3 Things the Cincinnati Reds Still Need to Do Before Spring Training

Thanks to Cincinnati Reds general manager Walt Jocketty, we don't have to speculate about what the Reds still need to do before the start of spring training. After acquiring Marlon Byrd and satisfying the need for a left fielder, Jocketty told John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer: "What we're working on now is the bullpen, anything we can do to improve our bench and pitching depth."

Let's start with the bullpen, which of course finished with the third-worst ERA last season and amassed the second-most bullpen losses. Though the Reds did begin last season missing the entire back end of the bullpen. Aroldis Chapman, Sean Marshall and Jonathan Broxton all began the year on the disabled list.

With Broxton now gone, it's likely that Jumbo Diaz will assume his role. A major concern is whether Sean Marshall will return to form, as he's the left-handed setup for Chapman in late and tight situations. But you have to wonder where Raisel Iglesias will fit in. More on him later.

The Reds also parted ways with Logan Ondrusek, a sometimes mop-up, middle-relief right-hander. It’s very possible that his role is taken by Pedro Villarreal, who was serviceable as a September call-up last year.

So while there are definitely concerns surrounding the bullpen, it looks as if, at least on paper, the Reds have the talent internally to just plug-in. But that’s assuming Iglesias goes to the bullpen. Because either the starting pitching or rotation or the bullpen is going to need extra attention before spring training.

If the Reds did want to improve the bullpen externally, Phil Coke is still out there. The 32-year-old Coke posted a 3.88 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 58 innings for the Detroit Tigers last year. His salary in 2014 was $1.4 million.

Considering the massive amount of questions surrounding Sean Marshall, he might not be a bad option for Marshall's role if indeed he's derailed by injuries again. But it's worth noting that as a left-handed specialist, he didn't perform too well last year, as left-handed batters hit 257/.310/.381 compared to a .243/.297/.352 line for his career. But perhaps that lowers the price tag.

Losing Mat Latos is a serious matter of concern. The Reds finished with the No. 3 starting ERA in baseball last year. If they were at all competitive—and they were early on, before the cavalcade of injuries—that starting rotation was the reason why.

But now the top three in the rotation are Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey and Mike Leake. There’s no doubt surrounding Cueto, but whether Bailey and Leake are up to these roles is subject for debate. Bailey is coming off a great year in which he went 9-5 with a 3.71 ERA, but his career numbers are 58-50 with a 4.17 ERA. And this is the No. 2 guy.

To be fair, he has posted an ERA under four since 2012. And last year was the first year he didn’t pitch 200 innings since 2011. Prior to last season, his WHIP had dropped in three consecutive years.

Mike Leake has also had an ERA beneath four the last two seasons and surpassed 200 innings for the first time in his career last year. His WHIP has dropped in three straight years, too.

So the top of the rotation seems healthy, but what now of No. 4 and No. 5? I think that’s the most serious issue facing the Reds right now. If Raisel Iglesias is indeed going to the rotation, then I’d feel a lot better about plugging in an Anthony DeSclafani, or even a Tony Cingrani as the No. 5 But I don’t think fans can feel very confident in a rotation that features both. And I definitely don't consider David Holmberg or Dylan Axelrod as serious considerations at this juncture.

I was under the impression the Reds would look to secure a cheap veteran starter. Aaron Harang was a good candidate, but he just signed with the Philadelphia Phillies for $5 million.

As for the bench—I think there’s plenty of talent internally. Between Kristopher Negron (who I would consider starting over Cozart for a better bat in the lineup), Brayan Pena, Skip Schumaker and Jason Bourgeois, and maybe Tucker Barnhart, it’s possible they have enough talent to plug in, provided half the roster doesn’t go down to injuries again.

There is one name out there worthy of serious consideration. Jonny Gomes is still floating around. He did make $5 million last year, so I doubt that the Reds would even humor that for a reserve. But after hitting .234 and knocking just six home runs in 273 at-bats, it's possible his price tag falls.

Of any one of these needs, bench has to be the least of concerns. But the to-do list will become exponentially clearer when we know what role Iglesias will have.

All Stats Courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.