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And welcome into the Budweiser red Coat stovely here on the Reds Radio Network. A Merry Christmas Eve to everyone out there. Happy holidays. I hope everyone is safe and being very merry and spending time with friends and family.
I'm Jim Dave.
We've got a good show coming up over the next hour and just a moment, we're going to talk to red super prospect Big sal Stuart. Later on we're going to talk to one of the newest Reds. It's left handed pitcher Caleb Ferguson.
That all coming up.
New pleasure to be co hosting this week with a guy that's contributed to this show many times. You can catch his work on Reds dot com, MLB dot com. He is Mark Sheldon.
Mark. How's the offseason treating you?
The off season's going fast. It's already hard to believe. We're well past a halfway point and spring training is right around the corner. But all was well.
Happy holidays, absolutely all right.
Without further ado, let's bringing man, I'm assuming we're going to South Florida because that's where he resides. He is sou Stuart Sow. How's the off season treating you?
Everything's going good.
I'm super happy to be around my family and friends, and Christ's is around the corner now, so I'm super super excited, and uh, yeah, everything's going great.
That is awesome. You had you got a taste.
You came up and got a big taste, even the taste of the playoffs.
Broad question to start for you? What did you learn?
Honestly, I just learned kind of like the everyday life in regards to uh in the big leagues.
Obviously the minor league.
The big leagues is different, not only from a playing aspect, but also just the kind of weekly basis. I mean, kind of when you're in the minor league, you play Tuesday through Sunday, you're in one area for a lot a more extended period of time, and then when you get to the big leagues, now you're kind of in three three three days in three out, three days and three outs. So I kind of just learned like the
everyday life of a big leaguer and experienced it for myself. Obviously, I have great mentors that have guided me but you never really known to you experience it yourself. So it was a great learning lesson for me. And obviously playing in the playoffs that's what we all want. We all want to be in the playoffs, and not only be in the playoffs, but we want to go win it all. So it was it was a great experience for sure, and definitely learning lessons and another tool I can put in my tool bag.
So I was super excited and learned a lot.
You know.
So one of the lessons you did learn in the big leagues, and you learned it on the fly, was was playing first base. I understand that that's obviously the focus of your off season work and and Freddie Benavitez was scheduled to pay you a visit recently. How how was working at first base and how did you take to the position learning it as you did in in live games in the big leagues.
Yeah, it was definitely a new a new experience for me.
Like like you said, in the minor leagues, I never I never played for I think I played like one game maybe, or one or two games. I don't really remember exactly, but it's like I told him, when you get to the big leagues. I mean, I was there to help the team, so they asked me to go play first, and obviously it's kind of tough learning on the fly.
I mean, it's just a whole different angle from third.
But I did sprinkle in a little bit of second so that angle wasn't too difficult.
But at the end of the day, we.
Got paid a lot of money to figure it out and that was my job. And honestly, like the last game where I kind of made I made that mistake, it just let the bad taste in my mouth. So I really wanted to get after this offseason and make sure I could up my game and get it to the part that it needs to be. So obviously it was tough, but that's no excuse, and that's why I came into the off season ready to work.
And I'm grateful, super grateful for Freddie.
Freddy came down to help with me and Yander, one of my he's like an uncle to me. Uh he's been We've been working almost every day together, So I have a lot of good people surrounding me helping me, and I'm super excited for this next year to show show all my hard work paying off.
Sure you're referring to former red Yonder Alonso. You can now catch on email, but you network on know big mentor for you, As you said, you've posted some videos of you working out. Looks like you're pretty intense and perhaps maybe even changing the body a little bit. Everyone has an exit interview with the team in which they try to tell you what they're expecting from you in
the offseason and going forward. Did any of that meeting have to do with perhaps your conditioning and what are you working on right now in that regard?
