"This is tanking at its absolute ugliest" MLB insider Jeff Passan calls out Cincinnati Reds' early-season slump, club's record is among worst in league history

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Cincinnati Reds v Colorado Rockies

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The 2022 Cincinnati Reds season has gone from bad to worse. The team is by far the worst team in the MLB. With a record of 3-22, the abysmal play has sparked comments from everyone from veteran slugger Joey Votto to brash owner Phil Castellini regarding what to do.

The last time the Reds had such a morbid start to the season was in 2018. A poor start four years ago was enough for the Reds to fire the manager and regroup to just below .500 in the month of May. However, no such moves have been made this season as the Reds continue their freefall down the standings.

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Cincinnati Reds are the worst team in baseball. Could tanking be the explanation for their calamitous 2022 season?

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The poor performance by the Reds has led some observers and experts to accuse the team of tanking. Tanking is the practice of deliberately losing games in hopes of obtaining some sort of consolation, usually the chance to obtain high draft picks in the following year's MLB entry draft.

MLB commentator Jeff Pasan certainly thinks so, and has taken aim at the Cincinnati Reds for tanking.

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Jeff Passan

@JeffPassan

The Cincinnati Reds are now 3-22.

They have scored an NL-worst 79 runs. If they doubled that, it would still be fewer runs than they've allowed, 166.

Their 6.90 ERA is a full two runs worse than the next-worst team. Not nice at all.

This is tanking at its absolute ugliest.

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The Cincinnati Reds are now 3-22.

They have scored an NL-worst 79 runs. If they doubled that, it would still be fewer runs than they've allowed, 166.

Their 6.90 ERA is a full two runs worse than the next-worst team. Not nice at all.

This is tanking at its absolute ugliest.

"The Cincinnati Reds are now 3-22. They have scored an NL-worst 79 runs. If they doubled that, it would still be fewer runs than they've allowed, 166. Their 6.90 ERA is a full two runs worse than the next-worst team. Not nice at all. This is tanking at its absolute ugliest" - @ Jeff Passan

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Another theory espoused by fans is that the ownership regime of Phil Castellini does not care about wins and just want to keep costs as low as possible by skipping out on talent acquisition. Castellini has been the focus of a lot of criticism for his comments made over the years, especially his recent remarks to Reds fans that he eventually apologized for.

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Steve Mancuso

@spmancuso

The Reds aren’t tanking for a draft pick. They’re lowering payroll just for the sake of making more money. There’s no baseball plan. They don’t care about fans or putting the best team on the field. twitter.com/jeffpassan/sta…

Jeff Passan

@JeffPassan

And to add insult to insult, the Reds have only a 16.5% chance at the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 because of the new draft lottery.

Even worse: Teams cannot receive lottery picks in three straight seasons, so if Cincinnati doesn't try to win by 2025, the earliest it picks is 7th.

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And to add insult to insult, the Reds have only a 16.5% chance at the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 because of the new draft lottery.

Even worse: Teams cannot receive lottery picks in three straight seasons, so if Cincinnati doesn't try to win by 2025, the earliest it picks is 7th.

The Reds aren’t tanking for a draft pick. They’re lowering payroll just for the sake of making more money. There’s no baseball plan. They don’t care about fans or putting the best team on the field. twitter.com/jeffpassan/sta…

"The Reds aren’t tanking for a draft pick. They’re lowering payroll just for the sake of making more money. There’s no baseball plan. They don’t care about fans or putting the best team on the field." - @ Steve Mancuso

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Regardless of the reason for the disaster that the 2022 Cincinnati Reds season is becoming, things are not good. The Reds are on track to win only about 30 games this year, which could be the worst record in the history of baseball.

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