Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings February 18, 2019 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY

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1 Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings February 18, 2019 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1944-The Reds sign 15-year-old Hamilton High School student, Joe Nuxhall, one day after he plays in a high school basketball game MLB.COM Votto aims to improve after 'frustrating' 2018 First baseman led National League in OBP, but still wants to get better By Mark Sheldon Feb. 17th, 2019 GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Even before the Reds underscored their determination to improve by making major offseason acquisitions for the club, first baseman Joey Votto was already working to improve his hitting and his overall game. "I'm ready to work. I'm excited," Votto said on Sunday as he reported to Spring Training with the other position players. "I think last year was a frustrating year and I'm looking forward to proving to myself that isn't the sort of level I expect. I expect a better performance." Votto, 35, lamented the big drop off he had in Following a near-mvp season in 2017 when he hit.320 with 36 home runs, he batted.284/.417/.419 with 12 home runs and 67 RBIs in 145 games last season. Sure, he led the National League in on-base percentage (.417) while he had an.837 OPS. For most hitters, Votto's production would have been acceptable. But if anything has been learned over his 12 Major League seasons, Votto is not most hitters. "Every season more or less just happened. I don't know," said Votto. "It's hard to speak on this without sounding arrogant, but it just always happened. I performed at a certain level. I always met my minimums. Last year was a bit of a shock." Reds manager David Bell thinks Votto's commitment to improving himself is a great example for the rest of the team. "It's incredible. It speaks to his drive," Bell said. "He deserves every amount of success he has. He's talented, but the amount of work and effort... he puts everything he has into it. That's what it takes. But he takes it to another level." During his offseason, Votto spent a lot of time conditioning and wanted to not be even 99 percent ready for camp, but the full 100. He also dissected his swing and without explaining in detail, understands why his power dipped so drastically. "I thought there was something in my swing, the angle as it came through the zone," Votto said. "A lot of my hardhit balls were poorly directed. I think it was very much a mechanics thing and not a physical thing." While Votto was making his changes, the Reds made theirs. Trades brought Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp for the lineup and Tanner Roark, Alex Wood and Sonny Gray for the rotation. Bell was hired to manage in October. From his years in the Reds' organization as a Minor League manager early in Votto's big league career, Bell knew him a little. He's been sure to connect with Votto and have conversations during the offseason.

2 "He's such a big part of this team, this organization," Bell said. "People look to him. Even though every relationship, every connection, every person in this room is part of what we're doing and a big part of it, the fact that he's been here and has been so important to this organization, there is a lot to be said for that." Bell also revamped the entire coaching staff. That included adding Turner Ward as hitting coach and Donnie Eckert as the assistant hitting coach. "Turner seems like he's going to be easy to work with, and so does Donnie," said Votto. "I think I'm optimistic about being able to get in there every day, and getting some really good work in. "There's a lot of new faces here. We've made a significant improvement. We've added All-Stars. We've added guys with long track records. We've added guys who have a lot of things to gain by playing well here. Hopefully, we carry it into winning performance." 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. Rule 5 pick Joe back in catcher's gear with Reds Utility player has not yet caught a game professionally By Mark Sheldon Feb. 17th, 2019 GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Utility player and Rule 5 selection Connor Joe has been working with the catchers since Reds Spring Training opened. Joe has caught bullpens and performed all the catching drills. What makes that a little more interesting is that Joe has never caught a game professionally. He hasn't caught since he played at the University of San Diego before he was a Pirates first-round Draft pick in "It has been a long time, but getting with J.R. [House, the catching coach] and learning from Tucker [Barnhart], Curt [Casali] and the other guys has been good," said Joe. "The movements have been natural. It's been getting into the swing of things." When the Pirates selected Joe, he