Paul Daugherty says Brandon Phillips is very available

[paulrichjr]

That's going to be cold comfort if the Reds are scuffling along with some Chris Getz clone next season.

Exactly. Walt has proven with other contracts that he can't be completely trusted to save this money and find someone better to give it to. Brandon will be very expensive over the next few years but above average baseball players are all very expensive these days.

Personally I hate to see Brandon go. I think one big problem with Brandon was Dusty. Would Brandon mouth off in front of most managers the way he did to Ctrent if Brandon had thought Dusty was going to do something besides laugh while he was doing it? In fact I think he was just saying what Dusty has said many times before....

"If" trading Brandon Phillips means the likelihood of winning more games in 2014, 2015 and 2016 then I'm all in but I'm afraid it might mean more money to sign contracts like Broxton.

[kaldaniels]

Now to be fair from BP's side...though he is trending down of course...

2B who put up the WAR that he has over the past few years are few and far between. With the exception of Guerrero (who himself is a gamble, not the Reds can even land him) who do you target? 2.6 WAR for BP this year. I feel comfortable in projecting a 2.0 WAR next year...which is not easy to come by.

[kaldaniels]

7.5 million for next year minus the 4.5 million buyout I imagine would be divided up into 2014 and 2015, so about 5 million.

Brandon-it's all straight dollar amounts for each individual year with very little deferred money. The only deferred might be the bonus he gets each year for making the All-Star team. You do have to factor in with Brandon that the team asking you to make the trade might want you to kick in some of the money to make the deal.

If you cut Ludwick you still owe him his cash.

[AmarilloRed]

If you cut Ludwick you still owe him his cash.

You're right. I was just thinking of where the biggest savings were off the bat.

[Captain Hook]

I don't expect Phillips to go on a run like O'Neill had with the Yankees. Yet trading O'Neill because the team didn't like his attitude was moronic and it did nothing to benefit the Reds moving forward. If the plan is "let's get rid of Brandon Phillips" I actually think it would hurt the Reds more than dealing O'Neill. The Reds were able to pick up corner OFs back in the '90s. I'm highly skeptical they'll come all that close to replacing Phillips at 2B.

If the Reds find a really great trade for Phillips, then - sure - make it. Yet making a quality player disappear for the sake of making him disappear strikes me as moody and stupid, just like when the Reds dealt away O'Neill.

I don't think anyone is saying that Phillips has to go because of something he's done on or off the field. Rumors are circulating that the Reds want to make some changes and at the same time keep Choo who will be getting a huge raise. Some of the cheap pitching that the Reds have had is going to be expensive to keep around as well. It's more than reasonable to suggest that moving Brandon is probably the best place to start when talking about ways to afford assets that are in the end probably more valuable than a defense first second baseman. I wouldn't get caught up in what I've and others have said about his personality. If I thought the Reds could keep the core group of this team team together I'd be all for it and I think most would agree.

[M2]

The Reds were 11th in run creation and 9th in OPS+ from the second base position last year. Even with his plus glove I don't believe he qualifies as a "quality" player. His glove doesn't make up for being in the bottom third of the league offensively.

For anyone who thinks BP is a "quality" player do you remember how old Scott Rolen looked at 34-35. Rolen was a borderline HOF player who couldn't hit anymore, what will BP look like when he inevitably regresses?

With his glove factored in he's still an above average 2B and it's pretty much Irresponsible Usage of Stats 101 to act like he can't do better at the plate than he did in 2013.

Anyway, I get the worry that Phillips won't earn his contract in 2017. I get shopping him around to see if someone will make a significant offer. Yet he's not going to be easy to replace. If Phillips goes during the winter, the Reds likely will be downgrading at 2B, which means they'd better be upgrading elsewhere.

[edabbs44]

I think that it is no guarantee that BP is lost money at this stage.

[Kc61]

If you cut Ludwick you still owe him his cash.

I don't get the whole Ludwick thing. The guy was hurt and missed four plus months. He had a very strong 2012.

