Reds mailbag, part 1: Luis Robert Jr., payroll questions and spring training recommendations

At Great American Ball Park, the pallets of supplies are being packed up for the semi-truck headed to Arizona next week, ready to greet Cincinnati Reds pitchers and catchers when they report to spring training on Feb.

10.

The Reds roster leading up to camp isnt as different as many had hoped following last years disappointing season.

This has led to many questions from Reds fans, including some The Athletic readers who answered our prompt for this two-part mailbag.

Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length.

Advertisement [I have seen some media members encouraging] the Reds to trade for Luis Robert Jr.

of the White Sox .

Is there any evidence to suggest the team may be considering this? David L.

As Ken Rosenthal reported today, the Reds had extensive talks with the White Sox with shortstop prospect Edwin Arroyo heavily discussed as the centerpiece of a deal.

That, though, appears dead at this point.

Robert is a great fit for what the Reds need.

However, the White Sox arent in the business of helping the Reds complete their team.

Robert is coming off a bad year that saw him put up a career-low WAR.

As a result, his value is currently low.

It makes more sense for the White Sox to hold on to Robert until the trade deadline, hoping hes the biggest fish on the block and have more teams desperate for his services.

Often, teams in their position will ask for the moon just in case someone bites.

The fact that Robert is still on the White Sox roster shows that nobody has offered a celestial object for his services yet.

I expected the Reds payroll to cover COVID-related losses, but why are we still below 2019 levels? What reason are the Reds giving? William K.

Teams dont have to tell us anything.

We ask and get ballpark numbers on financials, but only the Atlanta Braves , owned by the publicly traded Liberty Media, must open their books.

Even when asked, they dont have to tell us the truth its not a court of law.

We can try and get estimates, but those numbers can be shuffled to say a lot of things.

That said, the 2019 payroll level was the highest in team history and had a lot of money that was waiting to get off the books, like Joey Votto and Homer Bailey (who was traded before the season in a deal that brought over high-priced players Yasiel Puig, Alex Wood and Matt Kemp), as well as veterans such as Tanner Roark and Scooter Gennett.

Part of the reason its lower is that it can be the teams talent is younger and, therefore cheaper.

Advertisement But one of the biggest issues is still the future of TV revenue.

For many years, local TV rights were one of the biggest sources of income for teams.

The future is up in the air.

The Reds have already had some changes in plans based on the current media landscape.

Its not just the Reds.

Aside from the very biggest teams, teams are looking to cut payroll.

Aside from the Dodgers and Mets , its been a quiet offseason and teams have been trying to cut spending.

And everyone (myself included) hates to think about this, but theres a lot of speculation about another work stoppage after the current CBA expires following the 2026 season.

Is there an internal belief Graham Ashcraft can become a legit back-end of the bullpen weapon? Trevor B.

In a word, yes.

They arent the only ones.

At one of the caravan Q&As, Jeff Brantley said he thought Ashcraft could excel in that role with his arsenal and demeanor.

Ashcraft has been considered a reliever since he was drafted, but starters are so much more valuable and he had some success in that role.

If the rotation is healthy coming out of spring, hes behind the top five and maybe even trailing Rhett Lowder as the sixth choice.

How much will the Reds get from the new FanDuel Sports Network deal and what is the future of streaming Reds games? Will they go the MLB streaming route similar to the D-Backs or sign another deal with FanDuel/find another provider? Griffin J.

See above about the team and its books.

The FanDuel Spots Network (formerly Bally Sports, formerly Fox Sports Ohio, formerly ...

you get the point) is a one-year stopgap as its parent company, Diamond Sports Group tries to get out of bankruptcy.

Evan Drellich has written a lot about this .

GO DEEPER Reds games to be broadcast by FanDuel Sports Network in 2025 MLBs national rights deals expire following the 2027 season and Rob Manfred wants to bundle all the teams together .

The Reds are a small fish in this plan, of course.

The team had decided to go with MLB this year, like Arizona and other teams, but FanDuel came back with another offer and the Reds accepted.