was taken as a right fielder. As he changed organizations -- briefly with the Braves and then the Dodgers -- he's added positions. He can play first base, second base, third base and in the outfield. Joe, 26, batted.299/.408/.527 with 17 home runs and 55 RBIs combined last season with Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City in the Dodgers' organization. In the December Rule 5 Draft, the Reds selected him. Under the rules, Cincinnati paid the Dodgers $100,000. Joe must remain on the 25-man roster all season or be offered back to Los Angeles for $50,000 after he clears outright waivers. He can be sent outright back to the Minors if the Dodgers or another club does not take him. Two years ago, the Reds carried catcher and Rule 5 pick Stuart Turner for the entire 2017 season. "It's an unbelievable opportunity," Joe said. "But I'm going into Spring Training with the same mentality I have for every other Spring Training -- you have to make the club. You have to compete. Obviously, it's different for me because this is my first big league camp and I'm trying to make the big league team. But that's the only difference." When roster decisions are ultimately made later in camp, the determining factor for manager David Bell and the front office will be if Joe fits well on the roster. Besides his ability to play multiple positions, he could be a third catcher. Kyle Farmer, acquired from the Dodgers in a seven-player trade in December, is another utility player and catcher on the 40-man roster. Joe's versatility would be important, especially if the Reds carry just four bench players. "He looks like he's done it before, just the first few days we've watched him," Bell said of Joe's catching. "The fact that he can potentially do that and play multiple positions, it gives him a shot. We know that he's offensively gotten

3 better and better each year. It'd be nice if we were able to keep him on board with us. We'll have to see how it all plays out." Expect the shift Bell and the coaching staff appear prepared to fully embrace data and analytics. That will include their approach to defensive shifts. It's about using all available means to gain any advantage that's possible. "Our defensive philosophy is pretty simple. It's to play where we think they're going to hit it," Bell said. "We never want to take instincts away, [but] if you're not trusting the information, then you're putting yourself at a disadvantage. We'll do the preparation, we'll look at the guys that we have, but we don't really care what it looks like as long as we put guys where we believe the ball is going to be hit and we have communication between the infielders, the outfielders, the pitchers and catchers and make sure everybody's good with it." Unique catching drills Reds Spring Training under a new manager and coaching staff has already had some different looks, especially with some of the drills. One of them involved having Bell and House on step ladders, firing throws down at catchers less than 30 feet away. "That was a new one," Bell said. "One of the things that's important to us as a staff is just finding ways to challenge guys and make practice as effective as we can -- not to do new things or do things different just for the sake of doing it that way, but not to be afraid to if we feel like there's something that could challenge guys. If we can have fun in the process, that helps, too." 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. Reasons for optimism for each MLB club By Richard Justice Feb. 17th, 2019 On this opening week of Spring Training, all 30 Major League teams have one thing in common: optimism. You've read a lot about teams being all-in for 2019 and also about some teams rebuilding. Here's what's also true: When players and coaches get to work in Florida and Arizona, optimism is infectious. That's the very nature of the sport. Every single team is excited about something. Some teams want to get a look at the new acquisitions. Others want to see prospects or returning veterans or unheralded players hoping for a new start. Some of it is the warmer weather of Spring Training. Some of it is the guys seeing one another again. And some of it is simply putting the uniform on and getting back out on the field and doing the thing they love more than anything. Here's an optimism cheat sheet for all 30 teams: Reds: Rotation The Reds could turn a big corner with the addition of Alex Wood, Sonny Gray and Tanner Roark to the rotation. Watching new right fielder Yasiel Puig hit in Great American Ball Park could be one of the best shows in baseball. Richard Justice has been a reporter for MLB.com since Read his columns, listen to his podcast and follow him on Twitter

4 CINCINNATI ENQUIRER New position, no problem for Cincinnati Reds catcher, Rule 5 pick Connor Joe Bobby Nightengale, Cincinnati Enquirer Published 4:42 p.m. ET Feb. 17, 2019 Updated 11:15 p.m. ET Feb. 17, 2019 GOODYEAR, Ariz. When Connor Joe caught his first bullpen at the start of spring training, it was the first time he was behind the plate since he was in college. The Reds had an idea it wouldn t be too much for him. Reds third-base/catching coach J.R. House had his first look with Joe at catcher during a pre-draft workout in 2014 at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Arizona. House, who spent the last seven years in player development with the Arizona Diamondbacks, remembers telling others that he thought Joe could have a future as a catcher. Joe was drafted with the No. 39 pick in the 2014 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates and hasn t played a single game at catcher in his professional career. I always thought he could catch, House said. I know it s been a while since he s done it. I just think he s trying to find as much versatility and utility in him, as a player. It d be a good tool to have in his toolkit. The Reds selected Joe with the No. 6 pick in the Rule 5 Draft. Unlike other players competing for a roster spot, Joe is competing not to lose his spot. He must remain on the 25-man roster throughout the season. Otherwise, he will be placed on outright waivers or offered back to his original team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Stuart Turner, a catcher, was a Rule 5 selection and spent the entire 2017 season on the Reds big league roster. Joe is an intriguing option off the bench because of his versatility and improved swing. Playing 106 games between Double-A and Triple-A in the Dodgers organization last year, Joe had a.408 on-base percentage with 17 homers and 55 RBI. He made some tweaks to his approach, drawing 60 walks and striking out 88 times. The focus last year was just be athletic, Joe said. Use what I m good at and that s using my body in the way it wants to move with how my flexibility will allow me. Be athletic in the box and from that I saw results which were positive. I m pretty happy about that. For Joe, the key to making the 25-man roster will be his versatility. He s spent most of his minor league career at first base, third base and right field. Reds manager David Bell said Joe is a unique situation because of the Rule 5 restrictions, but they like how he s fit in at catcher. You get thrown into the fire here pretty early catching big league arms, especially guys he s never caught before, catcher Tucker Barnhart said. It s tough for me. I can t imagine what it s like for him, but he hasn t shown any signs that it s too hard for him. He looks really good. Joe knew there was a strong possibility that he would taken in the Rule 5 Draft in December. Once he received the phone call with the news, it was immediate excitement. He was closer to reaching his dream of playing in the big leagues. Heading into camp, Joe isn t changing his mindset compared to previous years. To be honest, every spring training I ve gone into, it s been fighting to make a team, Joe said. This is kind of an elevated position. I m used to it. It s really the same mindset for me. Trying to get better every day. It s not my decision to make, it s the front office s to make. My job is to get better every day and be the best baseball player I can be. MORE SHIFTS? Bell said he has a simple philosophy on defensive shifts: they are going to play where they think they are going to hit it. It sounds easy, but the key is trusting their analytical data.

5 We never want to take instincts away, if you're not trusting the information, then you're putting yourself at a disadvantage, Bell said. We'll do the preparation, we'll look at the guys that we have, but we don't really care what it looks like as long as we put guys where we believe the ball is going to be hit. POSITION PLAYERS REPORT: Most position players arrived in Goodyear prior to Sunday s mandatory reporting date, but they all completed physicals at the team s complex Sunday morning. Joey Votto arrives at Cincinnati Reds camp with a new resolve and new plan: I will be better John Fay, Cincinnati Enquirer Published 3:32 p.m. ET Feb. 17, 2019 Updated 11:14 p.m. ET Feb. 17, 2019 GOODYEAR, Ariz. Joey Votto had gotten used to his offensive numbers coming naturally. The long baseball season has inevitable ups and downs, but Votto was one of those players who was immune to down years. If he was healthy, he put up healthy numbers. Until last year. That s why he showed up at Reds spring training Sunday with a new resolve and a new plan. You know it was the first year and I had mentioned this before that I had a poor offensive year, Votto said. Again, I mentioned this before, every season more or less just happened. I don t know It s hard to speak on this without sounding arrogant, but it just always happened. I performed at a certain level. I always met my minimums. Last year was a bit of a shock. I didn t perform anywhere near to what I m used to. Votto changed