There was a time when the Cincinnati Reds were one of the most dominant teams in baseball. In their history, they’ve won ten division titles, nine pennants, two wild-card berths, and five World Series. In recent years, the Reds are a far cry from what they once were. Since Bob Castellini purchased the team, the Reds have only gone to the postseason four times without advancing past the NLDS. Given their on-field woes and most recently their public relations blunders, I believe the Reds have become a joke.
A Failing Ownership
When Bob Castellini first purchased the Reds in 2006, he said that the team was being bought to win and that nothing else would be acceptable. Since Castellini has owned the team, Cincinnati has gone 1,255-1,397, only had five winning seasons, and they’ve only appeared in the postseason four times not advancing past the NLDS. They are currently just one of seven teams to not make it to the NLCS in recent years.
Unnecessary Payroll Reduction
Last offseason and despite just missing the postseason, the Reds decided to have an unnecessary fire sale. They traded away stars Jesse Winker, Sonny Gray, Tucker Barnhart, Amir Garrett, and Eugenio Suarez. They placed pitcher Wade Miley on waivers and let Nick Castellanos leave as a free agent. After having a payroll of $125.90 million in 2021, they have sharply reduced it to $82 million in 2023. Only the Rays, Pirates, Orioles, and Athletics have spent less money.
The Owner’s Stupid And Spoiled Son
Naturally, Reds fans criticized the team for the lack of success. Some even went as far as to put up a billboard encouraging Bob Castellini to sell the team. Fans are angry and want an explanation. Enter Bob Castellini’s stupid son Phil.
Phil Castellini is the president and chief operating officer of the Cincinnati Reds. He runs the day-to-day operations of the franchise not because he’s qualified. He just happens to be the son of the team owner which is the only reason he has the job. Sports after all are a nepotism-friendly business. I’m not even sure if Phil had a formal interview for the job.
On opening day, when pressed about the fan criticism, the younger Castellini responded by saying “where you gonna go?” He even went as far as to imply that the team could move somewhere else. Later, he would double down on his statement before eventually offering a half-hearted apology through a statement. Rather than try to bring the fan base together by explaining why the off-season moves were made, he just alienated the fan base. Rather than celebrating baseball returning, he made the day about himself. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Phil is Bob’s son, he would have been fired had he worked for anyone else.
The Fans Found Somewhere To Go
Given Phil Castellini’s public relations disaster, the offseason fire sale, and the Reds woes on the field; attendance dropped by over one million fans. Across 79 home games last season, the Reds drew 1,387,947. This was the lowest attendance in the history of Great American Ballpark. It was also the lowest attendance they’ve had as a franchise since 1984 when they were at Riverfront Stadium. Last year also marked the first time in over 40 years where the Reds lost over 100 games. The fans clearly met Phil’s challenge of finding somewhere to go.
Phil Castellini Once Again Alienating The Fan Base
Every offseason, the Reds have a luncheon for the Rosie Reds. This is a group of Reds fans who are basically the hype squad for the team. They’ll also do anything to get the casual Reds fan excited about the team. During this event and not a year after his infamous Opening Day remarks, Phil once again angered the fans.
During his talk, Phil could’ve talked about the up-and-coming prospects, the promising young pitchers in Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and Graham Ashcraft, or expected improvements for 2023. However, Phil decided to use the platform to complain about Major League Baseball itself. It was basically an speech on why the Reds are a bad team. Much to the dismay of the room, he even said that the team is run like a non-profit organization. Rather than give the fan base reason to be optimistic, Phil again made them feel pessimistic. It’s fairly obvious that Phil is living up to the “Clueless Castellini” moniker.
Reds Fans Don’t Deserve This
While there are many disparities in baseball, no owner can argue that they are poor. The fact that Castellini’s won’t spend money to put a decent product on the field is perplexing. Many teams go through rebuilding seasons, nobody can stay a champion forever. However, no team ownership has gone this low to alienate their fan base while putting a horrible product on the field.
The Cincinnati Reds were once a proud and successful franchise. Now they are only consistent at putting a horrible team on the field and alienating their fan base. Instead of winning, the Reds have been stuck in the “dead Reds era.” Reds fans don’t deserve this treatment. Bob along with his idiotic son Phil have made the Reds the laughingstock of Major League Baseball.
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