The Cincinnati Reds spent a few bucks in free agency this winter, with those far more offset by the money they shed in trades and in letting free agents just walk away. It was a budget-cutting strategy in a year with lost revenues, one that saw them eventually choose to try to plug holes within their organization with younger, cheaper options across the board.
Of course, younger/cheaper options don’t just grow on trees, and the ones that are readily available often come with obvious flaws. Flaws, though, can often come in the form of ‘talent,’ but that doesn’t appear to be the kind of player the Reds (or anyone else) have tried scooping up this winter.