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Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings February 9, 2015 CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Reds, Frazier agree to a two-year deal By John Fay / Cincinnati Enquirer / [email protected] / @Johnfayman Todd Frazier wanted to avoid arbitration. He did — not only for this year but for next year as well. Frazier and the Reds agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal Sunday. Frazier's hearing was scheduled for Thursday. Frazier was first-time arbitration-eligible. He filed for $5.7 million. The club countered at $3.9 million. He will make $4.5 million this year and $7.5 million next year. He will be arbitration-eligible again in 2017. "I'm happy for my family," Frazier said. "This keeps me a Red for another two years at least. I'm happy for the city as well. This is another step." Frazier and the Reds talked about a longer-term deal. "We talked about a longer deal but we couldn't work it out," he said."But I'm glad to get something done. Arbitration is tough for both sides. It's a crazy some of the things that go on behind the scenes." Frazier is coming off his best year in the majors. He hit .273 with 29 home runs, 80 RBI and 20 stolen bases. He played in 157 games — most of any Red — and made the All-Star Game for the first time. The Reds signed Devin Mesoraco to a four-year, $28 million deal last week. Frazier was in likely for considerably more than that. The closest player to compare to Frazier is probably Seattle's Kyle Seager. Both are third basemen. Frazier, 28, has hit .258/.336/.451 with 73 home runs and 235 RBI in his career. Seager, 27, has hit .262/.328/.429 with 70 home runs and 264 RBI in his career. The Mariners gave Seager a seven-year, $100 million contract this offseason. Aroldis Chapman is the only other arb-eligible Red who remains unsigned. Chapman filed for $8.7 million. The Reds countered at $6.65 million. Chapman is arb-eligible for the second time. The Reds have not taken a player to arbitration since they beat Chris Reitsma in 2004. Frazier, by the way, was thrilled with the moves the Reds made Saturday, signing veteran relievers Burke Badenhop and Kevin Gregg. "I remember facing Gregg he was always tough," Frazier said. "I think I only faced Badenhop once. They both bring emotion and energy. We need that. Also that veteran presence. I liked both moves." Jocketty: Patience pays in signing relievers By John Fay / Cincinnati Enquirer / [email protected] / @Johnfayman Sometimes, it pays to wait. Or, more correctly, if you wait, you pay less. The Reds signed right-hander Burke Badenhop to a one-year, $1 million deal with a mutual option for 2016 and signed right-hander Kevin Gregg to a minor-league deal. Badenhop and Gregg are the first proven, veteran additions to the Reds' bullpen this offseason. The bullpen was a major weakness last year. The Reds finished second to last in the National League in ERA at 4.11. If the Reds had tried to sign either Badenhop or Gregg earlier in the offseason, they would not have been able to afford them. "Patience and persistence," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. "That's my mantra." Badenhop, 31, is the big get. He was 0-3 with a 2.29 ERA and one save for the Boston Red Sox. Badenhop is guaranteed $2.5 million in the deal. He'll make $4 million next year if the Reds pick up the option; he'll get a $1.5 million buyout if they do not. Still, in today's baseball, that's a huge bargain. Consider: Badenhop's WAR (Wins Above Replacement) was 1.5 last year. Zach Duke had a 1.2 WAR last year and he signed a three-year, $14.5 million deal with the Chicago White Sox. "We've been talking to Badenhop for a while," Jocketty said. "He's a great fit for our ballpark. He's a groundball pitcher. He can pitch in a lot of roles. He gives us a lot of flexibility." Badenhop had a 61 percent groundball rate last year, according to fangraphs.com, and only allowed one home run in 70 2/3 innings. The Reds will be his fifth major league team. He broke in with the Florida Marlins and spent four years in the big leagues there with middling success. He's been with a new club each of the last three seasons — going from Tampa Bay to Milwaukee to Boston each time in a trade. Over that span, he's put up a 2.90 ERA over 199 games and allowed 13 home runs in 195 1/3 innings. Gregg struggled last year — a 10.00 ERA in 12 games for Miami — before having elbow surgery in August. But he was 2-6 with a 3.48 ERA and 33 saves in 2013 with the Chicago Cubs. He worked out for scouts last week. The Reds were there. "If fact, we've taken an in-depth look in his medical," Jocketty said. "He should be fine. He just had bone chips removed. Plus, he's a non-roster guy. There's not a lot of risk, but we think he can help us. He can pitch in a lot of different roles." Adding Badenhop and Gregg raises the chances of right-hander Raisel Iglesias and left-hander Tony Cingrani being in the rotation. The Reds have two spots open behind Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey and Mike Leake. Iglesias, the Cuban the Reds signed to a seven-year, $27 million deal, is the second-rated prospect in the organization by Baseball America. Scouts think he has the stuff to compete in the majors right now. Cingrani started last year as the Reds' fourth starter but struggled with shoulder problems. He and Iglesias could be candidates to fix the bullpen. But that's less necessary after the Saturday signings. "It was important to strength the bullpen," Jocketty said. "We've got a lot young guys competing for those spots in the rotation." To make room on the 40-man roster for Badenhop, the Reds designated left-hander Ismael Guillon for assignment. Guillon was the 31st ranked prospect in the organization by BA. Rotation, health and leadership questions loom for Reds Filling out the rotation and Byrd’s potential leadership role By John Fay / Cincinnati Enquirer / [email protected] / @Johnfayman The Reds had a busy day Saturday, adding veteran relievers Burke Badenhop and Kevin Gregg 10 days before pitchers and catchers report to Goodyear, Ariz. The moves answered one big question: Will the club do anything to fix the bullpen? The Badenhop signing was a big enough coup that I didn't get any Twitter complaints about it. A rare, rare thing these days. But a lot of questions remain about this club. We'll look at 10 of them — one for each day until pitchers and catchers report. Some will be resolved before spring begins, others will play out over the season. — Is Joey Votto healthy? This is the big question going into spring. Votto's knee/quad injury was, to borrow the Winston Churchill quote, a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. The Reds have gotten reports that Votto is fine. But Votto was purposefully vague when asked about the knee at Redsfest. He's not likely to be any more forthcoming when he gets to Goodyear, so until he's out there playing and hitting like he did in 2013, we won't know. — What will the Reds do with Raisel Iglesias? To me, he may be the most intriguing guy in camp. Scouts raved about his stuff in the Arizona Fall League. As did, Reds manager Bryan Price. "Four pitches with command — that spells out starting pitcher, especially when it's plus-stuff across the board," Price said. "He was 93-97, so the velocity is there. The action on his fastball is there, much better changeup than I anticipated seeing and two quality breaking balls and a good feel. His last (appearance) that he made in the fall league, he had two strikeouts on 3-2 breaking balls. That type of confidence and ability to execute those pitches in those situations suggests he's a little bit more advanced than a lot of guys who are getting their first chance in big league camp." Iglesias could slot nicely in the No. 4 starter spot and leave the No. 5 spot for others. — What about Johnny C? The Reds have taken the never-say-never approach with Johnny Cueto's contract status. But in light of Max Scherzer's seven-year, $280-million deal, Cueto is going to be frightfully expensive. And seven-year deals with pitchers usually don't work out, regardless of the money. Cueto's given the Reds an Opening Day deadline. How will it affect Cueto if the Reds have to admit he's too expensive? — Will Price be different in Year 2? Price admitted his first year was a learning experience in some regards. My guess is he'll have a sense of urgency from the start. He's on the second year of a two-year contract and his new third base coach, Jim Riggleman, has a lot of big league experience. A good start will be important after last year's rough ride. — Will the Reds add more players before spring? Probably not, Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said Saturday.