Boring names could be part of intriguing plans for Cincinnati Reds

CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 05: Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price takes the ball from starting pitcher Robert Stephenson #55 in the sixth inning against the New York Mets at Great American Ball Park on September 5, 2016 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Mets defeated the Reds 5-0. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 05: Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price takes the ball from starting pitcher Robert Stephenson #55 in the sixth inning against the New York Mets at Great American Ball Park on September 5, 2016 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Mets defeated the Reds 5-0. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

This Cincinnati Reds offseason seems like it is going to continue to be quiet right up until the time it isn’t anymore.

There are a handful of moves waiting out there to happen at any moment – such as moving one or both of the team's starting middle infielders, bolstering the rotation and adding bench depth – but the most interesting situation involves the bullpen.

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Even before using individual relievers for multiple innings became all the rage in the postseason, manager Bryan Price told WLW shortly after the Reds’ season ended he was interested in a sea change as far as managing his bullpen.

Rather than rely pretty much exclusively on one-inning and even one-batter specialists, he would like to use multiple relievers for multiple innings on a regular basis.

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Even before Indians manager Terry Francona liberally deployed Andrew Miller and Cody Allen in October, Reds fans got a taste of such a plan via Price’s usage of Raisel Iglesias and Michael Lorenzen.

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Two guys won't be nearly enough to pull off such a strategy for a full season, of course, as Price admitted in the aforementioned radio appearance and reiterated in December.

That makes a recent report from MLB.com naming a handful of names the Reds could consider as they continue building for 2017 more interesting than it first might seem.

Joe Blanton, Neftali Feliz, Bud Norris, Greg Holland, Carlos Villanueva and former Red Matt Belisle may not inspire much excitement on their own, but the plans to try things differently next summer are intriguing.

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