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Reds CIN

198887–74 (0.540)
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GM: Murray Cook

Overview

Ranks vs the 30 teams in 1988, or a custom range (defaults to every team-season since 1985, when our data starts).

to

Front Office

PoorAverageGreat
Value
Payroll $M
$10M
Surplus $M
+3
Win %
0.540
TAB
+7.3
WAB
+8.3
Roster composition
Roster fWAR
38.7
Dead money %
56%
Depth Players
7.0
Dead WAR
-4.3

Offense

PoorAverageGreat

Pitching & Defense

PoorAverageGreat

Roster

1988 depth chart — stacked by playing time

C

RBo Diaz88
LJeff Reed⇄49
RTerry McGriff32
RLloyd McClendon23

1B

RNick Esasky116
LLeon Durham⇄21
LKen Griffey Sr.⇄21
LPaul O'Neill21
RDave Concepcion16
RLloyd McClendon12
BDave Collins3

2B

LJeff Treadway97
BRon Oester49
RDave Concepcion46
LLenny Harris6
BLuis Quinones4

3B

RChris Sabo135
RBuddy Bell⇄21
LLenny Harris10
RDave Concepcion9
RMarty Brown8
BLuis Quinones4
LJeff Treadway2
RLloyd McClendon2

SS

RBarry Larkin147
RDave Concepcion13
BLuis Quinones10
BRon Oester5
RChris Sabo2

LF

LKal Daniels137
BDave Collins13
RLloyd McClendon11
LHerm Winningham⇄10
LVan Snider6
LEddie Milner2
LLeo Garcia2

CF

REric Davis125
LHerm Winningham⇄36
LEddie Milner11
LPaul O'Neill8
BDave Collins5
BRon Roenicke5
LLeo Garcia4

RF

LPaul O'Neill114
BDave Collins18
BRon Roenicke10
LHerm Winningham⇄7
RLloyd McClendon6
REric Davis5
LLeo Garcia3
LVan Snider3
LEddie Milner2

DH

—

Starters

LDanny Jackson5.2 WAR
RJose Rijo3.5 WAR
RRon Robinson1.0 WAR
LTom Browning0.8 WAR
LNorm Charlton0.4 WAR
RMario Soto0.4 WAR
RKeith Brown0.1 WAR
LDennis Rasmussen⇄-0.0 WAR
RJack Armstrong-0.1 WAR
LTim Birtsas-0.2 WAR

Bullpen

★ LJohn Franco39 sv
LRob Murphy0 h
RFrank Williams0 h
RRob Dibble0 h
LTim Birtsas0 h
LPat Perry⇄0 h
RRandy St. Claire⇄0 h
RPat Pacillo0 h

Each position shows its top 3 by games (top = starter) — click "+more" for the rest. The letter is bats/throws; ⇄ marks a player traded mid-season. Starters are ranked by WAR, bullpen by holds; ★ marks the closer (most save chances). MLB Stats API.

Key additions (new vs 1987)

PlayerfWAR
Danny Jackson5.2
Chris Sabo4.8
Jose Rijo3.5
Rob Dibble1.1
Lenny Harris0.6
Jeff Reed0.6

Key subtractions (gone from 1987)

Player1987 fWAR
Ted Power2.0
Guy Hoffman1.0
Bill Gullickson0.7
Bill Landrum0.6
Jerry Reuss0.4
Tom Hume0.2

Contract Value

WAR translated into tier-adjusted market value, then compared with what the player was paid by Reds. Guaranteed contracts from the 2015-present contract-data period use the known contract period through 1988; everyone else is shown as a 1988 season snapshot.

