OnBaseMachine
04-29-2008, 10:23 PM
Jocketty analyzing Reds talent
New GM may have interest in recently released Morris
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com
ST. LOUIS -- New Reds general manager Walt Jocketty has been doing his due diligence and evaluating the hand he's been dealt since he took over.
Jocketty has assembled his consiglieres at his former stomping grounds in St. Louis this week to go over what he wants and what Cincinnati still needs.
Could one of those wants be starting pitcher Matt Morris? Jocketty has long been fond of Morris, who is on the open market again after his release from the Pirates on Sunday.
"I'm going to look into it, but I'm not sure there is a fit right now," Jocketty said on Tuesday. "But I like Matt a lot, and I have a history with him. In fact, I tried to trade for him last year with the Cardinals."
Morris won 101 games over nine seasons for St. Louis from 1997-2005, all while Jocketty was GM of the Cards. After he signed as a free agent with the Giants in 2006, Morris was traded to the Pirates last July. Pittsburgh beat out St. Louis to get the deal because it agreed to pick up his full contract.
This season, Morris struggled mightily, going 0-4 with a 9.67 ERA in five starts. Pittsburgh is on the hook for all of his $10 million salary for 2008, which means Morris would probably come cheap for any club that tried to pick him up once he clears waivers on Wednesday. If Morris doesn't retire, it is rumored that the Rockies would also have interest in his services.
Jocketty became president of baseball operations and GM of the Reds when Wayne Krivsky was dismissed last week. Jocketty has yet to make any significant changes to the field or front-office personnel.
Assistant GMs Bob Miller and Scott Nethery, senior director of scouting Chris Buckley and director of pro scouting J. Harrison are among those in town to brief Jocketty on the state of the organization. Jocketty has also met extensively with manager Dusty Baker and the coaching staff.
"The meetings have gone well," Jocketty said. "What I'm trying to do is get a good sense of the organization. We're talking about young players in the organization and what their futures are. We're putting an organizational chart together. I'm picking up a lot of stuff. The players on the upper levels I knew -- and the top guys. I'm learning about the other guys, different scouts and personnel people in the organization."
The quality of the organization's youth has much to do with some decisions on veterans. The Reds will have several players eligible to become free agents at the end of the season, most notably Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr.
No conclusions have been reached, yet.
"It's one thing we've touched on but, we haven't spent a lot of time yet," Jocketty said. "That's why I want to find out what we have coming and what kind of timeline there is for certain players."
http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080429&content_id=2609500&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin
New GM may have interest in recently released Morris
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com
ST. LOUIS -- New Reds general manager Walt Jocketty has been doing his due diligence and evaluating the hand he's been dealt since he took over.
Jocketty has assembled his consiglieres at his former stomping grounds in St. Louis this week to go over what he wants and what Cincinnati still needs.
Could one of those wants be starting pitcher Matt Morris? Jocketty has long been fond of Morris, who is on the open market again after his release from the Pirates on Sunday.
"I'm going to look into it, but I'm not sure there is a fit right now," Jocketty said on Tuesday. "But I like Matt a lot, and I have a history with him. In fact, I tried to trade for him last year with the Cardinals."
Morris won 101 games over nine seasons for St. Louis from 1997-2005, all while Jocketty was GM of the Cards. After he signed as a free agent with the Giants in 2006, Morris was traded to the Pirates last July. Pittsburgh beat out St. Louis to get the deal because it agreed to pick up his full contract.
This season, Morris struggled mightily, going 0-4 with a 9.67 ERA in five starts. Pittsburgh is on the hook for all of his $10 million salary for 2008, which means Morris would probably come cheap for any club that tried to pick him up once he clears waivers on Wednesday. If Morris doesn't retire, it is rumored that the Rockies would also have interest in his services.
Jocketty became president of baseball operations and GM of the Reds when Wayne Krivsky was dismissed last week. Jocketty has yet to make any significant changes to the field or front-office personnel.
Assistant GMs Bob Miller and Scott Nethery, senior director of scouting Chris Buckley and director of pro scouting J. Harrison are among those in town to brief Jocketty on the state of the organization. Jocketty has also met extensively with manager Dusty Baker and the coaching staff.
"The meetings have gone well," Jocketty said. "What I'm trying to do is get a good sense of the organization. We're talking about young players in the organization and what their futures are. We're putting an organizational chart together. I'm picking up a lot of stuff. The players on the upper levels I knew -- and the top guys. I'm learning about the other guys, different scouts and personnel people in the organization."
The quality of the organization's youth has much to do with some decisions on veterans. The Reds will have several players eligible to become free agents at the end of the season, most notably Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr.
No conclusions have been reached, yet.
"It's one thing we've touched on but, we haven't spent a lot of time yet," Jocketty said. "That's why I want to find out what we have coming and what kind of timeline there is for certain players."
http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080429&content_id=2609500&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin