Trade Mesoraco?
 

Think about it for a second, Hanigan is what 32? He has 3-4 more good years ahead of him. He had the lowest catchers ERA in baseball, is great defensive catcher, all the pitchers love him, hits for a good average, gets on base and will be cheap. So why not go ahead and make him the starting catcher for the next few years. Obviously that means theres no place for Mesoraco to play so trade him. He is still one of the top catching prospects in all of baseball so he should have pretty high trade value, rather then letting him rot on the bench or in AAA trade him for a leadoff hitter or another SP. Maybe we could even put him in a package with Mike Leake and try to get Justin Upton. To me if we are going for the world series in 2013 then Hanigan needs to catch at least 120 games which means Mesoraco has more value as a trade chip then a backup catcher.

Re: Trade Mesoraco?
 

I've thought about that too. I would give him a 3b glove first to see if that would work. His offensive profile could potentially replace Ludwick right away...just need to get him going.

Re: Trade Mesoraco?
 

You generally need two good cathcers to compete in the majors, unless you have one of those elite ones like Molina, Posey etc.

Hanigan is not elite, the more he plays the less he will hit.

We'd be a better team if Mes can produce like he did in the minors.

Re: Trade Mesoraco?
 

Not to mention Mes profiles like a Posey or somewhere in that ballpark down the road, so you have to keep that if you have it.

Re: Trade Mesoraco?
 

Hanigan is also a guy already with older player hitting skills. He could absolutely plummet in the hitting department if he loses his bat speed at all over the next few years. At 32, Hanigan is likely to have a quick exit from his prime.

Re: Trade Mesoraco?
 

This should be one of the more interesting story lines next year. Mes floundered bad as the back up this year. That may have been a fluke, but if he struggles in a part time role, they're gonna have some decisions to make.

Re: Trade Mesoraco?
 

Yes, in fact I think Hanigan's offense has already plummeted. His SLG declined from .429 to .357 to .338 last two years. In 317 ABs this year, he had 14 doubles, no triples, 2 homers.

Ryan is a great defender IMO, and provides OBP to a team starved for it. Hits lefty pitching pretty well. But as an all around hitter, he is limited.

If the Reds think Mes will hit, they must keep him. A catcher who can hit in the middle of the order would be a big addition to the ballclub.

Maybe start Mes at AAA next season, let him get going there, then bring him up. But I would keep both Hanny and Mes with the organization.

Re: Trade Mesoraco?
 

I am not confident that Mesoraco will be a legitimate middle of the order hitter. I am optimistic that he can be the next Joe Oliver, only younger. As such, he is worth holding onto for the immediate future.

Hanigan is a fine catcher with outstanding defensive skills, but catchers tend to wane after reaching 30. Still, he can be very serviceable in a less than full time capacity. He would still be my #1 catcher for now, but he is best utilized if he has a suitable tag-team partner who can carry his share of the load.

Re: Trade Mesoraco?
 

I'm going to correlate this year to Mesaraco's slow start as a pro. He may just have a temperament that causes him to need a season of adjustment to another level. Watch out next year.

Re: Trade Mesoraco?
 

Trading Mesoraco now strikes me as selling low. The fact that he was not on the playoff roster speaks volumes. No trading partner is going to overpay for someone undervalued by their own club.

Re: Trade Mesoraco?
 

Tempting. I love Hannigan behind the dish. But I'd hold on to Mes.

Re: Trade Mesoraco?
 

Honestly, if Mez develops into a solid #6 hitter I will be thrilled to death. He doesn't necessarily need to be a middle of the order batter to be very useful.

I think he will hit enough to be worth holding on to.
I would like to see him start the season in AAA, or at least be pressured to earn the job in ST.. I know, ST stats mean little, but I don't want him to have another bad season offensively up here. Seems like his confidence was shaken at the end of the year..

The other poster brought up a good point. Mez seemed to need time at each level to adjust.. Hopefully he breaks out next year :)

Re: Trade Mesoraco?
 

The Reds have no depth in the minors at all at the catching position. Their only real prospect in full season ball at the position just hit .200/.262/.292 in 142 trips to the plate in AA. Navarro is a free agent. Corky Miller is 800 years old. Trading Mesoraco would be crazy.

Re: Trade Mesoraco?
 

I can see the rationale at least. What's likely to be better? Mesoraco and his potential? Or whatever Mesoraco can return in a trade, plus a FA catcher to take his spot?

Re: Trade Mesoraco?
 

Mesoraco and his potential.

Let's say you trade Mesoraco right now, at his lowest point since probably 2008, what do you get back? Probably not a whole lot. Certainly not an impact player.

So then what, you add salary for that player you just acquired, then have to add salary for a free agent catcher you just brought in on probably a 1 year deal because he knows he will be the back up. Then the next year you have to do the same thing because that guy walks. Then Hanigan is a 35 year old catcher with a no-name back up and all of your hopes are still pinned on Tucker Barnhart, who while he seems like a guy who could be another Ryan Hanigan type, well, has a ways to go before he even becomes that.

And all for what, a player who isn't a real impact on the team because teams aren't going to give that up for a backup (which is what Mesoraco is at this point) to a for the first time in his life, the majority catcher on his team. The Reds have told all of baseball that Mesoraco wasn't worth starting over a guy in his 30s who has never been a starter before in his life. Mesoraco has no value right now.