Yeah, Honestly, in the in the exit meetings, it was kind of all super abrupt. We kind of like took off right like right after, like everyone kind of dispersed. The season just ends fast. You got people going all over the place. So we ended up sit back. I had a I called Tito. We had a super long talk together. He just what he expects out of me, and we're gonna be in this together. I mean, he knows, he knows, and he expects a lot of good things from me. So we talked about it. But honestly, it
came for me. It came for myself. Like I'm sure the team expected things, but I'm someone that. I mean, like, this is my job, this one I want to I want to do this for for forever and ever. I want people to remember my name for for years to come. So I had to. I had to look myself in the mirror. I had to, I had to say what I needed to get better in and I felt like losing some weight could not only help me, but allowed
me to go play first and even second. So to Actually, today i weighed in, I'm down twenty six pounds from when I left off.
Season, breaking news. So yeah, yeah, that's great already.
Yeah, but we can skip the spring training best shape of your life question because you were Yeah.
So I really needed to make adjustments in my life, which I did, and I feel like it's going to better myself. Uh So, what my goal was to really get down, really really low.
Kind of it was? Yeah, I'll say it's as someone in the ballpark of twenty five obvious bounces up and down.
But I'm right around there. I feel really, really really good. I feel lighter, I feel more agile. So I'm super proud of where I've gotten so far. But the job's not done. I want to continue to get better, bettering my body and like I said, I want to be a superstar in this game, and you don't have to talk about it, you have to be about it. So I'm super happy right now with where I'm at, and I'm looking forward to get into spring training.
You know, as you're waiting for spring training and doing your workouts, certainly the team is still working on its roster and making choices, and you know they haven't signed another offensive hit or does it affect you at all if they sign a guy that might play the position you're playing? Is that something that is in your head? And how do you prepare yourself not necessarily knowing exactly where you might fit on the roster.
Yeah, I mean, honestly, I leave that up to Nick and everyone who makes those decisions.
That's that's not my job.
My job's to prepare my body the best way I can and give myself the best chance to go out there and perform like I know I can.
So obviously I know what I'm capable of.
I know that there's been like there's awesome, great bads, great players out there, But at the end of the day, I know what I can do, and I want the chance to go out there and do it. So whether they do, go get somebody or they don't. Honestly, like like the same thing, we keep Brian. A lot of people kept asking me all this a bunch of questions, like keep Brian's one of my favorite teammates. That doesn't
change anything. All I have to do is show show the team I'm available whenever in any capacity they need me. So that doesn't change a single thing. I'm just gonna go out there, keep playing hard and giving.
Myself the best chance to go out there and play the best of my ability.
You're known as a pure hitter. What was the jump from the minor leagues, particularly trip away to the big leagues like and the taste that you got, particularly specifically in the bad box, What did you learn that you're going to take it the next season?
Honestly, I just learned, like I need to stick to who I am as a hitter.
It showed that when I got up there.
Obviously it was a small sample size, and I've done nothing in this game. I've done absolutely nothing. But I think it showed myself that whatever I do and whatever I'm capable of doing is enough. I don't need to go look for more. I don't need to try to do more what I who I am as a player is enough. And that was a big thing for me, honestly, because every time you get you go up to the biggest you want to prove like, hey, I am who they say I am, or I am who I think I am.
You know what I'm saying.
So it kind of just taught me like, hey, you're like who you are as a players enough, go out there and be who you are.
And that's a big thing for me. So it was great. It was a great little learning experience for me, and it was a.
Great kind of a great push into the offseason to now go get ready and come back ready to go.
So it was a great It was really really great.
But it just showed me that who I am as a player enough at the big league level.
Now just need to go do it for an extended period of time.
I'll ask you one kind of quick, silly question before going to the break. You obviously when you debuted you were number forty three. Have you decided on a new number or are you gonna stick with that number in your in your next full big league season?
No, I ended up switching my number. I'm number twenty seven.
What made you come up with that number? Was that your choice or is that what they gave you?
Well, my my regular number is number thirteen.
I mean, obviously, you guys know, it holds a lot of weight in my life and it's someone I looked up to in the game of baseball. Obviously thirteen tired, but a really really good player, So I didn't really I had to choose from what I from the options I had, and I mean, I just like twenty seven, twenty seven.
There's a lot of good players for number twenty seven.
Scott Rowland another great player, So I just felt like it was a great number.
And yeah, not really too much I went into it.
Hey, for those that don't know, we know. But for those that don't know, why is thirteen so specialty?
All because of my relationship with Manny. I mean, I've we we're like best friends. We talk every single day, and to see what he's done in his career, I've always I always wanted to work thirteen to on the baseball field.
So yeah, I obviously that's the number I wanted.
But a great player hasn't retired, so had to make an audible.
Yes you did, all right, Sam, We've got more to talk to you about, including I think you took a trip to Spain to take in some soccer. You went into enemy Terry Torri with the you and we'll talk about that more when we come back with Sal Stewart. This is the Budweiser Reds hont Stove League here on the Reds Radio Network. Welcome back to the Budwiser Red Hot Stove League here on the Reds Radio Network with Mark Sheldon.
I'm Jim Day.
We continue our conversation with Sal Stewart and a sound You've went, I guess went overseas during the off season. Here you went to Spain. How was it? And I think I saw you a post of you were at a soccer match.
Tell us about it.
Yeah, honestly, like when I get to the off season, it's kind of funny, like it's hard, it's hard to contact me because I just like.
To be with my family and friends.
So we took a trip out there to Spain, and I mean, honestly, it was great, just a nice getaway with my family. I mean, like, obviously I'm an athlete, but I'm a I'm a person.
Tell my son, I'm a brother.
So it was great to go out there with my family and just go experience like a different culture.
And it was.
Honestly, it was amazing. The soccer game was awesome. It turned me into a huge soccer fan now. So honestly, it was a great, great trip and it was awesome just to spend time with my family.
Then close to home, I saw you were on the field for a Dolphins home game as well. I'm sure that's your favorite team. Was that your first time on the field.
Yes, that was my first time on the field and it was It was pretty awesome. Honestly, it was a good time. So yeah, I was able to go with my dad and experience that.
With him, so it was a great time for sure.
Were you at Texas A and M for the U In Texas A and M, I thought I saw a post that said I'm in enemy territory.
Yeah, it was kind of spare of the moment.
I trained Monday through Friday, so I was I wasn't sure if I was gonna be able to make it out and spare of the moment. I texted my dad like, hey, let's go, and he's like, all right, let's go. So we left Saturday morning and flew back Saturday night.
So how was it? It was good?
Oh, it was honestly, like the people in the atmosphere in College Station, like, even though we were cheering for Miami, was something I've never seen before. That people were great and that atmosphere was like none other. So honestly, it was a great, great, great time.
Will you be getting back to Texas again in a short speriod about a week from now for against the Ohio State University at the Cotton Bowl.
No, I think I think this. I'm just gonna stay back home and watch some and watch it on TV. I don't think I'm going to make that trip again.
Full disclosure, I am drinking from an Ohio state YETI right now?
Oh so, so where we're rivals, so, I mean I'm an enemy territory as we speak.
I think we're in Yeah, you know, I was.
I was born I was born in Columbus, So don't hold it against me, just like you're you know, you're a Miami guy, So don't hold it against me.
But uh fair, and don't hold it against Caleb Ferguson. Our next guest is from Columbus. Yeah, yeah, careful in the clubhouse.
Yeah, well, well you you let him know wehe're coming.
Uh, it should be a good one looking forward to it.
Hey, when you look forward to uh this season, this nucleus that's together. What was the clubhouse like and what are your I know you guys talk.
Amongst yourselves and in et cetera.
What are the expectations for you guys coming up within the clubhouse?