PlayerPeriodfWARTier Market $MPaid $MSurplus $M$ / WARTierContract
Danny Jackson 1988 +5.2 +104.6 0.4 +104.2 $0.1M 2.50× –
Kal Daniels 1988 +5.0 +82.0 0.2 +81.8 $0.0M 2.05× –
Barry Larkin 1988 +6.3 +76.1 0.1 +76.0 $0.0M 1.51× –
Eric Davis 1988 +4.3 +61.6 0.9 +60.7 $0.2M 1.79× –
Chris Sabo 1988 +4.8 +47.7 0.1 +47.6 $0.0M 1.25× –
Jose Rijo 1988 +3.5 +40.7 0.1 +40.6 $0.0M 1.44× –
Paul O'Neill 1988 +2.2 +21.1 0.1 +21.0 $0.0M 1.22× –
Jeff Treadway 1988 +1.8 +11.9 0.1 +11.8 $0.0M 0.82× –
John Franco 1988 +1.1 +11.8 0.7 +11.1 $0.6M 1.34× –
Ron Robinson 1988 +1.0 +7.8 0.4 +7.4 $0.4M 1.02× –
Tom Browning 1988 +0.8 +6.6 0.4 +6.1 $0.5M 1.02× –
Rob Murphy 1988 +1.2 +6.1 0.2 +6.0 $0.2M 0.67× –
Rob Dibble 1988 +1.1 +5.6 0.1 +5.6 $0.1M 0.67× –
Nick Esasky 1988 +1.2 +5.5 0.5 +5.0 $0.4M 0.56× –
Norm Charlton 1988 +0.4 +3.4 0.1 +3.4 $0.1M 1.02× –
Jeff Reed↔ 1988 +0.6 +2.6 0.0 +2.6 $0.1M 0.52× –
Mario Soto 1988 +0.4 +3.2 1.2 +2.0 $3.0M 1.02× –
Ron Oester 1988 +0.4 +1.8 0.3 +1.6 $0.7M 0.56× –
Bo Diaz 1988 +0.4 +1.8 0.8 +1.0 $1.9M 0.52× –
Luis Quinones 1988 +0.2 +0.8 0.1 +0.7 $0.5M 0.61× –
Terry McGriff 1988 +0.1 +0.6 0.1 +0.5 $0.5M 0.52× –
Candy Sierra↔ 1988 +0.0 +0.3 0.0 +0.3 $0.1M 0.67× –
Herm Winningham↔ 1988 +0.0 +0.1 0.1 +0.1 $3.6M 0.83× –
Dennis Rasmussen↔ 1988 -0.0 -0.1 0.2 -0.3 – 1.02× –
Lloyd McClendon 1988 -0.1 -0.2 0.1 -0.3 – 0.52× –
Eddie Milner 1988 -0.1 -0.4 0.2 -0.7 – 0.83× –
Tim Birtsas 1988 -0.2 -0.9 0.1 -1.0 – 0.67× –
Randy St. Claire↔ 1988 -0.2 -1.3 0.1 -1.4 – 0.67× –
Leon Durham↔ 1988 -0.2 -0.8 0.6 -1.5 – 0.56× –
Buddy Bell↔ 1988 -0.3 -1.5 0.2 -1.7 – 0.58× –
Dave Concepcion 1988 -0.5 -2.3 0.4 -2.6 – 0.56× –
Pat Perry↔ 1988 -0.5 -2.6 0.0 -2.6 – 0.67× –
Frank Williams 1988 -0.5 -2.4 0.4 -2.9 – 0.67× –
Dave Collins 1988 -0.7 -4.8 0.2 -4.9 – 0.83× –
Ken Griffey Sr.↔ 1988 +0.0 +0.1 0.1 -0.0 $5.0M 0.56× –
Tracy Jones↔ 1988 +0.0 +0.1 0.1 -0.0 $6.8M 0.83× –
Jack Armstrong 1988 -0.1 -1.0 – – – 1.02× –
Jeff Gray 1988 +0.0 +0.2 – – – 0.67× –
Keith Brown 1988 +0.1 +0.8 – – – 1.02× –
Lenny Harris 1988 +0.6 +3.0 – – – 0.58× –
Leo Garcia 1988 -0.4 -2.4 – – – 0.83× –
Marty Brown 1988 -0.1 -0.5 – – – 0.58× –
Pat Pacillo 1988 -0.1 -0.3 – – – 0.67× –
Ron Roenicke 1988 -0.4 -2.6 – – – 0.83× –
Van Snider 1988 +0.1 +0.3 – – – 0.83× –
Total—+38.4+484.19.7+477.2—

Trades

Every graded 1988 deal involving the Reds — best expected value first. Surplus is realized value in $M; 9 total.

