GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- For the third time in four days, the Reds have traded a veteran member of the club. This time, it was lefty reliever Amir Garrett who was dealt to the Royals on Wednesday for left-handed pitcher Mike Minor and cash.

¡°We have several holes that we need to fill on our Major League club,¡± Reds general manager Nick Krall said. ¡°We felt this one was one of the best ways to do it, bringing in Mike Minor. He had success in the past. He had a 4.3 FIP last year in Kansas City. We think he¡¯s a quality starting pitcher that just adds to this club for this year.¡±

In 28 starts last season, Minor was 8-12 with a 5.05 ERA. The 34-year-old is set to earn $10 million in 2022 with a $13 million club option for 2023 that has a $1 million buyout.

¡°From everything I¡¯ve heard, his arm feels great and he¡¯s healthy. If that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no question he can bounce back,¡± Reds manager David Bell said.

Trade details
Reds get: LHP Mike Minor, cash considerations
Royals get: LHP Amir Garrett

Garrett, 29, endured his worst season in 2021 while posting a 6.04 ERA in 63 appearances. But in 90 games combined over 2019-20, he had a 3.03 ERA. He was also a popular leader in the clubhouse and a 2020 Good Guy Award winner, as voted by the local chapter of the BBWAA.

While he was still playing college basketball, the Reds made Garrett a 22nd-round pick in the 2011 MLB Draft knowing he also had a baseball background. Once he became a full-time baseball player, he soon developed into a prospect.

¡°That, to me, I'm forever grateful to this organization. They've believed in me from Day 1,¡± Garrett said. ¡°It's tough because I love it here. I love Cincinnati. I took pride every single time I went out there and pitched, I took pride for Cincinnati, whether it was good or bad, I gave it my all. It's tough. I'm going to give it my all for Kansas City now.¡±

Cincinnati dealt starter Sonny Gray to the Twins on Sunday and outfielder Jesse Winker and third baseman Eugenio Su¨¢rez to the Mariners a day later.

Those deals cleared salary from the team¡¯s payroll. But Wednesday¡¯s trade actually adds to it, since Garrett -- who is in his second year of arbitration -- earned $1.5 million in 2021. Kansas City is kicking in $500,000 to the Reds to cover half of Minor¡¯s option buyout.?

In November, the Reds let another veteran lefty starter in Wade Miley get claimed on waivers by the Cubs. Miley had a $10 million club option for 2022, which Chicago exercised.

¡°For us, we had to get to budget at some point,¡± Krall said. ¡°The last move [to trade Winker and Su¨¢rez] was able to get under budget, so we were able to add to this club and hopefully we can keep adding some more players.¡±

Minor will give the Reds a starter who can eat innings. During his second stint with Kansas City last season, he led that club in starts, innings (158 2/3) and strikeouts (149).

Over his 10-year career, Minor is 79-78 with a 4.11 ERA for the Braves, Royals, Rangers and A¡¯s. He missed two full seasons in 2015-16 recovering from left shoulder surgery that repaired a torn labrum. As a reliever for the Royals in ¡¯17, he posted a 2.55 ERA in 65 appearances.

While a starting pitcher for Texas in ¡¯19, Minor was an American League All-Star while he posted a 14-10 record and 3.59 ERA. A former college player for Vanderbilt, he worked with current Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson.

With Gray and Miley no longer in Cincinnati, Minor adds a veteran presence to a rotation headlined by Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle. Second-year pitcher Vladimir Gutierrez is also expected to claim a role, while the fifth spot is up for grabs among multiple candidates, most of whom are prospects like Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo.

¡°I think that balances really nice,¡± Bell said. ¡°It all works together having the veteran, and the experience is really valuable. Our focus right now is to keep getting better and to have a great team this year. Add that veteran in, it makes it easier to get there quicker.¡±

The flurry of Reds moves this week -- that has seen both payroll cuts and additions -- has been dizzying, especially for the start of a Spring Training and after the end of a 99-day lockout.

¡°It feels like a combination of the Trade Deadline, the Winter Meetings and every other deadline you could meet,¡± Krall said.

More changes could be coming as Bell and Krall try to assemble an Opening Day roster.

¡°I don¡¯t exactly know how it's going to come together,¡± Bell said. ¡°It¡¯s not entirely clear, but I know we¡¯re getting better in a really weird way to get to where we want to be.¡±