untradeable - anyone?

[NewEraReds]

i know lots here will say do anything to win, but i think we have to have a very strong system if we are gonna win consistantly from year to year, especially as a small market team. we have to have guys who we can bring up when players price themselves out of our market and we have to be able to fill our bench and pen with cheap guys from our system. im just wandering who people think we just can not trade.

i think most guys in our system that are any good we cant trade(not counting 06 draftees). but i think for sure...

Bailey
Bruce
Votto

add on or delete.

i just think those 3 have to be kept. thats a future 1B, RF, and SP who all have the chance to be all stars. i dont think as a small market team, we can go trading away guys like that. at least not until we have a ton of guys like that

[dougdirt]

There are only 3 players on my list who are "untouchables". Homer Bailey, Jay Bruce and Travis Wood. Everyone else is fair game and although I would hate to see a few guys leave the system, I think it will be ok. Joey Votto is getting real close to being on that list, but I dont think his upside is that of the three I listed.

[NewEraReds]

i dont believe wood's is either. having got to see him in dayton this year. hes good, but not anything great, "IMO" though he has plenty of time to change my opinion. while i agree, votto may not have a huge upside. hes still young and close to playing in the bigs. thats why i put him there. if we trade him, who plays first? we have hatteberg there now, but we have no one else in our system at 1b

[ochre]

no prospect is untradeable.

[dougdirt]

A free agent first baseman is a lot easier to come by than a Free Agent left handed pitcher who is good, which is why I have Travis Wood on my list.

[rdiersin]

Personally, I would have Bruce, and possibly Wood. If Bailey pitches well in AA, where his hype gets bigger than his potential(Fay and Narron seem to be trying their best), in a way similar to an Edwin Jackson was, and can net us a long term solution as a starter then I would trade him, but otherwise I would probably stand pat with him.

[TOBTTReds]

No untouchables. I don't think we have anyone that good. Homer's HR totals worry me, and plus, if we trade him for a very good pitcher, like for instance since it has been brought up before, packaged in a deal for Dontrell, I would do that. You have to consider how good Homer can be, and how good what you are dealing for. Will Homer be a #1 starter for sure, no, so if you can get a #1 starter for him, you do it.

[dougdirt]

Which is fine AvesIce51, except you mention Dontrelle Willis, and he isnt a #1. Or even close. He is a #3 at best.

[tripleaaaron]

Cueto is fast approaching my list of untouchables, he has been great this year, promote him and see what he can do on the next level, and then I will evaluate whether or not he is on that list, as for the others already there, Wood, Bruce, Bailey.

[klw]

I think that no one is truly untradeable because it depends on the return. Would I label Bailey untradeable? Sure but if the offer is Liriano and Santana ( or either) then that label comes off. And if it is July we are falling from contention and Victor Zambrano becomes available, you have to send that best pitching prospect for himm, even with his wrecked arm.

[Redmachine2003]

This team has to many holes to fill, another starter, tons of bullpen help, no real closer, and an offense that can't hit with runners in scoring position. I would consider almost all of the Reds top prospects off limits. Larue should be able to bring this team a bullpen pitcher and a prospect. Dunn should be able to bring a young starter and some more young bullpen help. Deno would improve the Reds "D" and add a contact hitter to the lineup. This team can not afford to set back it's minor league system again.

[ochre]

The minor league system is easier to build than building a consistently competitive major league team. Fixating on future stardom (Bowden was prone to this in his last few years) isn't any way to build a functional major league product. The minor league system needs to be seen as a means to an end, not an end in and of itself. I don't care where the minor league system is ranked, as long as it is adequately providing the major league team with the products it needs, whether through development, or trade.

[Redmachine2003]

The minor league system is easier to build than building a consistently competitive major league team. Fixating on future stardom (Bowden was prone to this in his last few years) isn't any way to build a functional major league product. The minor league system needs to be seen as a means to an end, not an end in and of itself. I don't care where the minor league system is ranked, as long as it is adequately providing the major league team with the products it needs, whether through development, or trade.

Not in a small market team. Take this years team. Lets say you trade Bailey, Bruce, and Deno to get players to make a run this year and they fall short. What do you have left in the minors to pen your future on. This team is not the Yankees they can't go out and buy players and with out a winner the fans are off the bus and the attendance will drop like a rock and the owners will have the income to keep what they have.

This team is better than it was but it is still not a Healthy team. It needs a better minor league foundation to stand on so it can make the needed moves with out falling on it face.

[ochre]

The Cardinals are not the Yankees either.

The goal is to have a good major league team. The quality of the minor league system isn't necessarily important to that goal if it is functioning to provide the pieces the major league team needs to be effective. I didn't say that it was. I don't see any of the prospects the Reds currently have as anything approaching untouchable.

I'm not sure the the lack of depth in the Reds system is a valid reason for not trading them either. In fact, given the right deal, more (quality) system depth might be acquired through trading them, whether it's through comp picks, prospect throw ins from the other team, or additional follow on deals down the road.

What it is going to take though is imagination and vision. What scares me about where the Reds are is that the Twins have tended to hold on to prospects all cost. I think this might have caused them to miss their window of opportunity.

[dougdirt]

The Twins had to hold onto their top prospects because they knew they werent getting any free agents to come and play in Minnesota. Sounds kind of like Cincinnati.