Yeah, like I said before, like just the guys that we have in the clubhouse are great. I mean, I'm sure you guys have heard about it already, but we're super close, like we stay in contact. And honestly coming from like a young guy and I was young, but they accepted me. They were they really they put their arm around me and tried to guide me in every way they could.
So we know what we can do. I mean, honestly, like we felt like the two games over there.
In l A, we kind of like like we lost too, but we were we were in both games. We appayed pressure to the World champions. We were, we were in both games. So we feel like like we just got to connect. We gotta we gotta stay together, and honestly, we have we have high expectations for ourselves. We know what we can do, and we're super excited to go prove that. So we've added some great additions. I'm super happy for Gon's back. He's he's the man, He's awesome,
So I'm super excited. I mean, I think I think people like people think last year was a fluke, and there was no flud, Like, we know what we can do and now we just have to go out there and prove it.
Whether it was Pegan or Jose Travino. You know, we as writers and Jim as well, probably on television talk a lot about clubhouse leadership. Can you, as a young player kind of articulate what it was like to hear the voices in the clubhouse, whether it was Pegan or Brent Suter, Trevino, et cetera, and how they kind of help you and help other players be the best they can be.
Yeah, I mean, I don't even want to start naming names because then I'm gonna miss people that have been great, because it literally was full roster was great. The way they carried themselves, the way showing up to the locker room was awesome.
It was a fun time. It was exciting going to the locker room.
So but honestly, man Suitor Martinez like Pegan literally I can go on Treviy Steve O like I can literally go on and on and on. So we had a we have a great group, and I'm super happy and especially for me, like they really took care of me.
And that's something that sounds like a.
Little weird, but like when you're a young guy going into clubs, it's tough, you know, and they opened me, they welcome me with open arms, and it was an easy, easy transition.
So I'm super super happy about that.
Along those lines, your managers is Terry Francona, and I know, uh, you know, it's not always roses with him. He can be tough on guys and tough on young guys trying to teach them the right way. What was it like initially and what are you your thoughts of your skipper going forward?
Well, I mean he's he's a Hall of Fame skipper for a reason. So like you said, like he's he's he's a hard. He's a hard in regards to play style and how to carry like how to carry yourself. He's hard on you. But that's that's what I expect and that's what I want. We we built a relationship, and he's gone out of his way to build that relationship with me, and I feel like our relationship just continues to grow. So I really wouldn't want it any
other way. He expects greatness, and I expect greatness out of myself. So if you're if you're getting sad or mad that that your Skip's are on you, then you kind of have to look yourself in the mirror because he's doing it because he wants to doing it, because he cares for us as players, and that's something that you can't say for Gannon. So I'm super happy he's my skipper and I'm going to do my best to make sure I reciprocate the same kick to him.
And I'm playing hard.
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We'll see showers moving late tonight, the low down to forty six for your Christmas Day, Claudie, with a chance of showers the high in year sixty then rain aenndy by early afternoon Friday. Otherwise we'll see claudy sky's temperature stay mind held a high of sixty four and right now we see a fair sky and our current temperature
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Welcome back to the Budweiser reds Hot Stove leg Here on the Reds Radio Network with Mark Sheldon. I'm Jim Day. We continue our conversation with Sal Stewart and Sal, You've, I guess went overseas during the off season. Here you went to Spain. How was it? And I think I saw you a post of that you were at a
soccer match. Tell us about it. The Red's Pick sixth plan, presented by Penn Station, is on sale now, receiving exclusive Ellie Dala Cruz bobblehead plus your choice of six home games to purchase, visit Reds dot Com Slash Pick six. We're back on the Budweiser Reds Hot Stove League with Mark Sheldon.
I'm Jim Day.
It's our pleasure to bring in Caleb Ferguson, a signee of the Reds hailing from God's Country, Columbus, Ohio. The big left hander is gonna work out of the bullpen. Caleb, Welcome to the show.
How you doing.
