Series Preview: Pirates at Reds

Coming out of a normal offseason, the Reds would be notable, but not unique. A team — with or without any expectations of reaching the postseason — adding actual, veteran major leaguers shouldn’t exactly be an anomaly.

The 2018-19 Major League Baseball offseason, though, was an excruciatingly boring slog at best, a sinister, collusion-filled precursor to labor strife at worst. Cincinnati trading for Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood, Tanner Roark and Sonny Gray is somehow a weird thing. Most of the league spent the winter hell-bent on staying about the same, not wanting to take on too much of a financial obligation for too long a time.

The Pirates, who half-assed offseasons before it was cool, head to Cincinnati to open the 2019 season. There are honest reasons for hope, but at the very least there are ballgames to watch.

• The Reds took a serious blow when Scooter Gennett suffered a right groin strain late in spring training. He’ll be out for eight to 12 weeks.
• Top prospect Nick Senzel, naturally a third baseman, was moved around the diamond where he might crack the Reds’ lineup sooner, but he was still, unpopularly, demoted. That didn’t change with Gennett’s injury, and Senzel himself has since gotten hurt.
• The Reds finalized their Opening Day roster, keeping Wandy Peralta and the optionless, once-promising Robert Stephenson in the bullpen and exposing the optionless, once-promising Matt Wisler to waivers.

Schedule

Thursday, 4:10 p.m. — Jameson Taillon vs. Luis Castillo, TV: AT&T SportsNet

Saturday, 2:10 p.m. — Trevor Williams vs. Sonny Gray, TV: AT&T SportsNet

Sunday, 1:10 p.m. — Joe Musgrove vs. Tanner Roark, TV: AT&T SportsNet