“I don’t care,” Votto said of passing his friend and former teammate. “He’s in the past. Bye-bye, Jay.”
Scotty waited too long to decide, IMHO.
oneupper (01-31-2013)
I think they'll sign him as a bench bat.
You almost knew he wouldn't be ready to leave since it took so long to decide.
Rolen really has no place on the team, as Hannahan has effectively taken his spot.
Signing him now would mean one less OF.
If he wants any kind of money, I'd pass anyway.
I would rather sign him to play the 2nd half of the season... there will invariably be some injuries and he could help push the Reds down the home stretch.
I don't see the Reds paying Jack Hanahan $1MM to play in AAA while paying Rolen a few million as well. But if Rolen signs, the Reds look like this:
That leaves one bench spot and no lefties on the bench. The options are Hannahan, Paul and Henry Rodriguez. So, do you send down the guy you just signed to backup 3B and whose primary asset is his glove or do you send down the OF who "earned" a spot in limited time last year.Code:Locks (12) C Hanigan (R) 1B Votto (L) 2B Phillips (R) SS Cozart (R) 3B Frazier (R) RF Bruce (L) CF Choo (L) LF Ludwick (R) ~~~~ C Mesoraco (R) OF Heisey (R) IF Donald (R) - only backup SS on the 40 man 3B Rolen (R) - IF SIGNED
Personally, if they signed Rolen, I'd still carry Hannahan and send down Paul. Firstly, Paul and Hannahan are basically the same hitter; Paul just had a small sample BABIP blip in 2012. So the difference between them is glove value and flexibility.
Because Frazier can play a credible OF, I think carrying Hannahan wins on two fronts. Firstly, he's a step up defensively from Rolen too at this point. So he still makes sense as late inning sub. Paul is an average OF defensively and a step down from Heisey. Having Hannhan lets you keep him available on the bench while starting Rolen and given Dusty the option to use an all RH OF against a really tough lefty. Frazier is also free to play 1B if needed. He'd still be the primary 3B, but it gives you more options.
All things considered, given that its not my money, I'd take Rolen over Paul in a heartbeat, knowing that the on field difference is less significant than the value of having Rolen in the clubhouse. However, I'm not sure if Paul has an option. If he does, problem solved. If not, he may not clear waivers and that would leave the 40 man light on OF.
Last edited by RedsManRick; 01-31-2013 at 12:08 PM.
Games are won on run differential -- scoring more than your opponent. Runs are runs, scored or prevented they all count the same. Worry about scoring more and allowing fewer, not which positions contribute to which side of the equation or how "consistent" you are at your current level of performance.
*BaseClogger* (02-01-2013),Homer Bailey (02-01-2013),mth123 (01-31-2013)
My thoughts exactly. The DL could be our friend in a case like this. May I just add, that if any 4 of the 8 starting spots go down for an extended period, the team is better with Rolen/Hannahan platooning at 3B and Frazier moving to the vacated spot than they would be with Paul or even Heisey playing every day.
Last edited by mth123; 02-01-2013 at 12:36 AM.
All my posts are my opinion - just like yours are. If I forget to state it and you're too dense to see the obvious, look here!
I won't put it past Rolen to hit .280 again. I just won't. But defensively, his range is getting close to poor. He's basically Miguel Cairo on the bench that can't play 2b (big deal). I'd be glad to have Scotty back, though. I like Rick's proposal to replace Paul.
No matter if he plays or not ST will force the team to do roster gerrymandering and if everything is as normal guys with options will be on the fence if gerrymandering is needed.
Sure he wants to play, sure no bat nice glove Hannahan makes 6 figures... but ST hasn't even started, this bubble thinking will start to pop once players get on the field and show they have nothing or something or break a bone, get a DUI or get traded.
Everyone can come to ST, only 25 get to leave at the end.
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