Alfredo Simon is still in the rotation mix for the Cincinnati Reds. His 7.2-inning outing last night against the Milwaukee Brewers all but guaranteed that he won’t be moved to the Reds’ disastrous bullpen just yet.
Simon was off to a terrible start for the Reds this year. He missed out on spring training because he was a late free agent sign by the Reds. The lack of practice showed.
At $2 million, Simon looked like a bargain basement signing to help the Reds fill a rotation that was wrecked by injuries. His first start was a five-inning effort in which he surrendered just one earned run, then the wheels fell off for Simon. Heading into last night’s start, Simon had a 13.50 ERA over 13.1 innings.
Simon threw 111 pitches in his win against the Brewers. He didn’t issue a walk until the eighth inning and then was chased from the game after a two-run homer by the next batter,
The positive start by Simon follows quality starts by other starters in the Reds’ makeshift rotation who will be vying to keep their rotation spots once injured Reds’ starters return from the DL.
Simon will have to fend off John Lamb, Tim Adleman, Jon Moscot and Dan Straily in order to remain a starter for the Reds. The likeliest scenario is that Simon will be one of of the last to lose his rotation spot but will shift to the bullpen at some point.
If Simon can build on his last performance, the Reds might see enough of the 2014 All-Star left to keep him in the rotation even after the return of other starters. Simon finished 2014 for the Reds with 15-10 record and a 3.44 ERA in 196.1 innings.
Remaining in the rotation will also help Simon build up his free agent value. Last year, Simon made $5.5 million with the Detroit Tigers, but his 5.05 ERA in 31 starts in 2015 was bad enough to scare teams away this offseason.
The Reds could also benefit from the trade value for Simon if the soon-to-be, 35-year-old shows he can effectively shoulder the load of starting for a contending team.
Robb Hoff writes about the Cincinnati Reds for OutsidePitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
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