Good morning, afternoon, whatever it may be where/when you’re reading this. Yesterday 10/30/24, I declared my intention to begin doing a weekly Q&A to continue creating content surrounding our favorite team(s) while in the offseason (Reds) – this is the beginning of such. I hope you’ll all lock in and enjoy! This week’s theme was Cincinnati Reds – going forward, it’ll be Bengals/Reds themed.
Questions will be in Bold, my answers will follow them.
Questions from X/Twitter & Nati’s responses
Q: Do you see any potential problems arising from the Reds moving towards a bat to ball “old school hitting philosophy” ?I believe both Krall and Terry said something about more bat to ball/line drives – BurrowLand
A: I don’t. Anytime you’re playing 81 games at Great American Smallpark, typically, 50+ in the heat of the summer, this is the right approach. The Reds ironically were one of the better teams in MLB with RISP in 2024, but they were relatively bad on the road when you look at the overall metrics. .230/.298/.373/.671 as a team…they didn’t get on base near enough & they struckout 50 more times in 9 less games on the road. They sucked, and they didn’t score near enough. 342 runs away versus 357 at home…101 HRs compared to 73 HRs away. You can see the issue there.
Q: What’s your take on our player psychological development (how our players approach a ball game)? Can be a big issue with a young team like ours. – Cincy Spotlight
A: I definitely worry to the bitter end about this. I’ve seen Zack Cozart harp on X frequently about how important veteran presence is, he cited it several times for his successes as a MLBer. I know we have quite a few guys that know they’re young & act like it. I’ve seen a few of them out at bars with a game the next day downtown, so it’s likely they’re doing this in other cities, too. In terms of the psych involved, I think we’re super far behind and the veteran they brought in (Jeimer) absolutely sucked, so he isn’t doing much leading…we definitely need more of a leader. Great, interesting question.
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Q: How many HRs do you think Elly will hit this year? – Aadhi
A: My answer is always controversial on this, because I feel like Elly is still developing. When he debuted in 2023, I said, accurately, he’d hit 20-25 HRs. People thought I was insane. Sure enough, in 2024, a fully healthy season, he only hit 25. We all know he has the power to hit 50 if he wanted to, but the Reds are doing the right thing having him do his own thing and move at his own pace. We don’t need Elly to hit 40 HRs. We need somebody else to do that…while he’s on base. After he’s stolen both 2nd & 3rd. I’m sticking to my 20-25 number. I could see him hitting 30 in 2025, but with Valaika at the helm now, I can see him sticking to a contact first approach & 25 of them will come in spurts.
Q: You have $200M, would you sign Elly to an 8 yr extension, or sign Juan Soto for 4 yrs. Assume both of them accept the proposal. – Bill Koger
A: First off, Bill, what a great question. Thank you for making me question my sanity. The answer is, I’m signing Juan Soto for 4 years. It’s a no brainer at the end of the day. Elly, as we know, is going to walk in 2029. We have him signed through then, under control, cheap. Juan Soto makes us a contender immediately. That profile is exactly what we need to fill a big hole.
Q: Who, if any, is the most likely Red to be moved (traded) this offseason, and what would you realistically like to get out of them? – Noah Lambert
A: The answer is and has always been Jonathan India, as unfortunate as that is to hear not only to myself, but many others as well. Realistically, I’d be stoked to get an MLB ready reliever for him & a top 20 prospect.
Q: What is your prediction for the Opening Day Rotation? – @MikeRKarl
A: I see the Reds seeking a veteran, and Tito Francona even hinted at adding a vet to the rotation. Let’s roll with this: 1) Greene 2) Lodolo 3) Lowder 4) Abbott 5) Buehler – I think the chance of Walker Buehler coming to Cincinnati is extremely, extremely real. I also view him as economical. Now…there’s a chance they go out and get Shane Bieber, too, but fresh off surgery scares me. Buehler is back, at least. I’m also thinking Martinez opts out. This is a playoff rotation, IMO, and Chase Burns knocks on the door. Don’t forget about Ty Floyd, too.
That concludes this week.
I have went through & bookmarked every question I didn’t answer and will answer them next week! Thanks everyone for playing and reading along. Much appreciated! I didn’t want to make this too long to keep engagement up.
