Nick Castellanos: Cincinnati Reds' fan base 'suffocating' because of ownership

A feature from ESPN.com's Jesse Rogers about how the new Collective Bargaining Agreement hasn't helped fix tanking in Major League Baseball - quoting former Cincinnati Reds Nick Castellanos and Michael Lorenzen in addition to the Angels' Jared Walsh about Jesse Winker - isn't what Reds ownership was looking for during Tuesday's Reds Opening Day celebration.

Castellanos praised the Phillies' ownership in an interview last month, saying, "At the end of the day, baseball comes down to ownership. The owner either wants to invest and cares about winning or doesn't. ... So Philadelphia should be pumped that that guy is behind the Phillies."

Quotes about the Reds from Rogers' story:

"It's just a classic example of ownership using organizations as profit," former Reds and current Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos said recently. "When ... there are no consequences for losing, you're not held accountable for your performance."

"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."

"I'm held accountable to be the best I can be otherwise I'm sent down or released," said Michael Lorenzen, another former Reds player who joined the Angels during the offseason. "There should be something for teams, too.

"The standard should be the best in the world, not to be the best of the worst."

"I don't know everyone's farm system, but I'll guess that the Reds don't have someone at Triple-A as good as Jesse Winker," said Jared Walsh, the Angels' player rep with the MLBPA, with a half-smile.

From ESPN's Jeff Passan via Twitter:

Reds president and COO Phil Castellini apologized Tuesday night after pregame remarks he made to fans pushing for an ownership change.

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