1988 · CHC / CIN
CHC · Jim Frey +$18.4M
Pat Perry
CIN · Murray Cook −$18.4M
Leon Durham
CHC came out ahead by $18.4M
1988 · BOS / CIN
BOS · Lou Gorman +$55.2M
Nick Esasky, Rob Murphy
CIN · Murray Cook −$55.2M
Todd Benzinger, Jeff Sellers, Luis Vasquez
BOS came out ahead by $55.2M
1988 · CIN / CHW
CIN · Murray Cook +$3.2M
Darrell Pruitt
CHW · Larry Himes −$3.2M
Carl Willis
CIN came out ahead by $3.2M
1988 · KCR / CIN
KCR · John Schuerholz +$31.2M
Jeff Montgomery
CIN · Murray Cook −$31.2M
Van Snider
KCR came out ahead by $31.2M
1988 · CIN / CHC
CIN · Murray Cook +$3.2M
Rolando Roomes
CHC · Jim Frey −$3.2M
Lloyd McClendon
CIN came out ahead by $3.2M
1988 · CIN / CHC
CIN · Murray Cook +$2.4M
Luis Quiñones
CHC · Jim Frey −$2.4M
Bill Landrum
CIN came out ahead by $2.4M
1988 · CIN / HOU
CIN · Murray Cook +$8.0M
Carl Grovom
HOU · Bill Wood −$8.0M
Buddy Bell
CIN came out ahead by $8.0M
1988 · SDP / CIN
SDP · Jack McKeon +$52.0M
Dennis Rasmussen
CIN · Murray Cook −$52.0M
Candy Sierra
SDP came out ahead by $52.0M
1988 · WSN / CIN
WSN · Bill Stoneman +$6.4M
Tracy Jones, Pat Pacillo
CIN · Murray Cook −$6.4M
Jeff Reed, Herm Winningham, Randy St. Claire
WSN came out ahead by $6.4M

Current & Historical Payroll

1988 payroll
$9.5M

What the front office was committed to as of 1988, 1988–1994. Pre-2015 has no contract-terms data — forward italic $ are realized actuals (hindsight, not commitments known then). Control labels (ARB/FA) are point-in-time.

current $ guaranteed $ actual $ (hindsight) arbitration (proj) pre-arb (proj) free agent

Guaranteed / signed (10)

PlayerAgeSvc1988198919901991199219931994
Mario Soto3111.000$1.2MFREE AGENT
Bo Diaz3511.000$850k$900kFREE AGENT
Leon Durham308.000$646kFREE AGENT
Dave Concepcion4018.000$370kFREE AGENT
Ron Oester3210.000$290k$650k$650kFREE AGENT
Eddie Milner338.000$250kFREE AGENT
Dave Collins3513.000$175k$225kFREE AGENT
Buddy Bell3616.000$175kFREE AGENT
Ken Griffey Sr.3815.000$133k$320k$350kFREE AGENT
Ron Roenicke317.000—FREE AGENT

Arbitration-eligible (17)

PlayerAgeSvc1988198919901991199219931994
Eric Davis264.000$899kARB 3FREE AGENT
John Franco274.000$675kARB 3FREE AGENT
Nick Esasky285.000$460kFREE AGENT
Frank Williams304.000$442kARB 3FREE AGENT
Tom Browning284.000$442kARB 3FREE AGENT
Ron Robinson264.000$390kARB 3FREE AGENT
Danny Jackson265.000$390kFREE AGENT
Rob Murphy283.000$175kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Dennis Rasmussen295.000$162kFREE AGENT
Jose Rijo234.000$128kARB 3FREE AGENT
Paul O'Neill253.000$98kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Herm Winningham264.000$74kARB 3FREE AGENT
Luis Quinones265.000$74kFREE AGENT
Tim Birtsas273.000$70kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Randy St. Claire274.000$62kARB 3FREE AGENT
Jeff Reed254.000$48kARB 3FREE AGENT
Pat Perry293.000$34kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT

Pre-arbitration (18)

PlayerAgeSvc1988198919901991199219931994
Kal Daniels242.000$185kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Barry Larkin242.000$128kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Lloyd McClendon291.000$75kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Terry McGriff241.000$66kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jeff Treadway251.000$65kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Tracy Jones272.000$65kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Norm Charlton250.000$62kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Rob Dibble240.000$62kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Chris Sabo260.000$62kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Candy Sierra210.000$4kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jack Armstrong230.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Keith Brown240.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Marty Brown250.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Leo Garcia25–—
Jeff Gray250.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Lenny Harris230.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Pat Pacillo24–—
Van Snider24–—

Graphs

How each 1988 acquisition stacked onto Reds's playoff-odds curve. The side table is ranked by PPA.

Rosternomics — front-office performance, roster value, and transaction history. Follow @rosternomics on X.
Decision-maker records extend to 1933; resource-controlled WAR and payroll metrics cover 1985–2026. Data sources include FanGraphs, Baseball-Reference, the Chadwick Bureau register, the Lahman Database, prospect rankings from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and FanGraphs, and public payroll records. Transaction and trade data was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Executive birth/death data via Wikidata (CC0).
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