Reds President Phil Castellini Apologizes for Comments About Moving Team

AP Photo/Aaron Doster

Cincinnati Reds President Phil Castellini apologized Tuesday after making comments that implied moving the Reds elsewhere to put the franchise in a better position to succeed.

“I apologize to Reds fans and regret the comments that I made earlier today,” Castellini said in a statement, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. “We love this city, we love this team, and we love our fans. I understand how our fans feel and I am sorry.”

Castellini’s comments occurred during a conversation with Scott Sloan and Mo Egger of Cincinnati’s News Radio 700WLW.

The Reds have come under fire after parting ways with some of the best players from last year’s team, including Nick Castellanos, Eugenio Suarez, Sonny Gray and Jesse Winker. FanGraphs currently projects the Reds to finish with a 75-87 record.

Cincinnati ultimately didn’t appear to put the team in position to compete this year, but Castellini asked fans to “show a little faith in us.”

When asked about that remark and why fans should keep the faith, Castellini said in part (h/t Fletcher Keel of WLWT 5):

“Well, where are you going to go? Let’s start there. Sell the team to who? You want to have this debate? If you want to look at what would you do with this team to be more profitable, make more money, compete more in the current economic system that this game exists, it would be to pick it up and move it somewhere else. So, be careful what you ask for.”

Castellanos, who is now a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, made some remarks about the Cincinnati’s rebuild to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.

“What sucks is in a great city like Cincinnati where the fan base is impeccable, it’s suffocating,” Castellanos said, “because of ownership. I’m not saying that they are bad people. The system is bad.”

The Reds have started this year 2-3. They will close out a two-game home series with the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday at 12:35 p.m. ET.