center-field prospect Josh Stowers. Liberating the veteran from his struggles in Yankee Stadium is Cincinnati's latest move to try returning to relevance in the NL Central. Beyond the prospects moving between the three teams involved, Cincinnati surrendered extra value that could haunt the team. Gray, 29, will reconnect with his college pitching coach, Derek Johnson; move closer to his Nashville, Tennessee, home; and bring a career 53 percent ground ball rate to the bandbox of Great American Ball Park. The deal is a decided risk for Cincinnati, as it tries to transition from rebuilding to contending and banks on Gray after a difficult year-and-a-half stretch in the Bronx. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman publicly stated his intention to deal the former All-Star after the team's season ended with an American League Division Series loss, and though it took more than three months, he found a willing partner in the Reds, who have remade their roster via trade this winter.

13 This is their third significant deal, after acquiring starter Tanner Roark from Washington, then sending Homer Bailey's dead-money contract and a pair of prospects to the Los Angeles Dodgers for starter Alex Wood, outfielders Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp and catcher Kyle Farmer. Gray was a prized acquisition when the Yankees dealt prospects James Kaprielian, Dustin Fowler and Jorge Mateo to the Oakland A's for him at the 2017 trade deadline. After pitching reasonably well down the stretch despite a 4-7 record, Gray returned in 2018 with an egregious home-road split that grew severe enough he eventually lost his rotation spot and didn't make the team's postseason roster. In 15 games away from Yankee Stadium, Gray struck out 78 and walked 22 in 71 innings, with hitters slashing.226/.295/.320. Their numbers against him in the Bronx were staggering:.318/.406/.527, leading to a 6.98 ERA in 15 games. Cincinnati believes enough in Gray to guarantee him a deal into his 30s -- and to give up a well-liked prospect in Long, a 23-year-old second baseman, and a draft pick that will wind up in the late 30s and is seen in the industry as being worth about $10 million. Stowers, 21, was a second-round pick of the Mariners out of Louisville in 2018 and showed an impressive glove and plate discipline in the short-season Northwest League. Gray could headline a rotation in far better shape than the one that finished 2018 with a 5.02 ERA: Gray, Roark, Wood, Luis Castillo and Anthony DeSclafani, with Tyler Mahle, Sal Romano and Cody Reed also capable of starting. While the Reds have yet to sign a major league free agent this winter, the additions through trade have pushed their payroll above $120 million, which would be a franchise high. Following a season, the Reds felt close enough to start moving toward contention, even with a loaded National League Central that includes three potential playoff teams in Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Louis, as well as a Pittsburgh team that finished above.500 last season. Gray arrived with Oakland in 2013, a little more than two years after the A's chose him 18th overall in the draft out of Vanderbilt. He slipped to the middle of the first round because teams feared his 5-foot-10 height would limit his effectiveness. His 93 mph sinker and hammer curve ensured that would not be the case, and in 2015, his second full season, Gray finished third in Cy Young voting and looked primed to become one of the best pitchers in the AL. Then came a disaster of a 2016 season, which preceded the trade to the Yankees. They believed he would be more 2015 than 2016, and the Reds are hoping the same after outflanking the San Francisco Giants and others interested in acquiring Gray. Does Sonny Gray trade make Reds better or just more interesting? David Schoenfield ESPN Senior Writer Jan. 21, 2019 Hey, at least the Cincinnati Reds will be interesting for the first time in five years. I don't know if they'll be good, but they'll be interesting. The Reds continued their whirlwind offseason, acquiring Sonny Gray from the New York Yankees for second-base prospect Shed Long and a compensation draft pick. As part of the deal, Gray negotiated a three-year, $30.5 million extension with a $12 million club option for 2023, on top of his $7.5 million salary for The Yankees then flipped Long to the Seattle Mariners for outfield prospect Josh Stowers, Seattle's second-round pick in Gray is coming off a rough season with the Yankees in which he went 11-9 in 23 starts and seven relief appearances, but with a 4.90 ERA. The Reds are obviously banking that Gray's home/road splits reflected some sort of mental block about pitching in Yankee Stadium: Home: 59⅓ IP, 6.98 ERA, 11 HR, 1.29 SO/BB ratio Road: 71 IP, 3.17 ERA, 3 HR, 3.55 SO/BB ratio The differences are so stark, especially in Gray's strikeout-to-walk ratio, that maybe something unrelated to actual pitching ability did happen. The armchair psychologists are rarely right, but the "Sonny Gray couldn't handle New York" idea can't be completely dismissed. While he battled injuries in 2016 when he posted a 5.69 ERA, he was

