Don't Trade Randa !

[BadFundamentals]

ok....a couple years ago the Reds traded its most productive player at the time (Guillen) to make room for Griffey and its young, budding star outfielders. The emergence of Harang has certainly helped offset the loss of a bat like Guillen however, point remains.

Randa does things that this team badly needs. He provides solid if unexceptional defense. He uses the whole field. He makes George Grande giddy with his "professional" at bats. With Casey's power loss he and Lopez have best mix of avg. and power on team. He is also pretty much immune to extended slumps. He is steady.

Additionally, for anyone who hasn't seen Encarnacion play live....let me lay a little bit of a scary comparison on you, BRANDON LARSON. Hopefully not, but they both have that short, stocky build and from what I saw Encarnacion had a long stride, swoop swing that looked to be more of that dead pull hitter stuff we see every night with 80% of the current Reds players. Again, a little Brandon Larsony..........

Hopefully, what I saw was not representative of the full Encarnacion batting tools but he didn't tear up AA pitching the past couple years and is doing something less than having a field day with AAA this year (while putting up 18 errors).

If Randa wants to play a few more years and wants to stay in Cincy, with his game there is no reason he couldn't be solid for a few more years to come. It's one thing to move along a marginal/bubble guy to make room for a "prospect" but displacing a solid producer for anything but a surething is another thing.............

[Red Leader]

I was scared to death that someone in the world would have this opinion.

This team should be rebuilding, and rebuilding around its younger and/or cheaper players. While Joe Randa doesn't make a mint, he can be replaced by a younger player with much more upside. Sure, there will be growing pains, but in the long run, its what's best for this team. Signing Joe Randa long term sets this team back further in the near future.

[traderumor]

Choosing mediocrity, old mediocrity, I think your line of reasoning might just land you a job in DanO's front office, but be careful, you might only have a job for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks Randa is all the things you say, which is why I cash him in and consider that to be one thing that has been positive about the current season.

As for EE, he has been outstanding at every level. There is nothing he has to do, other than get those errors in check, to prove himself in the minors. He has done the opposite of your opinion with the numbers he has posted at yet another level up the chain.

[rdiersin]

ok....a couple years ago the Reds traded its most productive player at the time (Guillen) to make room for Griffey and its young, budding star outfielders. The emergence of Harang has certainly helped offset the loss of a bat like Guillen however, point remains.

Randa does things that this team badly needs. He provides solid if unexceptional defense. He uses the whole field. He makes George Grande giddy with his "professional" at bats. With Casey's power loss he and Lopez have best mix of avg. and power on team. He is also pretty much immune to extended slumps. He is steady.

Additionally, for anyone who hasn't seen Encarnacion play live....let me lay a little bit of a scary comparison on you, BRANDON LARSON. Hopefully not, but they both have that short, stocky build and from what I saw Encarnacion had a long stride, swoop swing that looked to be more of that dead pull hitter stuff we see every night with 80% of the current Reds players. Again, a little Brandon Larsony..........

Hopefully, what I saw was not representative of the full Encarnacion batting tools but he didn't tear up AA pitching the past couple years and is doing something less than having a field day with AAA this year (while putting up 18 errors).

If Randa wants to play a few more years and want to stay in Cincy, with his game there is no reason he couldn't be solid for a few more years to come. It's one thing to move along a marginal/bubble guy to make room for a "prospect" but displacing a solid producer for anything but a surething is another thing.............

First of all, lets just forget about EE for arguments sake. Randa has a one year deal. Why would you NOT trade him. If he likes it here and the Reds like him so much, why wouldn't you trade him then resign him next year? I doubt any team will offer him arbitration, so you are probably not at risk to lose a draft pick. The reds are done this year. Hopefully you get some prospect back in the deal.

Then there is the whole EE part. He is going to be a good player. He is young and he will be cheap. The Larson comparisons are off, he's more comparable to Aaron Boone than Larson. And he is putting up similar numbers in AAA at a younger age (22 instead of 24).

