Being a front office executive in professional sports involves a great deal of risk management. General managers and other front office personnel are constantly weighing risk versus reward in an attempt to carefully field a competitive roster that fits neatly into their owner's budget.
Cincinnati Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall took a calculated risk earlier this week when he designated starting pitcher Carson Spiers for assignment. While there's certainly a chance the move itself could work out just fine for the Reds' top decision-maker, it could also blow up in his face.
Spiers was a roster casualty on Tuesday when the Reds elected to promote a trio of top prospects to the 40-man roster.