One year removed from the spending spree on which the Cincinnati Reds embarked in free agency, and it already feels as if that splurge will be much more exception than rule in the history books. Thirteen years removed from the then-record 4-year signing of closer Francisco Cordero, the Reds splashed cash on a quartet of proven veterans, doling out what could amount to $164 million in free agent coin to bring them into the fold.
This winter, though, they’ve guaranteed something akin to $2 million. While the pandemic and revenue-shortfall can and should be immediately cited for that scale-back, let’s not forget what mostly happened in that arena from 2008-2019, too.