January 1-31

After a fifth place finish to the 1989 season, the 1990 Cincinnati Reds were not expected to be a major factor in the National League West. In the autumn of 1989, Bob Quinn replaced Murray Cook as general manager of the club, and Lou Piniella was named the team's new manager. Surely it would take the new personnel a few years to build a competitive team. On the player side of the equation, questions surrounded the ability of the arms in the starting rotation. Only one player, Barry Larkin, finished the 1989 season with a batting average above .300. And there were concerns about the health of many returning players.

The Reds did draw some attention with a few December transactions. Arguably, the biggest move involved trading reliever John Franco and minor leaguer Don Brown to the New York Mets in exchange for pitchers Kip Gross and Randy Myers. Franco became the Reds all-time leader in saves in 1988, and some fans believed the deal made the bullpen weaker. Less than a week later, the Reds traded pitcher Tim Leary and outfielder Van Snider to the New York Yankees for minor leaguer Rodney Imes and a young player named Hal Morris. Pitcher Tim Layana was also added to the roster via the Rule 5 draft.

As the 1989 calendar year drew to a close, Cincinnati sports fans were disappointed about the .500 season just completed by the Bengals. The Reds' chances didn't seem much better.

February 1-28

As the 1990 calendar flipped from January to February, baseball labor negotiations became a source of intense focus. The five-year Basic Agreement between owners and players expired on December 31, 1989, and the two sides were trying to resolve long-standing disagreements surrounding free agency and arbitration.

Owners were concerned about escalating player salaries as a result of collusion restraints being removed. Their proposal to the players included a salary cap for every club, a pay-for- performance system for players with zero to six years of major league experience, and a 48% share of revenue from ticket sales and national and local television and radio contracts paid to the players.

The player proposal included eligibility for salary arbitration after two years of major league service, an increase in the minimum salary, triple damages for collusion, a continuation of the current formula of owners' contributions to the players' pension and health insurance plans, and an increase in roster size from 24 to 25 players.

March 1-31

In early March, over two weeks had passed since the owners had locked the players out of spring training camps. Commissioner Faye Vincent continued to take part in negotiations in the hope of reaching a speedy settlement to the dispute between the players and owners. Baseball's owners were concerned about lost revenue that would result from an extended delay to the season or a possible players strike before the end of the season if the owners forced the players to open the season on time. As a result, the owners relented on many of their initial bargaining demands which shifted the leverage in the dispute to the side of the players.

After many meetings to agree upon a final compromise, the labor dispute was finally resolved on March 19. Spring training camps would open the following day, but only three weeks of spring practice would precede the start of the regular season. Extending the spring season any further would have likely led to less than 162 games being played during the 1990 season. Players, coaches, owners, and fans were anxious for the season to begin, but the shortened spring would almost certainly result in a slow start for teams with new coaching staffs or new players. In Cincinnati, Reds fans were even more disenchanted than in other cities. In addition to the lock-out, Reds fans were bogged down with the recent Pete Rose gambling allegations and suspension as well as the team's inability to win a division title since 1979.

April 1 - May 2

When the March calendar flipped to April, spring training camps had been open for less than two weeks; the opening of the season was just nine days away. The abbreviated spring meant that the Reds would have to make decisions on roster spots very quickly, perhaps even cutting players who may not have had a chance to play in an exhibition game. It also caused concern amongst the coaches and the players when it came to preparing for the long season ahead. Manager Lou Piniella had a particularly keen eye on the pitching staff. Avoiding injury, establishing a pitching schedule for the preseason, and becoming mentally prepared for game situations were major areas of focus. The Reds would only play 16 games in 14 days during the preseason-before the spring lock-out, the Reds were originally scheduled to play 30 games.

The Reds added outfielder Billy Hatcher in a trade with Pittsburgh in early April, but the transaction did not draw a great deal of fanfare. When spring games ended in Florida, the Reds turned their sights to the Houston Astrodome, the location of the opening game of the 1990 season. Because of the labor dispute, the Reds were forced to open the season away from Cincinnati for only the second time in the 20th century.

May 3-31

June 1-30

July 1-31