I'm great, guys, I'm great. Thanks for having me on. How are you guys?
We're doing well doing.
Thank you.
Happy holidays to you, Merry Christmas and all. Now that it's kind of settled in, how you feeling that you're gonna put on a Red's uniform.
It's cool, you know, it's cool.
I think I think when everything happens, everything happens so fast, so I don't really think you have a ton of time to kind.
Of process everything in the moment.
And then I think once you know, like you said, once it all sets in and the dust kind of settles, your phone stops ringing, and just kind of everyday life goes on it, it kind of comes full circle to realize kind of what I'm getting to do this year.
So very excited to be a part of it.
Very excited to get the season started and play some winning baseball in Cincinnati.
Caleb, congratulations, first of all, belated, but also with the team like this that you probably grew up with in your backyard. What did the Red Cell you want as a as a as a reason or what made you want to come to Cincinnati and pitch here?
Yeah, I mean, I think you know, quality of life is always something like I think athletes look for to right So being close to the home, playing for your childhood team is always a dream of every athletes, right Like, I.
Mean, well, and they have to I mean, as of now, they haven't signed the hitter, the big hitter they wanted, and and south Stewart could be one of their more important guys in the lineup if you pencil them in at first base, and maybe Spencer Steer moves to the left field, or maybe south Stewart does some dhing and things like that. But they they need a middle of the order guy to put behind Eli data Cruz and in some fashion and they'll see what happens. And they
also need him to be better defensively. That one of the Reds goals of this offseason was to be a better defensive team. And as as Sal referenced, you know his error in Game two, he can't make those.
Areas and just do my job every night.
Club has split down the middle as far as Guardians fans and Reds fans. But it's my understanding you were Reds fan.
Correct.
Oh yeah, oh yeah. Where I'm at, there's not many many Guardian fans.
I'm a little further south, I guess, if you will, so I can a lot of Cincinnati fans. We're a lot closer to Cincinnati, so definitely more more Reds fans than Guardians, Indians, whatever you might want.
To call them, and you went to games, right, and is my understanding that Brandon Phillips was your favorite player?
Oh yeah, yeah, I did good games. I went to a lot of games.
I'd go down watch Brandon Phillips, J Brew, Scott Roland, Kozart, Homer Bailey, Bronson, Royo, you know all those guys like the two thousand and eight to like two thousand, I'd say twenty fourteen. Once I got to baseball, that was kind of my my time of following the Reds. That's about when I got into baseball myself. So that was a good time. It was a good time, good that was a right time. That was a great time to fall at Cincinnati Reds. So a lot of memories.
Now when when you when you came here that the past, the Reds had some guys with playoff experience, but not a ton. How much is your playoff experience with the Dodgers, Astros and I most recently Seattle. Can I kind of help a clubhouse with with still a lot of young guys that just got their taste of it this past year?
Yeah for sure, you know.
I mean, you've got guys like Trevan there be Gone Lucks, those guys that have that have done some stuff too, So you know, having just just kind of having some older guys that bounce things off of, you know, having older guys to to to lean on and understand that it's okay to be playing behind one O or it's okay to to scuffle a little bit in certain moments. But you know, also keeping the mood loose and and
keeping the guys having fun. You know, the game's really hard and uh, you know, you just you have to remember that. So having older guys that you can see how they handle big moments or big spots and whether they come through.
Whether they don't.
You you can always learn a lot by how player handles themselves. So having those guys in your room when you have a young, talented core like that is very important.
You were able to keep the ball in the ballpark. You gave up just two home runs last year Seattle pitch your friendly Pittsburgh. You know, lefties can hit it down over that twenty one foot wall, but it's it's pretty big park. Great American, Ye, a little different. What's going to be that challenge for you?
I don't know, hopefully looks on my side. I mean, yeah, I don't know, just you know, just just executing what I can execute and controlling what I can control, and you know, the rest of it should take care of itself. And I think at the end of the year, if you just go out and execute what you can do and control the controllables, you're kind of like where you're at.
