GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- For the third time in four days, the Reds have traded a veteran member of the club. This time, it was lefty reliever Amir Garrett who was dealt to the Royals on Wednesday for left-handed pitcher Mike Minor and cash.
“We have several holes that we need to fill on our Major League club,” Reds general manager Nick Krall said. “We felt this one was one of the best ways to do it, bringing in Mike Minor. He had success in the past. He had a 4.3 FIP last year in Kansas City. We think he’s a quality starting pitcher that just adds to this club for this year.”
In 28 starts last season, Minor was 8-12 with a 5.05 ERA. The 34-year-old is set to earn $10 million in 2022 with a $13 million club option for 2023 that has a $1 million buyout.
“From everything I’ve heard, his arm feels great and he’s healthy. If that’s the case, there’s no question he can bounce back,” Reds manager David Bell said.
Trade details
Reds get: LHP Mike Minor, cash considerations
Royals get: LHP Amir Garrett
Garrett, 29, endured his worst season in 2021 while posting a 6.04 ERA in 63 appearances. But in 90 games combined over 2019-20, he had a 3.03 ERA. He was also a popular leader in the clubhouse and a 2020 Good Guy Award winner, as voted by the local chapter of the BBWAA.
While he was still playing college basketball, the Reds made Garrett a 22nd-round pick in the 2011 MLB Draft knowing he also had a baseball background. Once he became a full-time baseball player, he soon developed into a prospect.
“That, to me, I'm forever grateful to this organization. They've believed in me from Day 1,” Garrett said. “It's tough because I love it here. I love Cincinnati. I took pride every single time I went out there and pitched, I took pride for Cincinnati, whether it was good or bad, I gave it my all. It's tough. I'm going to give it my all for Kansas City now.”
Cincinnati dealt starter Sonny Gray to the Twins on Sunday and outfielder Jesse Winker and third baseman Eugenio Suárez to the Mariners a day later.
Those deals cleared salary from the team’s payroll. But Wednesday’s trade actually adds to it, since Garrett -- who is in his second year of arbitration -- earned $1.5 million in 2021. Kansas City is kicking in $500,000 to the Reds to cover half of Minor’s option buyout.
In November, the Reds let another veteran lefty starter in Wade Miley get claimed on waivers by the Cubs. Miley had a $10 million club option for 2022, which Chicago exercised.
“For us, we had to get to budget at some point,” Krall said. “The last move [to trade Winker and Suárez] was able to get under budget, so we were able to add to this club and hopefully we can keep adding some more players.”
Minor will give the Reds a starter who can eat innings. During his second stint with Kansas City last season, he led that club in starts, innings (158 2/3) and strikeouts (149).
Over his 10-year career, Minor is 79-78 with a 4.11 ERA for the Braves, Royals, Rangers and A’s. He missed two full seasons in 2015-16 recovering from left shoulder surgery that repaired a torn labrum. As a reliever for the Royals in ’17, he posted a 2.55 ERA in 65 appearances.
While a starting pitcher for Texas in ’19, Minor was an American League All-Star while he posted a 14-10 record and 3.59 ERA. A former college player for Vanderbilt, he worked with current Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson.
With Gray and Miley no longer in Cincinnati, Minor adds a veteran presence to a rotation headlined by Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle. Second-year pitcher Vladimir Gutierrez is also expected to claim a role, while the fifth spot is up for grabs among multiple candidates, most of whom are prospects like Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo.
“I think that balances really nice,” Bell said. “It all works together having the veteran, and the experience is really valuable. Our focus right now is to keep getting better and to have a great team this year. Add that veteran in, it makes it easier to get there quicker.”
The flurry of Reds moves this week -- that has seen both payroll cuts and additions -- has been dizzying, especially for the start of a Spring Training and after the end of a 99-day lockout.
“It feels like a combination of the Trade Deadline, the Winter Meetings and every other deadline you could meet,” Krall said.
More changes could be coming as Bell and Krall try to assemble an Opening Day roster.
“I don’t exactly know how it's going to come together,” Bell said. “It’s not entirely clear, but I know we’re getting better in a really weird way to get to where we want to be.”