Scott

Barlow

It was surprising to see Gibaut up for the ninth, but the Reds ran through their better arms early; Scott Barlow, Emilio Pagán and Tony Santillan each pitched perfect innings that included two strikeouts. Gibaut, who was non-tendered by the Reds over the winter before being re-signed to a minor league deal, went on to give up three hits, including a three-run homer to Wilmer Flores. There wouldn’t have been much reason to pick up Gibaut in fantasy leagues had he succeeded today, and there certainly isn’t any now. Santillan is probably the current favorite for saves, with Barlow, who is throwing particularly well, maybe next in line.

Diaz’ rough spring concludes with a hamstring injury that will have him sidelined to start the season. The 28-year-old right-hander had a 13.50 ERA in four spring training appearances after missing time with a knee issue. Now that Diaz is beginning the year on the injured list, Taylor Rogers, Scott Barlow, Emilio Pagan or some combination of the three will close games for the Reds and new manager Terry Francona. There isn’t a clear return timetable at this juncture, but fantasy managers should expect him to be sidelined into mid-to-late April.

Reds manager Terry Francona had some pointed commentary last Saturday after Díaz walked three batters and was charged with five runs while recording only out out against the Royals. The 28-year-old’s sudden control problems, after missing time earlier in camp with a knee issue, could potentially open the door for veteran southpaw Taylor Rogers, who has 83 career saves, or another experienced alternative like Scott Barlow or Emilio Pagán to open the year as Cincinnati’s closer. There’s still time for Díaz to turn things around, but it wouldn’t be shocking if Francona is unwilling to trust him in high-leverage spots at the outset of the regular season.

Díaz dealt with a knee problem earlier in the spring. His velocity is fine now, but his control obviously isn’t; he’s walked five, hit a batter and struck out only one in 2 1/3 innings this spring. We didn’t have much faith in him being a quality reliever this year coming into the spring, so obviously nothing has improved in that regard. Scott Barlow or Emilio Pagán might wind up getting save opportunities pretty early on this year.

Barlow’s velocity last year was down about four mph from peak, but he appears to have gotten about half of that back, as he averaged 92.9 mph with his fastball and 93.7 mph with his sinker today. It’s worthy of note in a weak Cincinnati pen with no clear No. 2 behind the shaky Alexis Díaz.

The move was reported earlier this week and is now official. Barlow will join Taylor Rogers as reinforcements at the back end of the Reds’ bullpen and could be an option for saves if Alexis Diaz struggles with his command again in 2025. Julian Aguiar was placed on the 60-day IL to make room on the 40-man roster.

Barlow is worth a flier at that price, but with his velocity down some and his walk rate climbing, he’s been mediocre the last two seasons. The Guardians cut him in early September last season after he posted a 4.25 ERA in 55 innings.

Barlow made 63 appearances for the Guardians this year, and he registered a 4.25 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 55 innings. Not horrible numbers, but not what a small market (cheap) organization is looking for from someone who was making $6.7 million. It wouldn’t be a surprise at all if a team made a waiver claim on Barlow, and he’ll likely decline an outright if he isn’t.

Barlow appeared in 63 games for the Guardians and forged a 4.25 ERA while striking out 68 batters in 55 innings. Those aren’t horrible numbers, but a little disappointing for a player making $6.7 million — especially for a small market (cheap) organization. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Barlow was claimed off waivers, and if not, he’ll likely decline his outright to Triple-A.

Barlow got the call to protect a one-run lead in the final frame with Emmanuel Clase presumably unavailable after pitching four of the last five days, including a 25-pitch outing on Sunday in a save against the Blue Jays. The 31-year-old righty figures to pick up the occasional save going forward, but isn’t exactly fantasy-relevant at the moment.