Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings December 4, 2017 THIS DAY in REDS HISTORY
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Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings December 4, 2017 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1973 - The Reds trade P Ross Grimsley to the Orioles for OF Merv Rettenmund and IF Junior Kennedy. 1988-The Reds sign Rick Mahler of the Braves as a free-agent. Mahler would play two seasons in Cincinnati, going 16-19 with a 4.00 ERA during 355.1 innings pitched MLB.COM Senzel getting early start on new positions Reds' No. 1 prospect working at 2B, SS, OF in offseason By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | December 2nd, 2017 CINCINNATI -- Reds top prospect Nick Senzel isn't waiting until his first big league Spring Training to learn the new positions he's already been told he'll play. Senzel is spending time at home in Knoxville and college alma mater, Tennessee, getting prepared. Senzel, a third baseman, will get chances at second base and shortstop along with both corner-outfield spots. Although he's played the other infield positions in either high school or college, he's never played in the outfield. "I've already started to try and get an early head start on it," Senzel said during Redsfest. "It feels good. I'm trying to learn the basic stuff right now." Ranked No. 1 in the organization by MLBPipeline.com, the 22-year-old Senzel is also listed as the eighth-best prospect in baseball. Currently, Cincinnati is happy with the performance of Eugenio Suarez at third base. The club believes Senzel is athletic enough to play other places on the field. "When opportunities and challenges present themselves, especially on the baseball field, they're exciting," Senzel said. "It's some different positions I've never played before, especially left and right field. It could create some opportunity for me. I'm just going to go out there and try to get some guidance from people who know what they're talking about and play it to the best of my ability." The Reds have players at the other positions, as well. Scooter Gennett had a breakout 2017 and became the everyday second baseman, and Jose Peraza has the inside track to replace free agent Zack Cozart at shortstop. Former All-Star Adam Duvall is in left field and Scott Schebler is in right. Both Duvall and Schebler hit 30 home runs last season. "It's a good problem to have, getting to that point where we have a lot of good players and we don't have enough at-bats for all of them to be everyday players. That's a good thing," Reds manager Bryan Price said. He is looking forward to his first extended look at Senzel in camp. Price recalled speaking with Reds special assistant and Hall of Famer Barry Larkin last spring about Senzel."[Larkin] said if need be, he could play shortstop at the big league level. I want him to help our ballclub, but I also want him to do it at a position where he's comfortable doing what he does," Price said. "I need to build up a stronger familiarity with him to create my own opinions of where he's best suited or if he is a multi-positional asset to our club." Senzel batted .321/.391/.514 with 14 home runs and 65 RBIs in 119 games combined last season at Class A Advanced Daytona and Double-A Pensacola. He missed a few games in the final week of the season while being treated for vertigo, but said the problem is now under control. It appears likely that Senzel will begin the 2018 season at Triple-A Louisville. However, he's going into spring with higher expectations and wants to make the big league team out of camp. "That's for sure, that's the goal," Senzel said. "You get invited to big league camp and you feel like you have an opportunity to make the team. I do want to make the team out of camp. That's my goal. Why should it not be? I feel like I've put myself in a pretty good position, and the work I've put in to be in that position. I'm going to continue to keep trying to work." Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from 2001-05. Follow him on Twitter @m_sheldon and Facebook and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Reds not on Ohtani's list of finalists Reds president of baseball operations and GM Dick Williams talks at Redsfest about his team's interest in Shohei Ohtani By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | 9:14 AM ET CINCINNATI -- The Reds and general manager Dick Williams put a lot of time and attention in efforts to recruit Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani. But it appears that they are not one of the finalists to sign the two-way player. The Reds have not commented on the multiple reports that Ohtani has narrowed his list of choices of to seven teams -- the Mariners, Giants, Dodgers, Padres, Angels, Rangers and Cubs. Although Ohtani appeared to be interested in some of Major League Baseball's smaller-market clubs, his list clearly indicates a strong desire to be on the West Coast. On Friday, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters officially posted Ohtani, which gives him until Dec. 22 to sign with a Major League team. Because he is under 25, Ohtani is subject to the international bonus pool signing restrictions. Once he selects a team, the club must pay the Ham Fighters a $20 million posting fee. Cincinnati already exceeded its international signing pool limits last year, which meant it could only offer Ohtani $300,000 for a bonus. But with an understanding that Ohtani wasn't necessarily chasing the top dollar and was interested in issues like training facilities, medical staffs, Minor League organizations and the city itself, Williams hoped that the Reds could emerge from long shot to serious contender. "We've put a lot of thought and effort into this project," Williams said on Friday. Ohtani was coveted by virtually all 30 MLB clubs because he is the rare elite two-way player. As a right-handed pitcher, he can throw in the upper 90s, but he is also a left-handed power hitter who can be in the lineup on days he doesn't pitch. Williams traveled to Sapporo, Japan, in October to signal Cincinnati's interest. He would not describe the types of recruiting material the club provided to Ohtani's representatives during the process. Besides the signing bonus and geography working against the Reds, Cincinnati lacks a large Japanese population. The Reds are also the only Major League club to have never signed a Japanese player. Cincinnati manager Bryan Price had given considerable thought to how Ohtani would fit on the roster and how he would use him both as a starting pitcher and a hitter. "We're not going into this putting our toe in the deep end or testing the waters on this, we are making a full attempt to be a player in this negotiation, so we've had to," Price said on Saturday during Redsfest. "The one thing we don't want to do is make false promises. We won't do that. We're not going to say, 'We're going to do this,' and then pull the rug out from underneath him. We have no interest in doing that." Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from 2001-05. Follow him on Twitter @m_sheldon and Facebook and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Iglesias happy in Cincy, not focused on rumors Reds closer linked to trade speculation this offseason By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | December 2nd, 2017 CINCINNATI -- As a closer coming off a strong season, Raisel Iglesias could be the Reds' strongest trade asset. There were some rumors of interest in Iglesias centering on the Twins in November, but that doesn't concern the right-hander. "I'm not worried about it," Iglesias said on Saturday at Redsfest via interpreter Julio Morillo. "I'm doing my work in the offseason, and if the team decides to trade me, they'll let me know. Right now, I'm focused on being as strong as I can be and being healthy for next season." Another area that's not a worry for Iglesias: salary arbitration. Although he signed a seven-year, $27 million contract in 2014 that will pay him $4.5 million in 2018, Iglesias held the right to opt out of the deal. Because he is still under club control for at least three more seasons, he would have been eligible for arbitration. He won't be a free agent until after the 2021 season. Entering the offseason, it seemed unlikely Iglesias would elect to go through the arbitration process. "I talked to my agents about it. I decided just to prepare myself for the season," Iglesias said. "I'm going to have a great season like this year and continue with the contract I have now." Iglesias is due to make $5 million per year in the 2019 and '20 seasons. That cost-efficient salary is another reason he's attractive to clubs that need a closer. There is, of course, what he's done on the mound. Iglesias, who turns 28 on Jan. 4, was 3-3 with a 2.49 ERA last season.