[bucksfan2]

Originally Posted by GAC

But don't you think it has in some sense? We obviously couldn't afford an Adam Dunn, yet we forked out 12M/year for the next 3 years to a closer. We extended Bronson Arroyo needlessly IMO. We've spent money on peripheral (marginal) players - and still are - which takes away from an already limited budget to either acquire or hold onto quality players.

We don't really know the reason the Reds didn't sign Adam Dunn. To say that it is monetarily is pure speculation.

I'm a firm believer - though I don't put as much into as some on here do - in statistical analysis for evaluating, acquiring, and building your farm system (team). You have to have the right people in that FO though who adhere to it (buy in), and do their homework.

I am in agreement here. The FO needs to take full advantage of all the tools at its disposal. While I don't necessarily agree or like the Jamesian philosophy of baseball it is important to have a few disciples on every FO staff. You need to build a FO with all different types of ideas, opinion, and tactics that have a good working relationship. I would be surprised if the Reds FO discarded a sabermetric approach when making FO moves.

I don't think this FO does that at all. Not when I hear not just Baker, but now Jocketty, gush over speed, and how he is excited to have Taveras at the top of this order.

This is another area where I have problems with Jocketty. He heavily relies on underlings for advice and player evaluation. Jamie Quirk, a new member of this FO, watched Taveras last year while working as a bench coach for the Rockies. In fact, it was Quirk who pushed Reds General Manager Walt Jocketty toward acquiring the 27-year-old Dominican.

He WATCHED him.

The Reds also picked up Phillips because some scout watched him. Liked what he saw, thought he would be a good risk. Jamie Quirk may have noticed something mechanically wrong with his swing or batting approach. He may have found something that Taveras does when he is struggling and something he doesn't do when he is successful. To completely throw watching, analysis, dissection of the human element of the game is wrong as well.

They never will. Which is why I agree with you that they need to follow the model of a Twins and/or As, where your farm system is strong enough, and you keep it strong, by turning over those productive players that are pricing themselves out of your market at some point.

Jocketty has always been the type of GM that primarily is on the other end of that spectrum, looking to snap those players up at the opportune time - not having to deal with trading them away (or lose them), while getting a good return in the form of prospects. I don't think that's his forte.

From what I have seen both Jocketty and Cast are committed to the farm system. They have pumped in a ton of money into Latin American and signed Alonso over slot something that previous front offices have failed to do. To be honest I don't really want the Reds to operate like the A's. Ever since Moneyball came out Billy Beane has been christened as the great, new era GM when in reality his results have been lackluster. His building of the farm system but ever since the Tejada, Giambi, Mulder, Hudson, and Zito teams (steroid era) the A's haven't had much success. I really think its even money as to whether Holliday is on the A's after the all star break.

From what Jocketty has done in the past and to what he has said in public I think he has a firm understand of the sabermetric approach. Again I would highly doubt if he completely discounted it when making baseball decisions. Jocketty in his tenure with the Cards seemed to always be on the better end of trades. The only trade where he looked like he got fleeced was the Mulder for Haren trade. If your talking about trades then I am fully confident in him I just hope that he lest the minor league staff operate freely. It looks so far like Jocketty has let the minor league staff do what they want which is promising.