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Originally Posted by westofyou
Expecting anymore than what this team has rung out of the season prior to this year was an execise in futility.
I feel the organizations real goal was polishing up the brand more than the product. Lindner is getting on in years and his tax breaks are going to decrease (as far as the Reds go) it's easier to flip a healthy organization than one that is teetering.
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I'll tackle the second one first. You might be right. Maybe Carl's looking to sell and put out the marching orders to stand pat as much as possible to create the seeming of stability. Yet they can't bluff forever. Sooner or later the organization has to start working its roster and addressing its core problems or the overall perception of the team will be that it's less stable than ever, utterly lacking in direction and leadership. IMO, if they field a stinker next year any brand maintenance they did this year evaporates.
On the first one, I don't buy into the rolling "well, this wasn't the time" rationale. The Reds could do that ad infinitum. In fact, it's the easy thing to do. Part of what makes Billy Beane so remarkable is that he never bought into that line of thinking. The notion of getting players to improve his club never has been perceived as an exercise in futility. So, while it certainly wasn't an expectation Reds leadership sought to address this past offseason, it remains an expectation of necessity. Either they
start meeting that expectation or things don't get better. I emphasize start because obviously this isn't a simple, one-step process. The Reds may have to plod in the right direction, but, regardless of the pace, that's the direction in which they have to embark.
And if they see Cory Lidle up ahead, turn around because they're headed 180-degrees in the wrong direction.