At the end of one sixty two.
You know, you have basically three different versions of a fastball and an off speed pitch. How do you mix those pitches up to get the most success? Especially this past year, And did that variety of the four scene, the sinker and the cutter kind of helped you keep the ball in the ballpark?
Yeah, you know, I just I just kind of let the game just tell me, you know, kind of what to do.
You know.
I I enjoy watching the game every night, the game that I'm in. I don't ever come down and like sit down and watch baseball, but I watch every game that we play, so you know, I try to take the information I see, you know, that night or whatever is on the scattering report. But but I mean, ultimately, man, it's just uh, it's conviction and just kind of get into my spots and I feel like, you know, I'm gonna get beat guys are gonna get hits.
Those things are going to happen. That's just the nature of the game.
But you know, I feel like, out of a hundred times, if I get to my spot and I execute kind of what I'm trying to do, there was results going to be in my favorite.
You get weak content, I'm sorry, Jim, and you get a lot of weak contact. It seems like that was something you really excelled at this past year.
Yeah, for sure. You know, I don't really know, like this strikeout number or whatever, like you know, it seems a little low. I don't really know why. I think.
I pride myself on just coming in and throwing as many strikes as I can and trying to get guys out as efficiently as I can.
Because, as most people know, the most.
Important part of most important part of a reliever's jobs availability. So if I'm a fishing every night, I get my team a chance to win the next day. So I don't really care how else come. I just want to get him and get him efficiently.
Your signing was certainly one of need.
The Reds desperately needed a lefty out of the bullpen, particularly in high leverage situations and Terry Francona, he's probably maybe he told the other guys when I was there, when he met Emilio Pigan, he said, Hey, you're going to be tired. I'm just warning. I imagine you've talked to him. What was that conversation like I have?
And you know, it was very brief, and you know, around the holidays and we'll touch base after the holidays so everybody can enjoy that time of their family. But he was very excited and he was sure to let me know it is an area of need for him and his.
Team, obviously being home in the Columbus area. You got uh, you got Ohio State coming up in the Cotton Bowl next week.
Are you going to be watching that? Are you excited for it? Of course? What a question. You can't be from Colamuth and I'll be a Buckeye fan.
Can I get you?
Sure?
Can I give you an oh?
And ioh?
There it is.
I love it a Caleb much appreciated. Go Bucks, certainly, Go Reds. We're looking forward to meeting you and see seeing what you can bring to the table, and we certainly appreciate your time. Happy holidays to you and yours all right.
Likewise, thanks suiter Man, thanks for having me on here all right.
That is Caleb Ferguson.
We've got much more to come here on the Budweiser Reds Hot Stove League on the Reds Radio Network.
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Redsvans now is the time to get your twenty twenty six season tickets. Members sit in the same seat for every game with their friends and family and enjoy our flexible ticket exchange program. This a REDS dot Com slash membership for details. We're back on the Budweiser REDS Hot stovely here on the REDS Radio Network. I'm Jim Day. He is Mark Sheldon. Hope you enjoyed the interviews with South Stuart and Caleb Ferguson and uh Mark, I gotta tell you like I said going to the break at
the bottom of the hour. When you listen to South Stuart, he kind of fires you up a little bit your oppressions of.
The interview, And man, I was I knew that he was out.
It was his mission to become more agile, but losing twenty plus pounds already, Man, the kids getting after it right now?
Yeah, he really is. He sounds like he's ready to run through a wall. And it's only December twenty fourth, So it's encouraging if you're the Reds and if you're a Reds fan. One thing I will be curious about is the weight loss how it might affect his potential power. I mean, he's not a home run hitter per se, but he did leave the team in home runs in September with five, and he does hit the ball on the line pretty hard, and you want to see a few of those balls get over the fence. So he
doesn't want to lose too much weight. But I think the keyword you mentioned was agile. He was also in addition to weight loss, he was directed to become more athletic, more agile. He's learning a new position at first base. He spent time with Freddie Benavitez all, that's important, and I'm sure agility and athleticism helps when you've lost weight.