his offseason plan and got in the batting change much earlier in December, in fact. This is the first offseason that I hit in a long time," he said. There were past offseasons when I swung enough to make sure I didn t get hurt. But this is the first year in probably six or seven years that I intentionally hit. The last several years, I didn't start swinging until I did interviews with you guys. Votto turned 35 in September. That s an age where power numbers start to drop for a lot of players. Votto altered his strength program to combat that. I think, intuitively, I knew where I wasn't ready, where I was short last year, he said. I just made sure not to do that again and learn from my mistakes. I feel very confident. I'm excited to work. Last year, it was more than just Votto s power numbers that suffered. I don't know if I've ever hit under.300, Votto said. It s a very arbitrary number, and I feel if I'd hit.280 or whatever I hit with 35 home runs, I think I would have been more or less OK with it, but couple the two of them, to not hit for power or average. I just felt like, it just wasn't anywhere near where my expectations are. There were lots of things I didn't do right. Votto hit.284 aside from 2014 when he missed 100 games with various injuries it was the first time he hit under.300 since hitting.297 as a rookie. But the drop from 36 home runs to 12 was more shocking. Will he hit for more power? I will, he said. Votto still led National League in on-base percentage and the.284 average was 37 points above the league average. That those numbers constitute a bad year says a lot about Votto.

6 It s incredible, Reds manager David Bell said. It speaks to his drive. He deserves every amount of success he has. He s talented, but the amount of work and effort he puts everything he has into it. That what it takes. But he takes it to another level. That s a great example for everyone. Votto struggled all year to a degree, but it could be argued that getting hit on the knee by a 96 mph fastball on Aug. 3 killed his chance to repair his numbers. He had three home runs in 117 at-bats after getting hit. Votto won t make that argument. No. Not at all, he said. Someone had mentioned something about my back, I felt fantastic. My back wasn't an issue. I was fully healthy. It wasn't anything but a lack of preparation. I'm not the we just traded for (Yasiel) Puig. I m not that sort of athlete where you just pound the ball and make up for any sort of lack of I'm not saying he has this but any really good athlete if he's not super detail oriented, they pay a bit of a price if they're not an exceptional athlete, which is what I'm trying to say. I'm not that level of an athlete, so I have to be very detail-oriented and very mechanically sound, and I wasn't that last year. It was mentioned that Votto did better on the vertical jump test than Puig 23 inches to 21. Yeah, I'll dunk on his (butt), Votto said. Votto has always been clear that he wanted to stay with the Reds through the rebuild. The club tried to hasten the process by adding three starting pitchers and Puig and Matt Kemp to the roster. There s a lot of new faces here, Votto said. We ve made a significant improvement. We ve added All-Stars. We ve added guys with long track records. We ve added guys who have a lot of things to gain by playing well here. Hopefully, we ll carry that into winning performance. A lot of that, of course, depends on the Votto s performance. It likely has to be better than last year s for the Reds to win. It s clear last year didn t shatter Votto s confidence. He delves into the analytical stats. He noted that he only barreled one ball in the air in the first half of April last year. That s not good, he said. That won't happen this year. Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto says he's 'proud' of Bryce Harper and Manny Machado for standing ground with contracts Bobby Nightengale, Cincinnati Enquirer Published 2:32 p.m. ET Feb. 17, 2019 Updated 3:15 p.m. ET Feb. 17, 2019 GOODYEAR, Ariz. With Bryce Harper and Manny Machado available on the free agent market as players report to spring training complexes this weekend, Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto said he was proud of them for standing their ground. Votto, a six-time All-Star, signed a $225 million, 10-year contract extension with the Reds in 2012, which is the seventh-largest contract in baseball history. He believes Harper and Machado are sticking up for their fellow players by waiting until they receive a contract that they want. Here they are standing their ground and saying, You know what, until I get the deal that I think is satisfactory, I won t play, Votto said. I think if you were to ask them face to face, they would say the very same thing. I don t want to speak for the union or all the players, but the toughest thing to do is stand your ground when you really want to start playing ball.

