The first day of MLB’s virtual Winter Meetings came with an immediate surprise and head-scratching trade: The Cincinnati Reds sent closer Raisel Iglesias to the Los Angeles Angels for pitcher Noé Ramirez and a player to be named later.
The Reds announced the deal on Twitter:
Iglesias, 30, has 100 saves across the past four seasons and, as closers go, has been among the most consistent in the league. He’s due $9.125 million in 2021, his final season before free agency, so this should be viewed as a cost-cutting move by the Reds, who also non-tendered Archie Bradley last week, another strong relief pitcher.
Ramirez, meanwhile, has mostly been used as a middle reliever and has a 4.18 ERA in his career. He made $900,000 last season and is heading into arbitration this year, so the Reds figure to save a considerable amount of money in the deal.
The Angels, meanwhile, can use all the pitching help they can get. Their 5.12 team ERA last season was among the worst in the league.
Will the Reds turn into sellers?
The Reds seemed to be moving in the right direction after making the postseason in 2020. They finished at 31-29, but proved to have a solid core that started with veteran Joey Votto and included newer players like Nicholas Castellanos, Mike Moustakas and Eugenio Suarez.
The Reds weren’t a team with a closing window to contend, which makes you wonder whether this was a one-off move or something more indicative of some roster shuffling. They do stand to lose Trevor Bauer in free agency — unless this was a move to free up salary to woo Bauer.
If the Reds are ready to move players, Sonny Gray immediately turns into an in-demand pitcher. He’s under contract for three more seasons, but at a reasonable $10 million the next two years and a $12 million team option in 2023.
Suarez makes about $11 million per year and had back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019 in which he received MVP votes.
Angels new GM makes splash already
Fans should be happy with Perry Minasian, the new Angels GM, for his first trade. Iglesias is a relative bargain and generally dependable. The trade addresses a need while not giving up the farm.
The Angels have run with a variety of closers in recent years — because of either injuries or other issues. The last time they had a proven closer was Huston Street in 2015, though Hansel Robles was solid when he took over the job in 2019 from an underperforming Cody Allen.
Minasian’s No. 1 task this offseason will be making over the pitching staff, from the bullpen to the starters. This would seem like he’s off to a strong start.
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