Ken Rosenthal’s Latest Report Exposes What Reds Fans Have Feared

Cincinnati Reds fans have spent years questioning whether ownership has a real plan to build a winning organization.

Ken Rosenthal’s latest report for The Athletic gives them even more reason to be frustrated.

It paints a picture of an owner who wants to know how other small-market teams succeed but refuses to approve the approach that could help the Reds do the same. It also raises questions about how much authority Nick Krall actually has to run baseball operations.

Neither side should come out of this without blame.

Rosenthal's Report

Cincinnati Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall walks between fields at the Cincinnati Reds Player Development Complex in Goodyear, Ariz., on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. Mandatory Credit: Sam Greene/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Rosenthal wrote the following in The Athletic:

To demonstrate the difference between how the Reds and Brewers operate, Krall presented a “laundry list” of trades Castellini did not approve, according to people briefed on the meeting who were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about a private matter.

Krall wanted to build a strong base of young talent, then enhance it by trading established players at peak value when they are still affordable and under club control. His plan was not unlike the one previous Reds administrations suggested when Castellini would ask what made another small-market team, the Tampa Bay Rays, successful.

Castellini, who turned 85 on Wednesday, has consistently balked at any such approach. He always devotes the Reds’ limited resources toward trying to compete at the major-league level, even if it means skimping on player development. His strategy has failed. The Reds have not won a playoff game since 2012. And now, as another lost season draws to a close in Cincinnati, his franchise is in limbo.

Frustration Continues to Rise

Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini speaks during a pregame ceremony for the unveiling of Pete Rose's bronze statue being installed outside the stadium before the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, June 17, 2017. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

That is about as frustrating as it gets.

If Castellini wants the Reds to have the success of teams like the Brewers and Rays, he has to be willing to let his baseball operations department make difficult decisions. That includes considering trades involving established players when their value is highest, even if those moves are unpopular at the time.

According to Rosenthal’s reporting, that resistance goes beyond Krall. Previous Reds administrations suggested a similar approach and ran into the same problem.

At some point, ownership has to recognize that continuing to reject a different direction comes with responsibility for the results.

Trying to compete every season sounds good. But if that means putting together a roster that might hang around .500 while player development lags, what is actually being accomplished? The Reds need a plan that gives them a chance to win consistently, along with an owner willing to support it.

This report also makes it easier to understand why some fans view Krall as a “yes man.”

To be fair, presenting a list of rejected trades suggests he has pushed for something different behind closed doors. It would be inaccurate to say this proves he agrees with every decision Castellini makes.

But it makes you wonder if ownership just wants a yes-man who will do things its way, even when it isn’t working. If Krall can’t get approval to build the team the way he wants, why should fans expect anything to change?

Krall Still Does Not Deserve a Pass

Feb 16, 2024; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Cincinnati Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall smiles as he takes a phone call during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

That still does not give Krall a pass.

The trades he has been allowed to make deserve scrutiny, too. Pointing to deals Castellini rejected does not erase the failures of the moves that actually happened. The front office has to be judged on the roster it has built, not simply on the possibility that another plan might have worked.

And the free-agent mistakes have been costly.

Jeimer Candelario signed for three years and $45 million. The Reds designated him for assignment halfway through the deal.

Mike Moustakas received four years and $64 million, then was released with a year remaining. Krall was general manager when Moustakas signed, with Dick Williams serving as president of baseball operations, so responsibility for that decision was shared.

Those signings failed miserably. For an organization that constantly operates with limited resources, mistakes like those make it even harder to build a complete roster.

Ownership deserves criticism for the restrictions it creates. The front office deserves criticism for how it uses the money and opportunities it does receive. Both can be true.

Rosenthal’s report helps explain the dysfunction. It does not make the results any more acceptable.

Reds fans should not have to choose which part of the organization to blame. They deserve an owner willing to do whatever it takes to win and a front office that can execute it. Until both happen, there is little reason to expect the frustration to end.

You can read Rosenthal's full article here.

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