Yeah, And you had a story this week about Sal Stewart and what Terry Francona had to say about I think the Reds are expecting a lot from this kid coming up.
They will and they have to. I mean, as of now, they haven't signed the hitter, the big hitter they wanted, and south Stewart could be one of their more important guys in the lineup if you pencil them in at first base and maybe Spencer Steer moves to the left field or maybe Salad Stewart does some dhing and things like that. But they they need a middle of the order guy to put behind Elie Da La Cruz and in some fashion and they'll see what happens. And they
also need him to be better defensively. That one of the Reds goals of this offseason was to be a better defensive team. And as as Sal referenced his error in Game two, he can't make those errors too many times in the regular season. He has to get better and knowing him as he said, that was a big motivation for him to work on that this offseason.
Yeah, and if he does become better defensively, it will also keep him in the game because if the Reds are winning the game this past year, I mean we saw it. He was in the later innings. They were replacing him, right they And they'll do the same thing. They'll move Steer into first base in the eighth or ninth inning. And sometimes that comes back to bite you if the other team ties it up, whatever, you're gonna have it a bat where you would normally want south
Stewart up there. So that's really gonna help. If he can stay in the ball game defensively.
There will I mean, Stuart was a or excuse me, spear this, excuse me Spencer Steer. It's an alliteration. He was goldmost gold Glove level last year. He was a finalist and he played really well. And if south Stewart wants to stay in the lineup in the late innings and be the guy that contributes those those memorable moments and that sort of speaking the ninth inning, he has to play well on defense the whole game.
Your impressions of Caleb Ferguson, that was a need sign right there. The Reds last year most of the time, Graham Ashcraft, a right handed pitcher, was their best best option in high leverage situations against left handed batters. He's gonna seemingly help, is he not?
He should help. He's a guy with really really weak contact guy. He's not a strikeout guy. Like we mentioned in the interview. He does get the ball put in play, he does limit the long ball. In Great American Ballpark, that might be a little tougher, but he's a guy they needed to have. It's been good to see from the Red's point of view. They the bullpen was their other big need besides the offense, and they they picked off two big needs right in a row, with Pegan
coming back to be the closer. Now they have their middle to late inning lefty in Ferguson. They also obviously have Tony Santion and Ashcraft for those late innings, So now they might need to add another bullpen piece or two. But they also have of course Connor Phillips and Zach Maxwell and May and a few others in the mix. So the bullpen's starting to look a little bit better.
Now.
They have to work on the offense.
Yeah, you had mentioned that, you know, the hitters that are kind of left out there in free agency, some of which you can probably just cross off the list. Others might be out of the price range. Would you think if something was going to happen in that regard is going to have to be via trade.
I'm starting to feel like more and more. Yeah. Certainly, Cody Bellinger's on the market, and a few other guys Miguel Anduhar are still in the market, a guy who did very well against left handed pitching for the Reds
the last two months of the season. But I don't know if any of those people move the needle to what they really need consistently over a whole season, and that might be a trade, and a lot of the teams that have been looking to add big starting pitching and have whifted could come looking at the Reds again and maybe make them an offer they can't refuse.
I'm looking forward to. I mean, you can pencil in some guys into the rotation as we speak right now, if they don't make any trades and trade anyone out of that starting pitching nucleus. But there's going to be some competition for that number five spot, if not more.
Yeah, I mean, if if there's no injuries and everyone is back. It's going to be really interesting when you have Rhet Louder, Chase Burns, h Randon Williamson, Aggie Are. There's gonna be a whole lot of guys that are hungry, especially the three guys that missed all of last year. And Louder, Williamson and Aggie Are. They they missed a whole year, they're going to be itching to get back.
