Dunn, should he stay or go?
I have to admit, I am starting to get a bit nervous. Jocketty has openly admitted that extension talks have not happened for Adam Dunn. He has used the normal excuse that many players don't like to talk contracts during the season, but this is the single most important decision on Jocketty's plate right now. If he wanted to resign Dunn he would have at least talked with him to see if he wanted to stay and get a feel for how much money he would be looking for.
All you hear lately is that this team is in a culture change. I think that directly targets Dunn and Griffey. Perhaps they are not of the culture that the Reds front office is looking for. It's no secret that Griffey will not be resigned. But Dunn is a colossal trivial subject all on it's own.
The dude is consistent year in and year out. He may not be what the fans want him to be, but he is what he is. Lets look at the logic; he is a 1-tool player. But is it that simple? If baseball were to improve it's thinking, perhaps another tool would be added to the mix. That tool would be the ability to take a walk. The single most celebrated stat in baseball today is OPS which is derived from OBP and SLG. Dunn has that stat nailed down. But how can we celebrate that stat without recognizing the ability to take a walk as a tool? I think far too many fans have lost sight of how big that part of the game is.
So, if we add that tool, Dunn is a 2-tool player. Is that worth $13 million per year? Well if he is in the top 5% in the league in OPS which is the most telling stat in the game, then he absolutely is.
Let's go beyond that. If Dunn were traded, who would replace him? Of course we know that nobody could bring the same production. But where does Jocketty go? Does he give Votto the shot? Does he let Dunn go to free agency and take the two draft picks then use would-be Dunn money on free agency? Does he go with a Hopper/Freel combination and wait until Frazier is ready? Perhaps he moves Encarnacion to LF and puts Keppinger at 3B and Gonzo/Hairston at SS?
Lets consider the free agents for LF:
Garrett Anderson
Larry Bigbie
Emil Brown
Patt Burrell
Carl Crawford
Jose Cruz Jr.
Cliff Floyd
Luis Gonzalez
Raul Ibanez
Jason Michaels
Craig Monroe
Jay Payton
Wily Mo Pena
Timo Perez
Scott Podsednik
Manny Ramirez
Shannon Stewart
Jose Valentin
Brad Wilkerson
Keep in mind, many of these players will resign with their current clubs. I highlighted the player that could really help this team and he is just as easily said to have a snowball's chance in hell in signing with the Reds. Then again, if Dunn and Griffey's salaries are off the books, we may be able to... oh wait, nevermind, Harang and Arroyo will be getting that money and I don't see them being moved anytime soon. Any other LF on that list look intriguing? I can guarantee you they all likely have at least one more tool than Dunn, but can any of them really bring you the same production?
Re: Dunn, should he stay or go?
Keppinger to LF, Phillips to SS, sign Orlando Hudson to play 2B. That would improve the defense quite a bit. No idea how they'll score runs, but the other team won't score many as long as the ball isn't flying over the fence.
Re: Dunn, should he stay or go?
We should definitely strive to keep our most valuable offensive player.
Re: Dunn, should he stay or go?
We're losing with Dunn.........we can lose without him.
When things are bad, you need to try something new. Sometimes, just keeping all the same guys around propagates a losing mentality.
Re: Dunn, should he stay or go?
If you cheap and young, you stay. If your really good and signed to a reasonable deal, you stay. Everyone else should go. There needs to be some big time changes in order for this team to do anything but lose. There are a handful of young talented players that can help be the future of this organization. Everyone else is just hurting this team either with the money their salary eats up or their play or both.
This team needs to be better at getting on base, hitting with RISP, and defense. This team also needs to sure up the starting pitching. So no, we should not keep Dunn.
Re: Dunn, should he stay or go?
I agree. I'd invest all the money saved from Dunn and Griffey into starting pitching. Let Arroyo go to triple A and dominate and unload him for nothing when a trade offer comes around. Spread some rumor that his arm was tired.
Volquez, Cueto, Harang, FA, FA
We can dominate teams with good pitching. Eventually this young offense will come around.
Re: Dunn, should he stay or go?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ChatterRed
We're losing with Dunn.........we can lose without him.
When things are bad, you need to try something new. Sometimes, just keeping all the same guys around propagates a losing mentality.
Yeah but it hasn't been 'the same guys'. It's been dunn and a bunch of fringe players that never amounted to much anywhere else. Doesn't mean dunn is the reason we're losing
Re: Dunn, should he stay or go?
If we can move Dunn for something that can help us win then I would want whats better for the team. Keppinger moving to the outfield wouldn't be a bad idea but moving Phillips back to SS is harder than it sounds. I know Phillips has played SS in the past but after playing 2B for a period of time its hard to move back. Everything developes quicker at the SS position. Of those leftfielders I would prefer Crawford and wouldnt mind Stewart or Wilkerson if they signed cheaply.
Re: Dunn, should he stay or go?
get carl crawford.. at all costs.. he is worth at least 10-12 mil on this team.. huge defensive upgrade, and another speedy guy in the lineup with some pop in his bat..
Re: Dunn, should he stay or go?
It is time for Dunn to go. In GABP lots of guys can go yard. Move Dunn and get a more complete ball player.
Re: Dunn, should he stay or go?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ahhhorsepoo
get carl crawford.. at all costs.. he is worth at least 10-12 mil on this team.. huge defensive upgrade, and another speedy guy in the lineup with some pop in his bat..
another lefthander that isolates us against LH.
If dunn's out the door, we NEED another RH OF
Re: Dunn, should he stay or go?
Ya know, it's weird, doesn't Castellini want to keep Dunn? This team is too mum on what's going on in the front office. You hear the the owner wants to keep him then you hear the the GM hasn't had any talks of an extension. The GM says it's time for a change in the clubhouse yet he doesn't speculate as to what changes will be made. Therefore, it's left up to us and the media to make speculations on the meaning of this statement. I, for one, would like to see Dunn's contract extended and he be able to stay with the Reds. I really don't see how he alone can be this teams downfall. I have no problems with Griffey being dealt. I would hate to see him go, but he's 38 years old and it's fairly obvious he's not the offensive threat that he once was or Dunn is. Forty homeruns consistantly will be difficult for this team to replace, especially on a restricted budget. I hope there was some truth to the statement that Castellini wants to keep Dunn. Also, with Dunn's current hitting woes, how can anyone with any knowledge expect to receive anything of value in return? I say keep him. He's 28 and durable. He has a few years left.
Re: Dunn, should he stay or go?
Get rid of Dunn and Jr. at any cost! That would help out the Reds culture a lot!
Sign Carl Crawford.
Re: Dunn, should he stay or go?
One other thing, if Dunn is dealt, imagine all the playing time Corey Patterson will be getting.
Re: Dunn, should he stay or go?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Blue
Keppinger to LF, Phillips to SS, sign Orlando Hudson to play 2B. That would improve the defense quite a bit. No idea how they'll score runs, but the other team won't score many as long as the ball isn't flying over the fence.
Please, STOP!!!! with the Phillips to shortstop move. Why would the Reds move him to shortstop? He is an established, Gold Glove caliber second baseman, leave him there and let him continue to blossom, instead of going back and having to adjust to playing shortstop again. Other than a couple games two years ago, in which he looked very uncomfortable, he hasn't shortstop in quite some time.
Besides, I thought I heard one of the beat writers talking the other day, when the shortstop position was being talked about, that Phillips did not want to go to shortstop.
As far as your comment about improving the defense, Janish can do the job defensively. He can't hit at the big league level yet (and he may never), but strictly on defense, he is fine.