7 I just want to say, I don t know them both very well, but I m proud of them. I hope that they get contracts that they view as satisfactory. At the beginning of the offseason, Harper and Machado were expected to command long-term contracts around $300 million. Giancarlo Stanton signed a Major League-record $325 million, 13-year contract extension in Several players across the sport have talked about their disappointment in the free agent market. Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander wrote a tweet that the free agent system was broken. San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria wrote on Instagram that it's a "shame" many of the top free agents are unsigned. Is it bad for the sport that teams haven t signed Harper and Machado? No. No. We re not going to play long stretches of time without two of the very best players in our game, Votto said. They are too good. They will meet in the middle ground at some point with some team. It ll happen at some point. There s plenty of time. In an interview with InsideSTL.com on Friday, Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright said that he felt baseball was headed toward a strike. The league s current collective bargaining agreement lasts until December The league's baseball-related revenues exceeded $10 billion in 2017 and '18, according to Forbes. Votto didn t believe the sport was headed toward a strike because there s too much money in the game. If we do, I ll just go backpacking in Europe and find myself, Votto said. I m not concerned about it at all. Beyond Harper and Machado, other top-tier free agents remain unsigned like starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel and closer Craig Kimbrel. The 2019 season starts in about six weeks. Many players are disappointed with the way free agency has played out in the last two offseasons, but there hasn't been a work stoppage in baseball since I can t imagine we won t find common ground, Votto said. I think both sides feel like there is too much to lose. I think there s just too much to lose. That doesn t mean that we won t stand our ground. I would imagine plenty of players feel strongly enough to make sure that we get what is fair. THE ATHLETIC Joey Votto ready to rectify first bad year as he reports to Reds camp By C. Trent Rosecrans Feb 17, 2019 GOODYEAR, Arizona The last several years, Joey Votto would arrive at Reds spring training on report day, talk to reporters and then start his hitting to get ready for the upcoming season. On Sunday, he reported to camp, went through the physical and other testing as is normal and talked to reporters. This time was different. He said that s because he d started hitting in December in an attempt to rebound from his disappointing 2018 season. I didn t perform anywhere near to what I m used to. This is the first offseason that I hit in a long time, Votto said. There were past offseasons when I swung enough to make sure I didn t get hurt. But this is the first year in probably six or seven years that I intentionally hit. Votto finished second in the National League Most Valuable Player Award voting in 2017 but hit just.284/.417/.419 with 12 home runs and 67 RBIs in It was his first full season hitting under.300 since his rookie year, when he hit.297. His 12 homers were the fewest of any season other than his injury-shortened His on-base plus slugging (OPS+) was 125, still 25 percent better than the league, but his lowest output in a full season since his

8 rookie year. His OPS+ since his rookie year had been at least 155 (again, not counting 2014). Much of the season was spent discussing and diagnosing his season and determining if age was the culprit or something else. It s hard to speak on this without sounding arrogant, but it just always happened, Votto said of his performance. I performed at a certain level. I always met my minimums. Last year was a bit of a shock. Age is undefeated, so Votto was forced to look for other foes to vanquish, and he focused on his preparation for He sat at his locker inside the Reds clubhouse in Goodyear and motioned to the other side of the clubhouse and the locker of Yasiel Puig. He noted that he doesn t have the athleticism Puig does, so he has to make up for that elsewhere. I m not that level of an athlete, so I have to be very detail-oriented and very mechanically sound, and I wasn t that last year, he said. Votto said he felt it. He felt it in spring, where he hit.167/.362/.167 in 42 at-bats. He then felt it in April, where he hit.270 with a.408 on-base percentage, but he slugged just.410. He didn t have his first extra-base hit until his 15th game of the season and his first home run until his 22nd. Sunday, he referenced the barrels statistic, which measures a well-struck ball that has both an exit velocity and launch angle that usually produces results. Votto wasn t getting those last April. His