Fair enough. Objectively, you're probably right that it's the injuries and of course they could still make a run. It's just been a crazy year in terms of throwing away close games and it's hard for me to blame that on injuries.I guess I'm still in the honeymoon phase. I think we are wasting a year of the best top to bottom starting pitching the Reds have had in my lifetime, but I disagree that the rest of the roster is all that good. They came into this season with an unknown commodity in center, a collection of part-time players in left, and a SS, catcher, and 3b all of whom had major offensive question marks. Oh yeah, and their best hitter was coming off knee surgery.
Fortunately, Hamilton has done well, Frazier is having a nice season, and Mesoraco is out of this world from what he had shown before. But, given what everyone else has done, I don't see how Price is much at fault. If everyone was hitting .280-.290, you can bet they wouldn't be near as aggressive on the basepaths.
Bullpen I don't find a whole lot of fault with Price either. You had to keep Simon in the rotation, Hoover and Ondrusek have been arsonists all year, so when Broxton and Chapman aren't available, there isn't much else to do but chuck LeCure and Parra out there and hope for the best. Those guys seem like they go on a streak of 8-10 outings where they are invincible and then go two weeks where they get absolutely shelled.
TLDR; bottom line I think Price has been ok, and this team's issues are injuries and lack of major-league quality talent to replace guys who get hurt or don't produce. That's on Castellini and Jocketty.
Right on cue. ####.Fair enough. Objectively, you're probably right that it's the injuries and of course they could still make a run. It's just been a crazy year in terms of throwing away close games and it's hard for me to blame that on injuries.I guess I'm still in the honeymoon phase. I think we are wasting a year of the best top to bottom starting pitching the Reds have had in my lifetime, but I disagree that the rest of the roster is all that good. They came into this season with an unknown commodity in center, a collection of part-time players in left, and a SS, catcher, and 3b all of whom had major offensive question marks. Oh yeah, and their best hitter was coming off knee surgery.
Fortunately, Hamilton has done well, Frazier is having a nice season, and Mesoraco is out of this world from what he had shown before. But, given what everyone else has done, I don't see how Price is much at fault. If everyone was hitting .280-.290, you can bet they wouldn't be near as aggressive on the basepaths.
Bullpen I don't find a whole lot of fault with Price either. You had to keep Simon in the rotation, Hoover and Ondrusek have been arsonists all year, so when Broxton and Chapman aren't available, there isn't much else to do but chuck LeCure and Parra out there and hope for the best. Those guys seem like they go on a streak of 8-10 outings where they are invincible and then go two weeks where they get absolutely shelled.
TLDR; bottom line I think Price has been ok, and this team's issues are injuries and lack of major-league quality talent to replace guys who get hurt or don't produce. That's on Castellini and Jocketty.
#### this season.
Hoover channeling his inner firebug as well, I see.
Merry XmasGiancarlo Stanton...he is the only guy on my Reds Christmas WIsh List.
.....if someone has free time...can someone tell me what his current contract looks like - and what would it take to get him in a Reds uniform - not just to get him - but what would it take to make sense? I know it would require possibly something like Cueto, or one of the other starters or two? I don't know...I just have a MLB crush on this kid and would love to have him in the Reds lineup. I believe he has a contract through 2016. I'd be willing to give up a kings ransom of arms - as long as we were still left with a manageable rotation when it was all over - to win a championship or two in the next two seasons.
Merry XmasGiancarlo Stanton...he is the only guy on my Reds Christmas WIsh List.
.....if someone has free time...can someone tell me what his current contract looks like - and what would it take to get him in a Reds uniform - not just to get him - but what would it take to make sense? I know it would require possibly something like Cueto, or one of the other starters or two? I don't know...I just have a MLB crush on this kid and would love to have him in the Reds lineup. I believe he has a contract through 2016. I'd be willing to give up a kings ransom of arms - as long as we were still left with a manageable rotation when it was all over - to win a championship or two in the next two seasons.
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote this:Yoenis Cespedes was the hot name on the rumor mill in Redsland over the holiday weekend. My buddy Bobby's barber (say that three times fast) thinks the Reds should trade Mat Latos for Cespedes.
A Twitter rumor had just such a trade complete. As it was related to me, a a Reds clubhouse kid had it as a "done deal."
I don't think the Reds have made up any Cespedes jerseys, but they seem to be a match for the Red Sox. The Red Sox plan to play newly signed Hanley Ramirez in left.