Why the desire to cut him loose? He's a relative bargain in LF if he has a good year in 2014. Upgrade elsewhere IMO.

I don't know what people expected from a player who missed so much time this year. And in the final game he got three hits.

Every position can't have a super star. Ludwick is a good mid-level power hitter. Upgrade positions where the players were healthy and didn't produce.

[kaldaniels]

I don't get the whole Ludwick thing. The guy was hurt and missed four plus months. He had a very strong 2012.

Why the desire to cut him loose? He's a relative bargain in LF if he has a good year in 2014. Upgrade elsewhere IMO.

I don't know what people expected from a player who missed so much time this year. And in the final game he got three hits.

Every position can't have a super star. Ludwick is a good mid-level power hitter. Upgrade positions where the players were healthy and didn't produce.

I didn't say get rid of him.

Someone just said if you want to save cash cut Ludwick. That is not the case.

[Redsfansince72]

I think if Cano leaves the Yankees. they will call the Reds.. just a gut feel

[BlackPete Ibold]

I don't expect Phillips to go on a run like O'Neill had with the Yankees. Yet trading O'Neill because the team didn't like his attitude was moronic and it did nothing to benefit the Reds moving forward. If the plan is "let's get rid of Brandon Phillips" I actually think it would hurt the Reds more than dealing O'Neill. The Reds were able to pick up corner OFs back in the '90s. I'm highly skeptical they'll come all that close to replacing Phillips at 2B.

If the Reds find a really great trade for Phillips, then - sure - make it. Yet making a quality player disappear for the sake of making him disappear strikes me as moody and stupid, just like when the Reds dealt away O'Neill.

I agree with the bolded portion 100%.


But if Walt wants a reallocation of resources, which I think could be wise, then capitalizing on your owner's misguided reasoning that happens to land you in the decision you wanted all along is a blessing.

Just saying that Big Bob is the only guy who could ok a BP trade and the only guy who could prevent one from occurring, so if a trade is what Walt wants, who cares what it took for Bob to agree.

Assuming, that is, that Paul Daugherty has any chance at actually knowing the truth. This assumption really bothers me, so I guess I need to quit thinking about it until somebody worth a dog confirms it.

[joshua]

I think the right hitting coach could get BP back on track. His offensive numbers will fall, IF he continues the same approach. If we get a good hitting coach to change his attitude towards hitting, he could continue to produce.


And you have to remember that after the Pirates drilled him and put him on the bench for the better part of the week, he wasn't the same afterwards. I think he'll put up better numbers next year than he did this year. It seemed like he had some sort of injury he was playing with every month. Maybe he's just old and injury prone. Maybe it was bad luck.

That being said, I would be all about trading him, if we get the right offer. I think we could get a decent haul in return. Maybe wait to see if he has a great April/May in 2014 and then we move him might be the way to go.

How is Alexander Guerrero supposed to translate to MLB? I saw his numbers (.290/.402/.576) and don't know how impressive that is in Cuba. Especially after seeing Jose Abreu's monstrous numbers.

The real question is: Which teams are close to contending and missing a piece at 2B?

[RedEye]

Funny, the Reds are looking for guys with O'Neill's attitude now.

Paul was not a laid back dude.

Wasn't O'Neill kind of a dark and brooding type, though? I think the Reds are looking more for a positive, fiery leader.

[BlackPete Ibold]

If we are just spitballing ideas, anybody know about any potential Japanese imports?


Not to sound, well, stereotypical, but the soundly fundamental, high obp, low strikeout type of a player sounds about right for the Reds... Either in LF, 2b, ss, 3b, whatever.

But if I were Walt, I'd be scouring the Japanese league for the next Norichika Aoki type guy around 27 or 28 yrs old. Frankly, I'd take a flyer on a guy like that rather than the unknown 2b from Cuba

[edabbs44]

I think if Cano leaves the Yankees. they will call the Reds.. just a gut feel

Nah, George passed away a few years ago.