Reds GM takes responsibility for 3-22 start: 'They should blame me'
Reds general manager Nick Krall shoulders the blame for a disastrous start to the 2022 campaign following Cincinnati's 22nd loss in 25 games.
"If somebody wants to blame somebody, they should blame me," Krall said Thursday after the Reds lost their ninth straight contest, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. "We don't have enough depth to combat this. Did we do a good enough job in the offseason of signing players, making trades? Maybe not."
The Reds traded away Jesse Winker, Eugenio Suarez, Sonny Gray, Amir Garrett, and Tucker Barnhart over the winter to shed payroll, allowed Nick Castellanos to walk in free agency, and lost Wade Miley on waivers.
Cincinnati also currently has 15 players on the injured list, including Joey Votto, Luis Castillo, and Jonathan India.
"It's hard to make excuses. There are a lot of good people in this organization who have done really good jobs. Right now, we're in a perfect storm, and we're trying to dig our way out of it," Krall added.
Team president and chief operating officer Phil Castellini threw gasoline on the fire in mid-April when he challenged upset fans by questioning their loyalty.
The Reds have the worst record in baseball thanks to a minus-87 run differential. The second-worst club has five more wins than Cincinnati.