John Farrell spoke to Cespedes last week about possibly playing right or center field, and Cespedes signed off on doing what's best for the team. Does this mean he won't be traded? So much depends on the Sox getting Jon Lester. If they do, they can concentrate on getting a No. 2 or No. 3 starter, such as Mat Latos or Mike Leake from Cincinnati. The Reds would have a need for Cespedes's bat, but they would also probably have a need for shortstop Deven Marrero. Johnny Cueto? It would take Cespedes and maybe two top prospects to land him. Awfully tempting.
Again, I don't see the Reds trading Cueto. Marrero is a 24-year-old shortstop. He hit a combined .258 with six home runs and 59 RBI in Double-A and Triple-A this year. I don't see the Reds moving a starter for him.
If the Reds could move Leake for Cespedes, I think they'd have to do it. Latos? That's not a slam dunk. If Latos is healthy -- as he was in 2012 and '13 -- he gives you a legitimate No. 2 starter.
If you go by WAR (wins above replacement), he was more valuable than Cespedes both of the years. Latos had a 4.1 WAR in '12 and a 3.8 WAR in '13. Cespedes' WAR was 3.4 and 1.7 those two years.
The Red Sox probably don't trade for Latos unless they are sure he's healthy. He had elbow and knee surgery and was shut down at the end of the year by a bone bruise.
Cespedes would definitely be an upgrade in left field. He hit .260/.301/.450 last year. The Reds' left fielders hit .233/.288/.339.
But I don't see Cespedes as the ideal upgrade because of the .301 and .294 on-base the last two years. But his power would play well at Great American.
Allen Craig of the Red Sox could be available as well. But he's pricey ($25.5 million over the next three years) and his numbers plummeted last year. His slash line went from .315/.373/.457 in '13 to .215/.279/.315 in '14.
They wanted to shed payroll and that's exactly what they did today. They ended up getting more from trading Simon than they did for Latos. Rumor is they might be looking to deal Cozart now and they're going to sign one of Aoki or Morse.I'm surprised the Reds couldn't get a deal done with Leake for Cespedes - when the Sox traded for Porcello.
This is going to go down as big a disappointment to me as the the Reds signing Homer rather than not getting a deal done for a big bat last winter.
Cozart, negron, phillips, Suarez, Skip... Pretty crowded at MI. I would still be surprised if Cozart got moved. I don't agree that we got more for Simon. Discalfini is in the rotation now and Wallach > Crawford as a prospect right now. Suarez is probably a utility INF.They wanted to shed payroll and that's exactly what they did today. They ended up getting more from trading Simon than they did for Latos. Rumor is they might be looking to deal Cozart now and they're going to sign one of Aoki or Morse.I'm surprised the Reds couldn't get a deal done with Leake for Cespedes - when the Sox traded for Porcello.
This is going to go down as big a disappointment to me as the the Reds signing Homer rather than not getting a deal done for a big bat last winter.
Pretty cool. I won't pretend to be an expert on Falu, but Louisville was a dumpster fire last year. I expect he starts every day there possibly even middle of the order. The Reds had several times last year where they needed to replace a hitter for DL or anything else and had nobody interesting at all. If you look at my earlier post, I think Cincy is full at MINF, but they are desperate for better standby options this season. I think Falu was a step towards that. His path to being in Cincy at minimum means beating out Negron. Personally, if he can hit at all I'm not opposed to that. Keeping a glove like Negron on your bench has limited value when you're never going to replace phillips, cozart, billy defensively. Even the backup SS position is really just a pinch hitter for the Reds.I am going to have to actually root for the Reds (when they are not playing the Cardinals) next year. They inked a friend to a minor league deal - Irving Falu - poor guy has been a lifetime minor leaguer in the Royals, Brewers and Padres organizations with less than 50 games MLB service in that time...hoping he gets a reserve infield role with Cincy next summer. If not, all bets are off and I will not root for the Reds.
What Irving provides is moderate speed, decent BA but little pop. Defensively is solid at SS, 3B, 2B and even RF/LF. Never figure dout why he never stuck in the bigs as a reserve guy while peers like Joaquin Arias have stuck. Actually that is a pretty good comparison - he is similar to Arias with a little more speed, a little less pop (not that Arias has much pop).Pretty cool. I won't pretend to be an expert on Falu, but Louisville was a dumpster fire last year. I expect he starts every day there possibly even middle of the order. The Reds had several times last year where they needed to replace a hitter for DL or anything else and had nobody interesting at all. If you look at my earlier post, I think Cincy is full at MINF, but they are desperate for better standby options this season. I think Falu was a step towards that. His path to being in Cincy at minimum means beating out Negron. Personally, if he can hit at all I'm not opposed to that. Keeping a glove like Negron on your bench has limited value when you're never going to replace phillips, cozart, billy defensively. Even the backup SS position is really just a pinch hitter for the Reds.I am going to have to actually root for the Reds (when they are not playing the Cardinals) next year. They inked a friend to a minor league deal - Irving Falu - poor guy has been a lifetime minor leaguer in the Royals, Brewers and Padres organizations with less than 50 games MLB service in that time...hoping he gets a reserve infield role with Cincy next summer. If not, all bets are off and I will not root for the Reds.
These kind of guys are the definition of replacement level. It's a mystery why one guy gets two World Series shares and another toils in the minors.What Irving provides is moderate speed, decent BA but little pop. Defensively is solid at SS, 3B, 2B and even RF/LF. Never figure dout why he never stuck in the bigs as a reserve guy while peers like Joaquin Arias have stuck. Actually that is a pretty good comparison - he is similar to Arias with a little more speed, a little less pop (not that Arias has much pop).Pretty cool. I won't pretend to be an expert on Falu, but Louisville was a dumpster fire last year. I expect he starts every day there possibly even middle of the order. The Reds had several times last year where they needed to replace a hitter for DL or anything else and had nobody interesting at all. If you look at my earlier post, I think Cincy is full at MINF, but they are desperate for better standby options this season. I think Falu was a step towards that. His path to being in Cincy at minimum means beating out Negron. Personally, if he can hit at all I'm not opposed to that. Keeping a glove like Negron on your bench has limited value when you're never going to replace phillips, cozart, billy defensively. Even the backup SS position is really just a pinch hitter for the Reds.I am going to have to actually root for the Reds (when they are not playing the Cardinals) next year. They inked a friend to a minor league deal - Irving Falu - poor guy has been a lifetime minor leaguer in the Royals, Brewers and Padres organizations with less than 50 games MLB service in that time...hoping he gets a reserve infield role with Cincy next summer. If not, all bets are off and I will not root for the Reds.
Love Arias..got to see him and Irving play together for a few years in the minors and was very happy for Arias when he got the call to the show. Arias can actually play every position - have seen him at 1B even. Not sure I want to see him behind the plate, but he is a solid replacement at every other position.These kind of guys are the definition of replacement level. It's a mystery why one guy gets two World Series shares and another toils in the minors.What Irving provides is moderate speed, decent BA but little pop. Defensively is solid at SS, 3B, 2B and even RF/LF. Never figure dout why he never stuck in the bigs as a reserve guy while peers like Joaquin Arias have stuck. Actually that is a pretty good comparison - he is similar to Arias with a little more speed, a little less pop (not that Arias has much pop).Pretty cool. I won't pretend to be an expert on Falu, but Louisville was a dumpster fire last year. I expect he starts every day there possibly even middle of the order. The Reds had several times last year where they needed to replace a hitter for DL or anything else and had nobody interesting at all. If you look at my earlier post, I think Cincy is full at MINF, but they are desperate for better standby options this season. I think Falu was a step towards that. His path to being in Cincy at minimum means beating out Negron. Personally, if he can hit at all I'm not opposed to that. Keeping a glove like Negron on your bench has limited value when you're never going to replace phillips, cozart, billy defensively. Even the backup SS position is really just a pinch hitter for the Reds.I am going to have to actually root for the Reds (when they are not playing the Cardinals) next year. They inked a friend to a minor league deal - Irving Falu - poor guy has been a lifetime minor leaguer in the Royals, Brewers and Padres organizations with less than 50 games MLB service in that time...hoping he gets a reserve infield role with Cincy next summer. If not, all bets are off and I will not root for the Reds.
Arias is pretty terrible offensively but he passes the eyeball test fielding at every IF position. I don't know if Falu could hold down SS for a couple of weeks if somebody gets hurt but I'd be semi-confident in Arias doing so. Advanced fielding stats aren't very useful for UT players because of tiny sample sizes. Arias has had a couple of big postseason moments so he'll always be OK in my book.
Guess I'm cool with that. Byrd isn't anything special, but he's probably as good as any FA options and I don't consider Lively a big deal.Trade Ben Lively for Marlon Byrd. Meh.
Well, he's an upgrade over Ryan LudwickThis is the year!Trade Ben Lively for Marlon Byrd. Meh.
Upon learning of this comment, Ludwick was placed on the 15-day disabled list with hurt feelings. No timetable on a return just yet.Well, he's an upgrade over Ryan LudwickThis is the year!Trade Ben Lively for Marlon Byrd. Meh.![]()
Don't depress me yet. They just announced ST invitesWhat is the O/U on Votto to the DL?
The thread name should be changed to.... how bout them umps!! Horrendous missed swinging 3rd strike on votto. And please it wasn't close if you know anything about baseball.