barrel percentage in 2015 was 10.9 percent, among the top nine percent of the National League. It dropped each of the next two years to 9.7 percent in 2016 and 9.1 percent in That plummeted to 6.7 percent last season, and the total number of balls he barreled went from 44 in 2017 to 27 in 2018, even though his average exit velocity went up from 2017 to His hard-hit percentage was up from 2017 to 2018, even if the results in power were not. All of that paints a picture to Votto, who has already started his attempts to rectify the problem. I thought there was something in my swing, the angle as it came through the zone, Votto said. A lot of my hardhit balls were poorly directed. I think it was very much a mechanic thing and not a physical thing. He said his physical condition wasn t an issue last season, even when he was hit in the knee by Ryan Madson late in the year. Nor was his back a concern, despite a statement by then-interim manager Jim Riggleman that his back had been an issue. He went through some of the team s biometric testing Sunday and his vertical leap was even better than Puig s. When that was pointed out, Votto said he d dunk on his ass. Regardless, Votto is still one of the game s elite hitters. Even in what he refers to as his first bad year, he led the National League in on-base percentage for the seventh time in the last nine seasons. It s incredible, said new Reds manager David Bell when asked about Votto s description of his 2018 season as bad. It speaks to his drive. He deserves every amount of success he has. He s talented, but the amount of work and effort he puts everything he has into it. That s what it takes. But he takes it to another level. Votto came into spring training a year ago and said something needed to change with the Reds, that they had to get better. They didn t. His team was as cold as he was in April, starting 3-15 before manager Bryan Price and pitching coach Mack Jenkins were fired. They finished the season 67-95, losing one more game than they had in either of the previous two seasons. This offseason was different than recent ones, with aggressive moves and additions like Puig and Matt Kemp among the position players and three new starters in Sonny Gray, Tanner Roark and Alex Wood. There s a lot of new faces here. We ve made a significant improvement, Votto said. We ve added All-Stars. We ve added guys with long track records. We ve added guys who have a lot of things to gain by playing well here. Hopefully, we carry it into winning performance. That, he said, starts with him.

9 I think, intuitively, I knew where I wasn t ready, where I was short last year, he said. I just made sure not to do that again and learn from my mistakes. I feel very confident. I m excited to work. Because Votto is one of the more interesting, thoughtful players in the game, it would have been weird to talk to him at the start of spring without addressing baseball s strange off-season that has ended without two of the game s best players Bryce Harper and Manny Machado not being on teams. Good on them. I m very proud of them as a fellow union member for really sticking it out and making sure that they get what they think is fair, he said. I think that they are doing the legwork that I think all of us players collectively have to do. They are the two marquee names this year. Here they are standing their ground and saying, You know what, until I get the deal that I think is satisfactory, I won t play. I think if you were to ask them face to face, they would say the very same thing. I don t want to speak for the union or all the players, but the toughest thing to do is stand your ground when you really want to start playing ball. I just want to say, I don t know them both very well, but I m proud of them. I hope that they get contracts that they view as satisfactory. He was asked if he thought it was bad for the game if these two marquee players aren t signed (not to mention many others). No. We re not going to play long stretches of time without two of the very best players in our game, he said. They are too good. They will meet in the middle ground at some point with some team. It ll happen at some point. There s plenty of time. Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright has said he thinks there could be a strike in the future over these issues. Votto was asked about that. No, I m not concerned. I don t know. If we do, I ll just go backpacking in Europe and find myself, he said. I m not concerned about it at all. There s too much money in the game, I can t imagine we won t find common ground. I think both sides feel like there is too much to lose. I think there s just too much to lose. That doesn t mean that we won t stand our ground. I would imagine plenty of players feel strongly enough to make sure that we get what is fair. Again, I don t know enough of the topic. The two things that stand out to me: Bryce and Manny, kudos to them, and as far as a strike, I would love an extended offseason. ESPN.COM MLB third baseman tiers: Hot corner high on franchise-caliber talent Feb. 18, 2019 Bradford Doolittle ESPN Staff Writer Third base, the most historically underrepresented position in the Hall of Fame, is currently loaded. The hot corner is sizzling. Last season, there were 20 position players that posted a bwar of at least the rough description of an All-Star campaign. Four of those players were third basemen: Nolan Arenado, Alex Bregman, Matt Chapman, Jose Ramirez. The oldest of these players was Arenado, at 27. All of them, in other words, are either early in their peak phase, or haven't yet reached it. That 4-of-20 observation is telling. That means 20 percent of All-Star-caliber position players last season were young third basemen. There has been only one season since 1901 when that percentage was higher: Some of these seasons make the list because the total number of 5-WAR players in the league that season was low. For instance, in both the 1902 and 1958 seasons, baseball featured just 11 5-WAR players apiece. The historical

10 average is WAR players per season. So the high 2018 figure for third basemen is not a reflection of a low league total. Last season saw a higher-than-average overall number of 5-WAR players. The really impressive thing about that young third baseman list for 2018, comprised of young All-Stars who should maintain their excellence or improve in 2019 and beyond, is who is not on it. Kris Bryant isn't on it because of his injury issues last season. Manny Machado isn't on it because the former All-Star third baseman made a rare midcareer move over to shortstop. Best of all: The most anticipated prospect of the 2019 season year-old Vladimir Guerrero Jr. -- isn't on the list, either. He couldn't be, because he has yet to appear in the majors. But if the projection systems and prospect experts are right, Guerrero will further bolster what already is a historically strong crop of young third basemen. TIER II: ALL-STARS Eugenio Suarez, Reds Position rank: 10 hwar: 3.52 The Reds have one of baseball's premier third base prospects in their system and, by all accounts, if Nick Senzel is healthy -- his 2018 season was cut short because of an injury to his right index finger -- he's ready for the majors. Despite that, the Reds gave Suarez a six-year, $66 million extension before last season. Arranging the facts in this way isn't to cast aspersions on Cincinnati's decision-making process. It's to underscore just how good Suarez has become and how much his organization values his services. Besides, if Suarez keeps piling up the 4-WAR seasons, that contract won't only be a bargain, but it'll be highly tradable. CBS SPORTS MLB hot stove: Ranking the five best offseasons, featuring the Yankees and Reds During a slow offseason, these five teams did the most to improve their roster by R.J. Anderson Feb. 18, 2019 Last week, we highlighted five teams who had the most disappointing offseasons based on our pre-winter expectations and their actual transactions. Today, let's flip the premise and look at the five teams with the most encouraging offseasons based on the same subjective formula. Oddly, this list was the more challenging one to piece together. For as long as Manny Machado and Bryce Harper (among others) remain unsigned, every team is effectively punting on fielding their best-possible team. That's disappointing, not encouraging. Nonetheless, there are more than five teams who have reasonable cases for inclusion on this list. We just opted for these five, so don't get upset if you feel your favorite team was robbed. It's not that serious. To the arbitrary rankings. 1. Cincinnati Reds Yes, we're giving the Reds the top spot here. Not because they necessarily added the most talent during the winter, but because they leaned into trying at a time when few others did. The Reds haven't been competitive since firing Dusty Baker. They're in a stacked division. Their best prospects haven't yet established themselves as big-league players. Yet the Reds acquired a number of veterans on expiring contracts: Sonny Gray (they've since signed him to an extension), Yasiel Puig, Alex Wood, Tanner Roark and Matt Kemp. It would've been easy for the Reds to shrug off the winter and wait until next year. But when everyone else is content to do the same, then going for it is taking advantage of an inefficient market. Whether or not the Reds' aggression pays off, well, we'll see. For now, we applaud their effort -- and wish other teams would've followed suit.

11 TRANSACTIONS 02/17/19 San Diego Padres signed free agent LHP Aaron Loup. San Diego Padres placed RHP Garrett Richards on the 60-day disabled list. Recovering from Tommy John surgery. Texas Rangers signed free agent LF Ben Revere to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.