Uh.
Then you throw in, of course, you got the guys that are you have two All Stars and Hunter Green and Andrew Rabbott, you have the guy that led basically the team in strikeouts and innings, and and and Brady Singer. So it's a it's a solid, solid rotation. A lot of teams would love this rotation. And Nicola, how did I forget?
Nick?
Excuse me? I'm sorry.
All good, there's so many that's a good problem to have that we're forgetting guys.
That's good.
Yeah, I'm sorry, Nick Colodola. If you're listening. Uh, but it's a it's a he's honestly when he was humming along and he's and he's injury free. He's some of the best work he's done as a big leaguer last season. So there's a lot to like about what Nick Lodola is doing and if he can stay healthy and avoid the blister issue, especially, that's a rotation that no one's going to want to face, especially if they get to the playoffs again.
One last question.
You know, last year, at this time, Terry Francona's head was swimming a little bit. He was just trying to learn the organization, learn players. How much of an asset do you think it's going to be that he's back for the second year and now really knows all the above.
Yeah, I think it's gonna be huge.
Certainly.
Like you said, he was getting the know guys. A lot of the guys he got to know during spring training, and he saw as the season went on some players got weeded out, or some players that had a lot of playing time maybe in previous seasons got less playing time this past season. I think you're going to see his thumbprint really on the team even more in twenty twenty six.
Can't wait.
We will wrap up the Budweiser Reds Hot Stove League when we come back. You're in the Reds Radio Network.
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Thanks for the final time on the Budweiser reds Hot Stove League.
I'm Jim Day with Mark Sheldon.
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They crashed the day before Christmas, but the seven o'clock report I'm Sean Gaalbager breaking now one person killed then another critically injured. This following in a crash and Sycamore talentship plate this morning near Kimwoock Town Center WDSA.
A cars speeding on Montgomery Road clipped another vehicle left the road and went airborne, hitting trees into utility polls, bringing down power lines. The driver, twenty eight year O'Connor Walshley, died from his injuries, while his passenger remains in critical condition. Both were visiting from South Carolina for the holidays. Montgomery Road near Galbrith remains closed. I'm Brady Hopkins News Radio seven hundred wlw.
And Hamilton County Sheriff's Office has put out a update saying Montgomery Road will remain closed between Galabert and Coogler Mill until around eleven o'clock tonight. Is Multiple pole replacements and rewiring continue.
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The latest traffic and weather together and taking a look at the major interstates and highways Elsewhere. Exit ramp is closed due to an accident seventy five off to westbound seventy four. The right lane of the highway is also blocked by the ramp. Police are at the scene, otherwise not seeing any new accidents now.
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Overnight we'll cool off into the upper forties, but temperatures quickly climb well into the fifties by the time most of us wake up. Christmas morning. Could also find some wet roads out there. There will be that scattered rain tonight into at least Christmas morning, maybe some mist and drizzle for the afternoon, keeping things gloomy, but temperatures well above average at fifty nine heading into Friday morning, we'll
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Radar showing a fair sky. It's forty four degrees.
A woman shot and kill that a senior living facility Tuesday in Walnut Hills has been identified. Cincinnati Police around six thirty that he responded to the Park Eaten Building on Park Avenue where a thirty one year old t Keia McCollum was found shot dead in a hallway. There's been no information from police at about a suspect as
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Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week sixteen after a forty five twenty one win at the Dolphins where a Burrow through four touchdown passes. Bengals hosting the Cardinals this Sunday with kickoff at one o'clock on seven hundred WLW. NFL tripper header coming up on Christmas Day and that could be heard right here on the Big One. The Commander's host the Cowboys at one o'clock, then four thirty the Lions visit
the Vikings. Then the primetime game has the Chiefs hosting the Broncos at a fifteen are an accepted? Is it seven thirty? I'm Sean Gaviger, News Radio seven hundred WLW.
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