Former Coach Reveals Reds Ownership Made Surprising Move During COVID

The Cincinnati Reds ownership group, the Castellinis, catch a lot of heat from fans, including me at times.

However, when I had the chance to interview former Reds Pitching Director Kyle Boddy on Tuesday, he told a story that many of the fans or I had never heard before regarding the Castellinis.

In June of 2020, Major League Baseball announced that the minor league season would be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many teams during this time laid off coaches and took away stipends from minor league players. The Reds were one of the few teams that did not.

"The Reds chose to pay the minor league players' stipend during COVID before almost any organization, and they didn't fire any coaches," Boddy told me. "Many other organizations worth much more than the Reds fired coaches, furloughed them, got out of the contracts, and they just didn't do that...I always like telling that story because the Castellinis were always supportive of our coaches and scouts."

While fans get frustrated because of the budget constraints around the Major League squad, it was cool to hear about a behind-the-scenes gesture that didn't get much public attention.

"All I can say is how the Castellinis treated me and my coaches, and to say I have no complaints, I would be underselling it considerably. What they did for my coaches and players, I didn't ask for any of it. They just did it. Honestly, I asked for something much less, and they exceeded it."

You can listen to our whole interview with Boddy below: