Cincinnati Reds
Claimed OF Jason Romano off waivers from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Ouch. It’s one thing to trade Antonio Perez because you believe, though erroneously, that Jason Romano is some promising young outfielder, but it’s another thing altogether to dump Perez for a player you think so little of that going 1-for-11 is enough to make the team give up.
As bad as that sounds, it’s much, much worse. Romano’s quote on the trade is one of the funniest things I’ve read in awhile:
”[The Devil Rays] were looking for a middle infielder,” Romano said. “They thought I was a shortstop or second base type, and when I got there they found out I was more of an outfielder. They’ve already got a pretty good young outfield out there, so it wasn’t really a good fit.”
Translation: The Devil Rays didn’t even bother checking who Jason Romano was before trading Antonio Perez for him.
It’s very funny that Chuck LaMar is now one of the longest-tenured GMs in baseball. Perhaps Rachel Phelps should have hired him 15 years ago.
Dan Szymborski
Posted: April 26, 2004 at 04:55 PM |
17 comment(s)
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-- MWE
Guerrero could handle a very occasional start at short, but his very limited major league experience at shortstop has not been very pretty. Managers have avoided playing him at short whenever possible and his zone rating in limited time there is an obscene .686.
Even assuming Guerrero can handle SS for an extended time, who spells Walker at 2nd? While his very limited time against lefties this season could mean actual improvement, he did come into this year with an Ordonez-like record against lefties. Walker's not all that great defensively and playing him if he's forced to face lefties full-time and hitting 350/400 is a problem.
I still think the Reds would be better served picking up a guy like Lou Merloni or Mendy Lopez.
I thought a couple of years ago the Rockies had finally figured out that a slow power-hitting lineup was not the best way to take advantage of the altitude; that focusing instead on speed and putting the ball in play would not only play better at home but also be more adaptable to the road. But they discarded that program before finding out whether it would work or not. I have no idea what their program is now.
Anyone else think the Reds would have been better off cutting out the middle man?
Casey for Millwood? I think, if I were Cincinatti I'd see if Atlanta could throw in one of their surplus middle infielders if I threw in Gookie Dawkins or one of my 5,280 outfielders.
Millwood's K/9 rates the last 4 years: 8.4, 8.1, 7.1, 6.2
I'm happy about the Sean Casey signing, if only because it means the end of the local talk radio morons' speculation about him coming home to Pittsburgh at the end of the year.
-- MWE
I miss being twelve.
Perhaps worthless was too strong, but he really has no business being in the majors at this point.
Bob Boone's call of him being "a decent hitter" is really on the verge of outright moronisism.
Next,I expect Jim Hicks to be named hitting coach.
I think Allensworth is one of these cases as I think (any unknown chemistry problems notwithstanding) he could help a team a little as a 5th outfielder. A little pop, good foot speed, nice defense, decent arm, a touch of plate patience. The Orioles just gave up a useable pitcher for Sarge Jr., and I don't see where he's any better than Allensworth.
their best bet is probably to play musical chairs with Dunn, Boone, Griffey, Casey, Kearns, and Encarnacion until Griffey gets hurt again. Then they can switch everybody back to their normal positions while he is on the DL.
Casey to Atlanta for Moss?,Marquis? makes too much sense.
Any Cleveland fan would find this a tad ironic - all three of these guys came up through the Cleveland organization. Sean Casey was traded for Dave Burba and Danny Graves traded for John Smiley.
This trade makes the Scott Strickland deal look really bad for Montreal. Brower's the kind of guy that would generate excitement as an NRI, but he's not dominant, and a reliever has to be dominant to be worth much of value.
On the bright side, Don Gullett might be the best person to turn him around.
From the Expos perspective, I can only assume that they have made a decision to try to contend this season (which might be the best decision they can make).
Jason
I like the Jim Zeller Blues Band better. I haven't been in Montreal on a summer Sunday for a dog's age... do they still play at games? (I'm hoping Loria didn't take them to Florida with him...)
It's not like there's a clearly superior candidate behind Boone, either. Larson is having a very good season, but he's a 26-year-old AAA repeater, and he's never hit like this before. The improvement might be a result of his eye surgery, but on the other hand it might just be a couple of hot months, and there's no reason for a contending team to banish a solid regular in favor of a prospect with a moderately-scruffy pedigree. Russ Branyan looks like the other internal option, but he's more of a project at this point than anything else. Even if you disagree with me about Aaron as the starter at third, there's a justifiable case for playing him ahead of Larkin at short.
Matt Boone is essentially irrelevant, and I doubt his inclusion changed the Reds' estimation of the trade's value by much. If he gets called up, I'll start to worry. Otherwise, a non-prospect outfielder related to the big club's manager isn't any worse than any other filler designed to balance the bodies changing sides.
If there's any meaning at all to his inclusion, it might be a sign that one or both of the PsTBNL are outfielders.
The other hit 333/375/400 in 4 games in Detroit. I can find no confirmation elsewhere.
Does BA have problems like this?
I'd have posted the link, but I was a afraid was too long and would have rendered the thread difficult to read.
I would like to answer a few points by my doppelganger, though.
1) Grabbing toolsy failed prospects on the cheap is a good strategy. If you buy enough of them low, you'll eventually get the chance to sell one high. Bowden turned a few months of Juan Encarnacion into a decent starter, and he turned a good year from Mike Cameron into a third of Junior Griffey (no box or warranty included, unfortunately). In all likelihood, he's going to turn a decent AAA campaign from Ruben Mateo into something valuable this offseason, and he might be able to flip Wily Mo Pena as well. Bowden occasionally lets guys like these get in the way of real prospects, which is a problem, but the general philosophy is sound, and it has paid dividends for the tema in the past.
2) Mike Boone isn't really an asset, but adding him onto the Mohler trade isn't a harbinger of the decline and fall of Western civilization, as some people seem to think. Remember, we're talking about an organization that was so hard-up for minor league outfielders that a week ago they gave up perfectly good cash money for the re-animated corpse of Ice Williams. Boone was added to provide organizational depth as a minor-league benchie; as near as I can tell, he's a throw-in added to help fill a temporary hole in the Reds' farm system. If the Tigers were run like the rest of Illitch's operation, Boone would be the stack of napkins that comes with the Mohler pie with mushrooms and pepperoni. When he starts getting playing time ahead of more-qualified players, or snags a spot on the 40-man, that's a problem. Otherwise, what's the big furry deal? Don't flip out on the kid just because you have a justified but unconnected beef with his old man.
3) I'm standing by everything I've said about Aaron, as well. He's underperforming this year, and he's still an above-average NL starting 3B. Don't believe me?
Better than Aaron (this year): Edgardo Alfonso, David Bell, Mike Lowell, Scott Rolen
"This isn't nepotism," said Boone the manager. "He has a real shot a playing in the big leagues. He may end up being the key to this deal."
Boone began the season on the disabled list with a sprained right elbow and is a designated hitter for the Class A Lakeland Tigers, where he hit .246 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 51 games, his third year with Lakeland and fifth in Class A since the Tigers signed him in the third round of the 1997 draft.
Boone will be assigned to Class A Dayton, "And that way he can stay with me and drive back and forth," his father said.
You know, there's lying and then there's bold-faced, no-holds-barred, shameless lying. And then there's this.
Guerrero is worthless, and Pineda and Snare are of approximately equal worth, so the equation simplifies down to Young for Dempster. If Dave Dombrowski had made that trade last week, you'd be giving him a medal. Sure, Young was a commodity at one point. So were buggy whips and whalebone corsets. Bowden bailed out on Young at exactly the right time, getting rid of him right as he made the transition from 'useful' to 'expensive and injured' (big contract or no, Young was arb-eligible last year). He bought into Encarnacion when his value was at its lowest, milked him for a nice couple of months while Griffey was hurt, and (when he wasn't necessary anymore) flipped him to fill a need: a young veteran starter with upside.
As for my double's other objection, I just don't see it. Bob Boone's the one on the Reds who makes pointless moves. Bowden isn't anywhere near the Hart-Duquette-O'Dowd class of roster-based tail-chasing; when he trades a guy, there's usually a valid reason.
I'm a little more tolerant of Bowden's shuffling than you are, but then I attribute a lot of it to entropy. He's kept the team from becoming worse, older, or more expensive, where rosters will artificially tend to do all three. I get the feeling that he'd be perfectly willing to go out and get an impact player (he did it once, right?), but he's apparently under pretty serious payroll restrictions. ( http://espn.go.com/gammons/s/2002/0720/1408004.html ). I also think that there are better targets than Giles or Rolen. Giles has a partial no-trade, and Cincy isn't on his list of approved teams, while Rolen's back makes him a very iffy long-term acquisition.
You fooled yourself, too, Luis: You're still 27, at least until October. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/features/agechart.html
Hey....if you don't care.....
IMHO -- Don't the door hit you on the way out, Shawnie...
Last year's Snow. Not as bad as the 2002 model.
Good trade for the Mets, no matter how good the prospects are.
MLB.com link
Freel played in Durham last year along with Emil Brown. Ryan's fast, but that's about all he's got going for him.
-- MWE
1996: 94
Even the things that went right with the 2002 offense had something wrong with them, if that makes any sense. Dunn hit 400/454, but you expect more power with a guy like him. Kearns hit 407/500, but the Reds wasted a bunch of his time in the minors.
Sans improvement anywhere else, a full season of the 2001 vintage Griffey would have put them in the top handful of NL offenses last year.
1) His K-rate went in the toilet last year. After 2 straight years over 7/9IPs, he was barely over 5/9IP. Bad sign.
2) Lefties hit him for a 901 OPS last year.
3) Take away the 6 games he started against Baltimore (more GS than he had against all 4 AL playoff teams combined), he was 2-11 with an ERA of 5.44. (To be fair, w/ Mil & Pitt in his division he could easily have as many games against patsy teams.
4) The #4 slot in the order DRILLED him for a 1316 OPS. So he can't get out the best hitters at all.
5) He's essentially shot after 5 innings. After 75 pitches his OPS is over 1000. Blunderful.
Don't read very much into this. Yes, #4 hitters got him for a 1316, but #3 hitters (who usually are as good or better than #4's) only got him for a 803.
However I like that Bowden called him a guy who can pitch 180-200 innings. It's true, he can, he pitched 194 last year. Of course, that was the first time he's been over 150 (in the majors at least).
The dropping K-rate is troubling, the high HR rate is trouble.
What am I missing?
Well, the fact that he was #1 pick has made him shiny to some. Wilson has been mismanaged throughout his career. I don't think he's ever fully been healthy for a whole season. Even last year, he was having a decent season until the last month, and then in his last 6 starts or so gave up 28 ER in 18 innings. You could say that about anybody, I suppose, but he has a genuine chance to be better than what he has shown thus far. Hope springs eternal, I suppose, and he free of the D-Rays.
Their defense is poor. I've never seen Larson play but he's an error machine, Griffey is running on gimpy legs, Dunn is a butcher in left, Boone has not played an inning at 2B in his 6 year major league career and Barry Larkin is Barry Larkin.
Offensively there's potential but I don't see the team becoming a better than average offensive club, certainly not in the class of Houston and St Louis.
Adam Dunn is a sabermatecian's wet dream and I was VERY high on the guy this time last year. My opinion of him has soured. His second half collapse was monumental and the guy finished just 18 K's behind Jose Hernandez for the league lead.
While I'm still on the Kearns bandwagon, it's crazy to think he'll repeat this past season's stats with a whoping 250 career ABs between AA and AAA.
If Griffey starts in a 140 games this year, I'll go to Enr...er...Minute Maid dressed up in Reds gear heckling the Astro outfielders from the bleachers.
What's all the hype with Brandon Larson? He doesn't draw walks, strikes out more than Adam Dunn and Joes Hernandez combined and aside from last year has not hit for much power.
And Barry is Barry.
Pitching wise, their starters are attrocious. They have a few good relievers in Williamson, White and Riedling(if his shoulder is finally healthy). I see why Kent is so excited to be playing in the NL central. Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh in one division? It's T-Ball Central.
1) He puts a lot of balls into play (with the diminished K rate noted earlier in the thread), and the defense of the 2002 Reds is likely to be better than the defense of the 2001 D-Rays.
2) He pitched for the D-Rays last year, and for that reason didn't get to pitch AGAINST the D-Rays. Guys who pitch for better teams face easier competition than guys who toil for cellar-dwellers.
3) Don Gullett has a history of helping veteran pitchers with a history of arm problems.
He is if your team is an also-ran. He would not have been the fourth starter on any of last year's playoff teams except, maybe, the D-backs. This stands to reason. If your 4th and 5th starters are going to go say 12-14 and 9-13, then the rest of your staff needs to go 74-40 to get you to 95 wins, which is a tall order unless you have Johnson & Schilling.
After all these years, seeing those numbers still makes me quake with anger.
I hope in his next contract negotiation, Gullett squeezes them for every penny they've got... what price do you think he could extract from them if he threatened to bolt to a division rival? What's a miracle-worker worth? A million dollars a year? Two? *More*?
It's great to see Gullett have so much success now, after his great pitching career was derailed by youthful overwork, unrealistic expectations, and the consequent rotator cuff problems.
Barry Larkin for the Hall of Fame!
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