I joked with someone that FanDuel offered $1 more and the Reds took it.

Some of the biggest differences are the pregame and postgame shows, which FanDuel/Diamond/2026networknamegoeshere will produce.

Advertisement As far as streaming Reds games, there will be an option for in-market streaming through FanDuel Sports this year, and I wouldnt be surprised to see a repeat of the uncertainty we saw this offseason before the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

I just hope the overlords at Diamond Sports Group notice how much better the MLB-produced games looked compared to their screen full of graphics and scrolls that make it look like CNBC, but Im not counting on it.

Wanting to check out an away Reds spring training game this year.

What stadium should I visit? Brett F.

If youve already booked your trip, the schedule will dictate that.

However, one of the beauties of the Cactus League is the ability to see other teams and take in more than one game in a day.

If youre there for baseball, it cant be beat workout in the morning, nice lunch, day game, nice dinner, night game.

Im going to go out of the box here and go with Hohokam Stadium in Mesa.

It was the home to the Cubs for a long time but has been the home to the Athletics since 2015.

Its a good, solid park that has had a nice refresh.

The Cubs moved to the shiny Sloan Field in 2014 and its the best park the team calls home.

But its also filled with Cubs fans and tickets are a little more expensive.

Scottsdale Stadium is the quintessential Arizona spring training park, but tickets can be pricy and difficult to get.

The place also gets super crowded.

American Family Fields of Phoenix, home of the Brewers in Phoenixs Maryvale community, was the suggestion from fellow reader Arend F.

and thats a great choice.

If youre staying on the west side of Phoenix for easy access to Goodyear, Maryvale is on that side.

The stadium was updated a few years ago and is a wonderful place to watch a game.

Closest to Goodyear is the Camelback Ranch in Glendale, home to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox.

Tickets are probably easier and more affordable when the White Sox are there.

Its a cool-looking stadium, but the sun can be brutal.

Advertisement Why would the Reds even consider moving Matt McLain , their best glove next to Edwin Arroyo to the outfield? Why not move Elly De La Cruz to right field like San Diego did with Fernando Tatis Jr.

? John S.

The answer to this is simply that many people, both in the organization and outside of it (including me), see De La Cruz as the teams best fielder and hes playing at the most important spot.

De La Cruz led the majors in errors last season with 29 errors.

Oneil Cruz was second with 26 24 of those coming at shortstop and two more in center field.

Errors are just one way to measure defense and, really, the most unscientific.

Errors are awarded by the games official scorers.

Think of how many times youve said, They really called that a hit? in the last couple of years.

Thats what youre judging De La Cruzs defense on? While no fielding metrics are perfect, they at least have more basis in data than the whim of the official scorer.

I like to look at Fielding Run Value on Baseball Savant.

Again, its not perfect, but it gives a nice overview.

The Cubs Dansby Swanson led shortstops with an FRV of 14.

He was followed by Francisco Lindor and Bobby Witt Jr.

, both at 12.

Tied for fourth with an FRV of 11 were the Rockies Ezequiel Tovar and De La Cruz.

But if were dead set on errors as the measure of defensive performance, you may want to look at 1988, when the Reds had a young player in his first full year as the everyday shortstop in the big leagues who led the majors with 29 errors.

That was Barry Larkin.

He turned out OK.

I just dont think you give up so quickly on a player with generational talent.

As for McLain, his versatility and willingness to play anywhere are among his strengths.

McLain started 50 games in center field his freshman year at UCLA before moving to shortstop for his final two seasons with the Bruins.

Hes played there before and, as solid as I think McLain is defensively, I dont think hes better than De La Cruz.

Honestly, there are few who I think could be better than De La Cruz.

I know everyone wants De La Cruz to be Mike Trout right off the bat, but hes still a young player and the development we saw from him last year was really impressive.

I cant imagine messing with that trajectory.

(Top photo of Luis Robert Jr.: Mitchell Layton / Getty Images).

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