Sonny Gray Eager To Get The Ball In His Hand

Sonny Gray was mentioned in a lot of trade rumors this winter.  He didn't like it.

"It pissed me off to be honest with you," Gray told reporters over a Zoom Meeting from Goodyear, Arizona this morning.  "I realized that it is good to be wanted but I like it here. I like all they guys and the staff."

Gray is from Nashville and his father was a Reds' fan, so he feels this is his hometeam.

The Reds have spots to fill in the starting rotation with the departure of Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer and Anthony DeSclafani.

"I still feel the guys we have left, competing for the jobs are capable," Gray said.

The shortened season of  Covid 2020 was so different that Gray and the other pitchers were unsure how to prepare for 2021.  Gray treated the off season like it was a regular season, pitching three simulated innings every fifth day.

"It isn't nearly the same," said Gray, who worked out with his 2020 teammate, and fellow Vanderbilt grad, Curt Casali.  His friend and catcher has also moved on.  The Reds did not tender a contract to him.

Gray pitched well in 2020, though limited to 11 starts.  He was 5-3 with a 3.70 but only worked 56 inning.  He expects to pitch 200 or more innings in any given season.

"Right now post Covid, there has been a lot of discussion on how to prepare," Gray said.  "I've been here since Sunday but we haven't been allowed on the field, yet.  I just want to get a ball in my hand."

David Bell not only has to pick three starting pitchers but replace closer Raisel Iglesias as the main man at the end of games.

"We are going to have a lot of good optionsd," Bell said.  "We are pretty deep.  We have a lot of options. We are happy to have Sean Doolittle."

Doolittle has closed out 205 of his 401 games with 111 saves to his credit.  He has experience in the role but Bell has an open mind.

"Sometimes the seventh and eighth innings are more important than the ninth," Bell said.  "In a perfect world you have a lot of options.  We are going to stretch everyone to pitch more than one inning."

Lucas Simms sees himself in that capacity.

"I would be negligent if I didn't prepare myself for more than one inning," Sims said.

Sims was last a closer during his junior year at Brookwood High School in Snellville, Georgia.

"I finished a game for the first time last year and Casali gave me the ball.  I liked being out there at the end of the game shaking hands."

Sims and teammate Amir Garrett have been tweeting back and forth about who will close games.

"We could be a two-headed monster.  That's a sick way to put it," Sims said.

Shortstop.....

Freddie Galvis has departed and the Reds declined to make a major deal to fill the position.

"I'm confident in what we have at shortstop," Bell said.  "We know what we have in Kyle Farmer.  Alex Blandino didn't get a lot of opportunity but he showed what he could do on the taxi squad last year.  We brought in Dee Gordon too.  He hasn't played short in a while but he's a good athlete.  I've seen him play there in the minor leagues.  He will get some time at shortstop when the games start this spring."