You’ll have to excuse Reds and A’s fans if they miss the good ol’ days of the lockout that shut down the sport for 99 days this offseason. At least when nothing was happening, well, nothing was happening.
When the MLB owners finally moved off their hard-line positions, actually started legitimate give-and-take bargaining and met the players in the middle — well, middle-ish — and the new CBA was voted on and ratified, baseball roared back into action. There were free agents to be signed and players to be traded — and then reality came crashing down for fans of two franchises that were oh-so-close to a playoff spot in 2021.
MORE: MLB free-agency tracker: Live updates on news, rumors
Baseball’s been back for a little more than a week now, and both fan bases have had to say goodbye to player favorites and modern-day icons. The thing is, they’re not alone.
Let’s take a look at five fan bases that have been largely depraved of good news since the lockout stalemate ended on March 9.
1. Reds
The new CBA ushers in an era of expanded playoffs, from 10 teams to 12 teams; three division winners and three wild-card teams in each league. If that 12-team format had been in place for the 2021 season, the Reds would have made the playoffs. Their 83 wins were well back of the second wild-card team last year (the Cardinals, with 90 wins) but one more than the Phillies, who were the only other non-playoff team in the NL with more than 79 wins.
And at least on the surface, the 2022 season had potential. It was no secret that slugger Nick Castellanos would opt-out of his contract — that was a no-brainer, considering his age and production in 2021 — but the Reds had pretty much every other key piece either under contract or under club control. The lineup was solid, with eight players who had double-digit homers coming back, led by All-Star Jesse Winker, Rookie of the Year Jonathan India and future Hall of Famer Joey Votto, who had an outstanding 2021 campaign.
The rotation looked solid — four starters who made at least 26 starts, all with ERAs of 4.19 or better (no small task in that Cincy ballpark) — and phenom Hunter Greene seemed ready to make an impact in 2022. It’s not hard to imagine a Cincinnati team getting into the playoffs with that combination, then becoming a dangerous team, with Luis Castillo and Greene atop the rotation, and Sonny Gray, Tyler Mahle and Wade Miley filling out the rotation.
Instead, the Reds almost immediately signaled their intentions before the lockout, trading veteran catcher Tucker Barnhart — a fan favorite — to the Tigers for next to nothing, then letting Miley walk instead of offering arbitration. The truth is, even with those two dispatched for salary reasons, the Reds still had the pieces to be a contender, not just for the wild card but for the division, with a couple of additions. And that’s the hope that Reds fans clung to throughout the lockout, that maybe the plan had changed. Maybe the expanded playoffs convinced the front office — well, let’s be honest, the ownership — that keeping the crew together was a good idea.
Nope. First, Gray was traded. Then came the move that broke the spirit of Reds fans: the club shipped out Winker — he’d been drafted in 2012, came up through the system and became a true home-grown star right in front of the fans — to Seattle in a deal that, oh yeah, included Eugenio Suarez, who has a per-162-game average of 41 home runs.
It didn’t matter what GM Nick Krall talked about regarding sustainability and long-term health. All Reds fans know is what actually happened: The Reds shipped out players — fan favorites — who could have helped the club reach the postseason, and made the fans wish for the salad days of the lockout.
Oh, and one final kick in the pants? Know how the Reds always play Opening Day at home because that's sacred baseball tradition? Not happening this year. The lockout pushed everything back and the Reds start their season in Atlanta. Sorry, Reds fans. You deserve better.
2. A’s
It was no secret that the A’s were expected to conduct what was essentially a fire sale at some point this offseason, trading anyone and everyone who could fetch a return. But that didn’t happen before the lockout, and A’s fans probably thought what the Reds fans did: “Maybe it won’t happen?” After all, the A’s did win 86 games last season, and in most years with the expanded playoff scenario that will be enough to either get a wild-card spot or be right in the mix down the stretch.
