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Old 01-24-2007, 06:30 AM   #116
mth123
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Re: Reds trade for A's pitcher Saarloos

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ltlabner View Post
So you think Shafer is going to jump from AA and be effective in the bigs this year?

Because if not, you need somebody to pitch the 7th or 8th inning.

If he's in Cattanooga next year, he'll have a hard time making the sprint out to the mound at GABP.
Actually I do not think he was ready to start the season in the majors, but I think he could have been up by Memorial Day. He is at least as likely to be successful as Weathers, Cormier or Majewski. With the myriad of relief options at AA and AAA in 2006, I wouldn't have spent any money on the pen this offseason unless it was for a surefire stopper or a top set-up guy. I'd have kept the best out of spring training and went through them all until I found a good one or two guys.

Now they add another guy that they have to keep and can not be sent down. If he was a clear upgrade that would be great. This trade doesn't really improve anything and limits flexibility.
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