The 2023 Cincinnati Reds shocked the world and contended for a playoff spot until the very end.
Their 82-80 record couldn’t yield them a postseason berth, but they earned the respect of their fans after their ugly 2022.
There is a feeling around Cincinnati’s fans that the team was a starter or two away from playing in October, and that’s not an unreasonable thought.
They reportedly tried to add a meaningful name before the deadline, but weren’t comfortable with giving their best prospects away.
Now, the Reds have the whole offseason to bring in at least a couple of impact starters.
It’s good and refreshing to see they are trying, though.
“According to a source, the Reds were pursuing Sonny Gray and were close before he went to the Cardinals on a reported 3-year, $75 million deal. Reds also have interest in Tyler Glasnow of the Rays. He’s owed $25M in ’24. TB is not wanting to rebuild and seeks MLB-ready starter,” Reds insider Mark Sheldon tweeted.
According to a source, the Reds were pursuing Sonny Gray and were close before he went to the Cardinals on a reported 3-year, $75 million deal.
Reds also have interest in Tyler Glasnow of the Rays. He's owed $25M in '24. TB is not wanting to rebuild and seeks MLB-ready starter.
— Mark Sheldon (@m_sheldon) November 27, 2023
Gray is an old friend of the Reds, having pitched there from 2019 to 2021.
He was mostly effective, but was traded to the Minnesota Twins before the 2022 campaign when the Reds were in their rebuilding phase.
Now that Cincinnati has a wide open contention window that needs impact pitching to be optimized, they were interested in bringing Gray back.
They couldn’t but were among the finalists.
If the Reds manage to land an ace and a couple of depth arms, look out: they could be very, very hard to beat in 2024 and beyond.
NEXT: Joey Votto Announces Plans For His MLB Future