Reds Trade Garrett to Royals in Exchange for Minor, Cash
Major League Baseball’s hot stove continues to sizzle.
As the Cincinnati Reds prepare for a rebuild, their front office has completed another payroll-related trade, sending reliever Amir Garrett to the Kansas City Royals.
In return, the Reds are receiving starter Mike Minor and cash, which will see Kansas City picking up the $1 million buyout on the left-hander’s $13 million 2023 mutual option.
Following this latest transaction, the Reds’ fire sale now consists of pitchers Garrett, Sonny Gray, Francis Peguero, outfielder Jesse Winker and infielder Eugenio Suarez, who’ve all been dealt in the span of less than a week.
Still, the franchise has dramatically shed its payroll while also acquiring pitchers Chase Petty, Justin Dunn, Brandon Williamson, outfielder Jake Fraley, a player to be named later, and now Minor.
Garrett, 29, was selected by Cincinnati in the 22nd round of the 2011 MLB Draft and made his MLB debut in 2017. The Victorville, California, native is arbitration-eligible in ‘22 and ‘23, and won’t become a free agent until after next season.
After spending his first five seasons in the majors with the Reds, the 6’5” hurler is now expected to become a vital member of the Royals’ bullpen, which is headlined by Scott Barlow and Josh Staumont.
Reaching near the end of their current rebuild, Kansas City features several talented young players – including prospect Bobby Witt Jr. – on its roster and is poised to improve off last season’s fourth-place finish in the AL Central.
In 2021, Garrett compiled 47 ⅔ innings across 63 appearances, posting a miserable 6.04 ERA, a 4.89 FIP and a -0.1 fWAR rating. Additionally, he also posted a .247 OPP AVG, a 28.4 per-cent strikeout rate and a 13.5 per-cent walk rate.
As for Minor, 34, he’s slated to join a Reds starting rotation – or what’s left of it – that’s led by Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle. There, the veteran hurler will hope to eat innings for a franchise that has its sights set on the future.
During his only campaign with the Royals, the 6’4” starter logged 158 ⅔ innings through 28 starts, finishing with a 5.05 ERA, a 4.29 FIP and a 2.3 fWAR rating. Additionally, he recorded a .250 OPP AVG, a 22.3 per-cent strikeout rate and a 6.1 per-cent walk rate.
Opening Day 2022 is scheduled for Apr. 7, kicking off a nine-game slate – including both the Royals and Reds.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Ryan Casey Aguilnado. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.