Reds Make a Ripple, Sign 2 Relievers

Is a splash forthcoming?

Nothing’s more risky than knee-jerk evaluations of baseball trades, unless it’s knee-jerk evaluations of baseball trades before trade season is done. We’re not risk-averse here, though, so we can say about the Emilio Pagan/Nick Martinez acquisitions. . .

Cool. What’s next?

Signing two 8th-inning types while spending a possible $22 million — Pagan $8 mil, Martinez $14 mil — this season is a good start. It’s also a shrewd play for a small-money club neither willing nor able to spend stupid money on mediocre available starting pitchers.