A lot more arms than available spots…how will the Reds juggle their relievers?

The acquisition of former All Star reliever Taylor Rogers from the San Francisco Giants served as the bookend of a busy week by the Cincinnati Reds, a series of transactions that may well have ended the major moves of the offseason for the club.

Rogers came with $6 million in exchange for minor league righty Braxton Roxby. The Reds also signed the rehabbing Wade Miley to a deal that will likely see him return to their rotation at some point mid-year. Brought in on minor league deals were former bullpen workhorse Ian Gibaut as well as relief options Albert Abreu and Joe La Sorsa, each of whom boasts a decent bit of big league experience.

Much of this was done as it was revealed the Reds balked at the cost of acquiring Luis Robert Jr. from the Chicago White Sox. It’s no surprise that that news paired with the subsequent acquisition spree prompted Nick Krall to declare “we’re probably in a spot where this is your team going into camp,” so it’s time we took a closer look at the different aspects of the rebuilt roster.

Today, we’ll look at the bullpen.

The obvious incumbents

Alexis Díaz is poised to bounce back from a somewhat disappointing 2024 season as the Reds closer. Taylor Rogers, with a pair of 30+ save seasons under his belt across his 9 year career, obviously has a place in the bullpen, too (as well as potential ‘closer’ insurance). Brent Suter restructured his deal to allow the team more financial flexibility after a rock solid year, and will pair with Rogers as left-handed options in the ‘pen.

The Reds will hope Emilio Pagán will be healthier and more effective in 2025 than he was in 2024, but with $8 million owed to him this year and a track record of success when healthy, he’ll get every chance to prove he’s worth that contract.

Nick Martinez, despite his excellence as a reliever, will be considered a starting pitcher during this exercise.

The 40-man reliever options

The Reds selected the contract of Tony Santillan in July of last year almost one year after designating him for assignment, and he was excellent through 30.0 IP for them. Given his roster spot (and lack of options), he’s got an inside track to a spot on Opening Day. He’s got a pair of options remaining.

Sam Moll, the big trade deadline acquisition of 2023, had his 2024 season ended due to shoulder issues, and the Reds subsequently went out and added another lefty in Rogers. He’s been excellent when healthy, but the series of moves makes one wonder if he may not be right just yet. He’s got an option remaining (so the Reds can stash him in AAA to work his way healthy, if need be), but it’s hard to say he’s been anything other than worthy of a roster spot when right.

Yosver Zulueta was serviceable as a 26 year old rookie in 2024, firing 16.1 IP of 3.78 FIP/4.96 ERA ball with 20/7 K/BB. A former waiver claim from Toronto, he has one option remaining.

Luis Mey dazzled in Arizona Fall League play, can throw the ball 103 mph, and posted some pretty epic K/9 numbers along the way – all of that prompted the Reds to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft and add him to the 40-man roster. Still, his BB/9 has been brutal and he’s got no experience above AA, so he’s likely still a ways away.

Are they starting depth, or relief options?

Graham Ashcraft seems to have gotten squeezed out of starting rotation projections due to his lack of a good third pitch and sub-par results. Still, he’s got a potentially devastating pair of pitches that might profile better in relief than as a starter, and it’s hard to think the Reds go another year without exploring that. He does have a pair of options remaining if the Reds choose to find out how this works at AAA first.

Carson Spiers doesn’t have the kind of stuff that looks like it would ‘play up’ as a reliever, and has a pair of options remaining. If everyone else is healthy, odds are he is used as starting depth at AAA rather than as a reliever.

Connor Phillips and Lyon Richardson occupy similar spots in this depth. Both have, at times, stellar fastballs and put-away breaking balls, but their health and command has long been called into question. Both carry the rep of former highly regarded prospects, so there’s a chance the Reds give each another year as starting depth to figure things out, but both – somewhat along the Santillan path – could potentially profile as elite relief options if that became their focus.

Julian Aguiar and Brandon Williamson both had their 2024 seasons end early due to Tommy John surgery, and rather than serving as rotation options or bullpen depth, they’ll miss the 2025 season. They’re currently on the 40-man roster, however, so their eventual moves to the 60-day IL will open up a pair of spots for some of the following arms to potentially be added.