The Cincinnati Reds appear to have a solid bullpen set up for the 2008 season
The biggest move of the Reds’ off-season was adding 33-year old righty Francisco Cordero to be the new closer. He pitched in 66 games (0 starts) for the Brewers last season and he was 0-4 with 44 saves, a 2.98 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. Cordero also whiffed 86 batters in only 63.1 innings which shows what kind of nasty stuff Cordero has. He will be among the league leaders in saves this season and that should give Reds’ starting pitchers a lot of confidence out there on the mound.
38-year old righty David Weathers will likely be the top set-up man from the right side this season for the Reds. He pitched in 70 games (0 starts) for the Reds last season and he was 2-6 with 33 saves, a 3.59 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Look for Weathers to do a solid job in his new role.
29-year old lefty Jeremy Affeldt was signed to join the starting rotation but he will be the top lefty in the Reds’ bullpen instead. Affeldt pitched in 75 games (0 starts) for the Rockies last season and he was 4-3 with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Affeldt will give the Reds a nice power lefty for the bullpen.
27-year old righty Jared Burton burst onto the scene for the Reds last season. He pitched in 47 games (0 starts) for the Reds last year and he was 4-2 with a 2.51 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. Look for him to do a solid job in the middle innings for the Reds in 2008.
27-year old righty Todd Coffey will also be around this season. He pitched in 58 games (0 starts) for the Reds last season and he was 2-1 with a 5.82 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP. Coffey has now pitched in 196 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 12-9 with 9 saves, a 4.48 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP.
40-year old lefty Kent Mercker has made a successful comeback for the Reds. He last pitched in the majors in 2006 with the Reds. Mercker has now pitched in 677 games (150 starts) in his major league career and he is 73-67 with 25 saves, a 4.16 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP.
27-year old lefty Jon Coutlangus will start the season in the minors but he could get a call by the Reds at some point in 2008. He pitched in 64 games (0 starts) for the Reds last season and he was 4-2 with a 4.39 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP.
25-year old lefty Bill Bray will also start the season in the minors. He pitched in 19 games (0 starts) for the Reds last season and he was 3-3 with 1 save, a 6.28 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. He is a better pitcher than that so the Reds will expect a lot of him when they eventually call him up this season.
28-year old righty Gary Majewski will start the season in the minors and the Reds need him to get healthy. He pitched in 32 games (0 starts) for the Reds last season and he was 0-4 with a 8.22 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP. Majewski has now pitched in 51 games in his career with the Reds and he is 1-6 with a 8.29 ERA and a 2.11 WHIP.
PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B-