[traderumor]

Of course, we could call up Willy Joe Ronda up for a publicity stunt later in the year when only 12,000 are showing up a night and have a Ronda/Randa bobblehead night.

[ochre]

and thus is the Joe Randa signing loathed.

[Puffy]

Lets see - I never wanted Randa and now BF says we should keep him.

Your honor, I rest my case.

[rdiersin]

Of course, we could call up Willy Joe Ronda up for a publicity stunt later in the year when only 12,000 are showing up a night and have a Ronda/Randa bobblehead night.

Nice. I like a Willy Jo/Wily Mo bobblehead night better though.

[traderumor]

Nice. I like a Willy Jo/Wily Mo bobblehead night better though.

I was thinking it could be a siamese twin bobblehead

[flyer85]

Additionally, for anyone who hasn't seen Encarnacion play live....let me lay a little bit of a scary comparison on you, BRANDON LARSON. Hopefully not, but they both have that short, stocky build and from what I saw Encarnacion had a long stride, swoop swing that looked to be more of that dead pull hitter stuff we see every night with 80% of the current Reds players. Again, a little Brandon Larsony..........

Once again drawing parallels that only exist in some other universive.

[TRF]

sigh.

by all means, keep a 3B who is 35, will never have more value, and is blocking a younger, far cheapr player with a much higher ceiling. Wanna know what EE's ceiling is? IMO similar to FeLo's. Both have issues throwing the ball, both have exceptional range. Both can take a walk, and both have developing power, EE may have more than FeLo. The left side of the infield could be set for a decade.

Oh yeah, and Randa's value is so high right now, there are a host of teams waiting to be fleeced for him. I have a Mr. DePodesta on line two.

[flyer85]

I was scared to death that someone in the world would have this opinion.

Joe's a stud. His age 35 season is going to be his breakout season and is only going to get better from here.

[traderumor]

sigh.

by all means, keep a 3B who is 35, will never have more value, and is blocking a younger, far cheapr player with a much higher ceiling. Wanna know what EE's ceiling is? IMO similar to FeLo's. Both have issues throwing the ball, both have exceptional range. Both can take a walk, and both have developing power, EE may have more than FeLo. The left side of the infield could be set for a decade.

Oh yeah, and Randa's value is so high right now, there are a host of teams waiting to be fleeced for him. I have a Mr. DePodesta on line two.

To which every call DanO gets about him, he asks "is this an appropriate time to chuckle?"

[Roy Tucker]

Randa has been a solid vet for this team. A stabilizing influence, solid defense, and more offense than what I thought they were going to get from him. A reliable player.

If this season hadn't gone down the toilet so badly, Randa would have proven to be a valuable player down the stretch. Plus has given EE time to play at AAA without pressure to bring him up. One of the few good off-season moves DanO made.

But the guy is 35 yrs. old and has a 1 year contract. Who's to say he'd *want* to come back to the Reds next year? I can see a multiple teams bidding on his services.

His value is at it's pinnacle now. The Reds would be foolish to not use him as a trading chip at trade deadline.

He will be one of those players that I'll think well of if he appears in GABP in an opponents uniform and will get applause from Roy. Class guy.

[BadFundamentals]

Had a feeling that post would go over about like that.

Please someone tell me what is so impressive about these minor league numbers (Encarnacion):
http://www.thebaseballcube.com/playe...arnacion.shtml

The 30+ doubles were nice but he is basically putting up Joe Randa type numbers but in the minors. I don't disagree that he's a good prospect and has a chance to be solid major leaguer. But don't just toss out an already "solid" major leaguer for a guy who looks as though he might only project to "solid" as opposed to all star level.

Additionally, if the Reds adding an everyday "prospect" to a trade is what it would take to get a legitimate PITCHING prospect or two in return in one of the deals which will no doubt be forthcoming I'd say do it. This team is in such bad need of pitching and again, if Randa wants to stay in Cincy he does things this feast/famine team badly needs.