Then, the lockout ended. Chris Bassitt was traded to the Mets. Matt Olson was dealt to the Braves, and then immediately signed an eight-year deal with his new team. And then the other Matt dropped, as Matt Chapman was sent to Toronto to be part of the Blue Jays’ playoff push the next few seasons.
The thing is, the sale isn’t done. Like Bassitt, starters Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas figure to be out the door before Opening Day arrives. Fan favorite Tony Kemp could be moved. Same with closer Lou Trivino. You get the idea.
A’s fans do, too. Gotta feel for them.
MORE: Breaking down Freddie Freeman’s contract with the Dodgers
3. Yankees
Yankees fans were primed for a huge offseason. They had needs on the field, and the options in free agency — or the trade market — seemed to match up perfectly. They needed a shortstop, and whaddya know, this might have been the greatest free-agent shortstop class of all time.
It didn’t matter which one of the big three they got, either: Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien or even Trevor Story or Javier Baez. And they needed a first basemen. Everyone knew the A’s were going to trade All-Star Matt Olson, and on the off chance Freddie Freeman didn’t re-sign with Atlanta, that short porch in Yankee Stadium’s right field would certainly be very appealing to the left-handed slugger.
Instead?
The Yankees brought back veteran Anthony Rizzo to play first base, on a two-year deal.
Lots of first-base options on the market. Not sure Rizzo is the one you'd want your team to wind up with.
— Ryan Fagan (@ryanfagan) March 16, 2022
His numbers dropped steeply in 2020-21. And after his big first week with the Yankees, he batted just .229 with a .312 obp and .685 OPS in his last 173 PAs of 2021. https://t.co/0Gsd7WW5y9
Underwhelming, no doubt. At shortstop, they traded for Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a soon-to-be 27-year-old with a career 81 OPS+. Yankees fans are, to say the least, underwhelmed. Kiner-Falefa could be a solid piece to the New York puzzle. Even if he’s not the long-term shortstop — the Yankees have a couple of stud prospects at the position who should be ready by 2023 or so — he can play third or second and he’s even caught 66 games in the majors. How’s that for versatility?
But for a fan base that had their sights set on Correa, Seager, Semien, Baez or Story, it’s not quite up to expectations.
4. Cardinals
Here we have yet another scenario. Though Cardinals fans might have spent the lockout convincing themselves that Freddie Freeman wouldn’t mind being the DH, with occasional starts at first when Paul Goldschmidt wanted a breather, or spent the days dreaming of signing Nolan Arenado’s buddy Trevor Story to play shortstop, most Cardinals fans knew there were no big moves on the horizon. And even with the current roster, this team would certainly be good enough to reach the NL postseason.
But, yikes, the early days of spring training have not been kind. First, reports surfaced that Alex Reyes was experiencing shoulder issues. Then, Jack Flaherty was reported to have his own shoulder issues. Neither pitcher is expected to be ready to start the season on April 7. That’s not what you want. Because the players and team were not allowed to communicate during the lockout, the club learned of the issues when the players reported to camp.
And it’s probably nothing, but veteran catcher Yadier Molina — heading into what he’s said will be his final season — has yet to report to camp, dealing with “personal issues” that have delayed his arrival.
5. Padres
The best thing about the lockout ending — well, one of the best things — is that we would all finally get to see baseball’s deep group of young, exciting superstars. Vlad Guerrero Jr. was back. So was Juan Soto. So was Fernando Tatis Jr. Gonna have to press pause on that one.
Turns out, during that time when teams were forbidden from communicating with their players, Tatis broke his wrist in a motorcycle accident. Yikes. Want a double yikes? Here ya go.
Probably not a great thing, when Fernando Tatis was asked when his motorcycle accident happened, he responded, 'which one.'
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) March 14, 2022
Tatis had surgery this week and he’s out for three months. That’s not exactly how the Padres, who collapsed down the stretch last year, wanted to kick off spring training.