14 apparently healthy in 2018 and his radar readings were barely off his career norms with an average fastball velocity of 93.8 mph. The concern about going from New York to Cincinnati, however, is that if Gray was freaked out by the short porch at Yankee Stadium, the Great American Ballpark isn't exactly going to be more soothing to the soul. Over the past three seasons, according to the "2019 Bill James Handbook," the Gap has the fourth-highest home run factor in the majors (although Yankee Stadium was highest). Still, it's not unreasonable to expect a better season from Gray -- it's just a question if he can be a No. 2-quality starter or simply more of a back-end guy. To be fair, the Reds need back-end guys after allowing the most runs in the National League in Coming off a season -- their fifth consecutive losing season -- the Reds are determined to field a more competitive ballclub in Besides Gray, they've added five other players: Tanner Roark: 9-15, 4.34 ERA, 180⅓ IP, 3.0 WAR (Nationals) Alex Wood: 9-7, 3.68 ERA, 151⅔ IP, 1.3 WAR (Dodgers) Yasiel Puig:.267/.327/.494, 23 HR in 405 AB, 2.7 WAR (Dodgers) Matt Kemp:.290/.338/.481, 21 HR in 462 AB, 1.1 WAR (Dodgers) Kyle Farmer:.288/.333/.451 at Triple-A Oklahoma City (Dodgers) In the process, the Reds managed to dump Homer Bailey's contract, but also traded away two very good prospects in Long and shortstop Jeter Downs. While Long and Downs are intriguing players, neither is a guaranteed star and Downs in particular is a long way from the majors after playing in the Midwest League in Long, who hit.261/.353/.412 at Double-A Pensacola, is closer to the majors, but also likely blocked at the position in the future if Nick Senzel -- a top-10 overall prospect in the game -- takes over from Scooter Gennett at the keystone in Still, the trades are interesting because they signal Cincinnati is basically all-in for a longshot attempt at contending in While the Reds signed Gray to the extension, Roark, Puig and Kemp are all free agents after 2019 and Wood is under control only through Considering the Reds finished 28.5 games out of first place, pushing this team to playoff status in a tough division feels unlikely. Because of that, the moves have been met with a fair amount of criticism, particularly if Gray is viewed as declining goods rather than a potential rebound candidate. On the other hand, the critics can't have it both ways: You can't blast teams for not trying win and then blast them for trying to build a better team. As a small-market franchise, the Reds aren't in position to go out and sign Bryce Harper or Patrick Corbin, so arguably their only bet is to improve around the margins by bringing in some veteran contracts that other teams are willing to discard. Otherwise, it would be more of the same and preaching patience. (We also shouldn't completely dismiss the idea of the Reds signing a big free agent, given that they once gave Bailey a $105 million extension and Joey Votto a $217 million extension.) I don't think the Reds are better than the Brewers, Cubs or Cardinals in the NL Central, but I also don't think they destroyed the future of the franchise here. They still have Senzel and Taylor Trammell and Jonathan India and Hunter Greene in their system. In fact, Dick Williams, president of baseball operations, said the Reds aren't done after this deal. That could mean adding a center fielder rather than forcing Puig or Scott Schebler to play there -- A.J. Pollock is a perfect fit -- or maybe even trading one of those top prospects for Corey Kluber or another top-tier starter. The Reds still need a lot to go right to contend in They need Gray and Roark to pitch better than they did last season, and Luis Castillo to break out in the rotation, and Joey Votto to rediscover his power stroke, and Jesse Winker to play a full season with a.405 OBP, and Amir Garrett to emerge as a dominant lefty in the pen, and Puig not to get bored away from the L.A. limelight. At least it will be fun to watch all this unfold. Now, go out and get Pollock and Kluber.

15 CBS SPORTS The Cincinnati Reds, unlike a lot of MLB teams, are at least trying this winter The Reds seem committed to trying to win more baseball games in 2019 by Dayn Perry Jan. 21, 2019 The predominant trend of the last two offseasons has been teams refusing to invest in their own product and showing little demonstrable interest in getting better. The reasons for this are probably manifold and not entirely easy to pin down... Teams have become much more analytically inclined and thus have come to view most aging free agents as bad investments. The trend of players' selling out one or more free agent years in exchange for long-term guarantees during the arbitration or pre-arbitration has hurt the depth of free agent classes. The highly lucrative local and national television contracts mean that teams are less reliant on ticket, concession, and merch sales for their revenues. Thus, they have less incentive to improve the team on the field. Teams that receive revenue-sharing dollars do so without any firm requirement to invest them back into the team. Likely in an effort to suppress salaries at the top end, teams are conveniently pretending that crossing the "luxury tax" threshold carries with it a prohibitive penalty (note: it doesn't). That's not an exhaustive list, but you get the idea. Teams like the Dodgers, Rays, Cubs, Giants, Marlins, Tigers, Diamondbacks, Pirates, Orioles, Royals, and Blue Jays have yet to make any kind of an effort this winter, and, again, that's not an exhaustive list. In some cases, it's understandable -- a few teams badly in need of a rebuild after years of operating in win-now fashion are making the proper decision. Teams like the Cubs, Dodgers, Rays, and even Pirates, however, are sitting out the offseason despite having legitimate designs on the postseason. That's a dereliction of duties, especially when you have the resources of the Dodgers and Cubs. On the other, more respectable end of the continuum we have the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds last season lost 95 games, toiled in a division with four winning teams, and finished 28 1/2 games out of first place. Given their small market, the Reds would've been largely justified in joining those other teams in lurking behind the potted palm of the offseason and doing nothing much at all. Instead, here's what president of baseball operations Dick Williams and his staff have done since the last out of the 2018 World Series... Traded for right-hander Tanner Roark. Traded for outfielders Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig and lefty Alex Wood. Traded for Sonny Gray, as of Monday. As a consequence, the Reds have remade their chronically troublesome rotation, added right-handed pop, and pushed current payroll north of $100 million. Last year, the Reds hinted that they'd be willing to run a record payroll in 2019, something along the lines of $130 million. They still have to hand out near-minimum salaries to a number of rostered players, and they're likely headed to arbitration with Wood. All of that will bump that payroll up even more, but it still may leave enough room to, say, fulfill those prior rumors of a Dallas Keuchel pursuit or maybe swing a deal for Marcus Stroman (another reasonably steady Reds rumor). The main takeaway is that Cincy still probably has another notable addition in the chamber even after turning over 60 percent of the rotation and twothirds of the outfield. A number of these are commitments for 2019 and 2019 alone, which means this could be a one-year lunge at relevance. That, however, is a matter for next winter. As for the here and now, let's recall that the Reds return Joey Votto, Scooter Gennett, and darkhorse NL MVP candidate Eugenio Suarez. The bullpen figures to be a strength, and top prospect Nick Senzel will be ready for the highest level. All of that in tandem with what figures to be an improved rotation could yield relevance for Cincinnati.